CorelDRAW X6 The Official Guide

CorelDraw is a powerful application for putting together very detailed and complex graphical designs. In the hands of someone who knows how to use it, it is an amazing software application and it provides a staggering amount of power and control. For the less knowledgeable it is simply overwhelming, likely causing more frustration than anything else. For many years I have played with CorelDraw but my knowledge has been only on the absolute surface - I never really harnessed the real power available and it was more of an expensive plaything instead of a tool. I finally decided with CorelDraw X6 to truly learn how to use the application, and after a little bit of research I settled on buying CorelDraw X6: The Official Guide. This has been one of the better book purchases I have made and has provided me with exactly what I have needed to get moving.The book presents topics with tutorial information that allows the reader to actually work through a concept rather than simply read about it, and this approach definitely works. Each tutorial is laid out in a numbered step-by-step manner and makes following along very easy and straightforward. Support files for the tutorials are available online and it is a very good idea to get these files so that the tutorials make a lot more sense.The tutorials are usually spot on. However, one thing that has been slightly frustrating is that the CorelDraw interface uses button groups instead of individual buttons and this means that on occasion there are specific buttons needed for a tutorial that are not visible as the default in the group. On several occasions this has meant, for me, digging through the online help in search of information on where to locate a function. This does not bother me too much as it helps me to learn even more about what is available to me, but it may prove to be discouraging for others.The book presents fairly complete coverage of what is available in CorelDraw. There is great coverage on working with objects and groups of objects, object creation and drawing. It covers many of the desktop publishing features too (which is the aspect of CorelDraw that interests me most). Just in the introductory chapter alone there is enough training material to put me much closer to using CorelDraw for assembling sharp documents that make a real impact.What came as a pleasant surprise is that the book also covers some of the features of Photo-Paint, the other major application in the CorelDraw suite. Photo-Paint is a powerful photo editing tool that does a fine job of retouching photos but it provides a lot more than that. The book really highlights the power available and walks the reader through some great exercises on how to really make some incredible adjustments to images, such as removing parts of pictures without leaving a hole or an obvious splice line.It should be obvious that this book will not teach the artistically challenged how to draw or create artwork. That's not the purpose of this book. There are other books for this purpose. What it does teach, though, is how to make artistic elements of a drawing such that those with a talent for art will be able to combine these elements in CorelDraw to create art.I like the author's writing style. Although this is a well-written and professional book, the author has found a way to write in a light-hearted manner and injects humor along the way.CorelDraw X6: The Official Guide is a very good book for those wanting to learn how to really use CorelDraw and get more out of this powerful application. It covers the basics as well as some more in-depth and challenging aspects of the application and provides excellent tutorial materials to help the reader along in the journey. If you really want to delve into CorelDraw and really know how to use it, this book is a great place to begin that journey. This is the book I wish I had years ago.

This book is excellent for anyone who is new to CorelDraw and expert users alike. Used in conjunction with the Boulton's web site and tutorial exercises, this book takes you through all the intricacies of CorelDraw Graphics, in simple terms, as if the author is talking to you one to one. I've seen some negative comments from some folks and quite frankly, I've no clue what they're talking about. This is the best software guide I've ever used, by a mile!

Vektorprogramme sind nicht ganz neu für mich ( corel draw 8, open source "ink scape"), aber "etwas hinzukriegen" nach einigem Herumprobieren oder etwas planvoll erarbeiten zu können sind unterschiedliche Dinge. Dieses Buch ist der Treffer. Es ist ein Zusammenwirken von Erklärungen und diese ergänzende Tutorials, die aus dem Internet heruntergeladen werden können. Es hat weder den bei amerikanischen Büchern (Corel ist kanadisch) oft üblichen anekdotenhaften Plauderton, noch erklärt es einfach nur noch mal, was man sowieso schon sieht, sondern es bespricht die Funktionsweise, erklärt, gibt Hinweise, zeigt alternative Vorgehensweisen auf und erläutert die Ergebnisse unterschiedlicher Entscheidungen. Das Buch besteht auch nicht zum größten Teil aus Beschreibungen des Arbeitens mit dem Texttool, sondern auch die Erstellung von Illustrationen und Graphik werden ausführlich beschrieben, d.h. der Umgang mit den Bezierkurventools etc. Ich bin das erste Mal auf Anhieb sehr glücklich mit einer Wahl. Eine Voraussetzung hat dies Buch natürlich: Man sollte schon recht gut Englisch können. Ich muß bis auf einzelne Fachbegriffe nichts nachschlagen und kann auf diese Weise frustrationsfrei einfach lesen.

Only had this a little while, their is so much to learn. I used CorelDraw when it was a baby so that was a good while ago. Take it one step at a time and you will get there. Read all the info and look at all the videos available. It's big but can be tamed. If all else fails I ask my grandson he's only six, but he plays with my laptop all the time and he likes CorelDraw.

The best way to describe the book is with quotes. Introduction (page xxxi), “Organization is key.” Chapter 8 (page 181), “You have to begin somewhere…- and this is the chapter.”The book is very informative, but it jump from one idea to another and back. I know artist think different than the rest of us, but it was hard for me to read. If you only need to know how to do one thing, it's probably fine.