long time adobe user WOWed by corel x4

[signmeup]

Both Illy and Draw have their place but Illy is by far more reliable.

Baloney!

 

[Joe Diaz]

I get the color I want and expect from Corel Draw...

Yeah I know. I love the colors I can get in Corel. I'm very comfortable with Corel's Color Management system.

Note to everyone: Be careful about making claims like: "This program can do this, but that program can't do that" Or "this program is better at doing this, or that program is worst at doing that". Be sure that you can back up those claims.

I thought this was an interesting thread:
http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50977&highlight=Corel+Flexi+Adobe

It really opened my eyes to what these programs are all capable of doing.

 

[Bigdawg]

I spent all of my adult working life in color.. offset printing... photo adjustment... high end stuff. Corel sucked during most of it, but haven't really used since Corel 9.

I just got a Corel file, opened it in X3 and printed it... the colors were wayyyyy off... exported as an .eps. After much experimentation... the file would not print with correct colors unless I selected an offset printing profile in Corel... not used to doing that... I expect the profile I assign in the RIP to take over - and it didn't.

So IMHO... and I will fully admit it may be operator error... Corel DOES have color issues... still.

 

[Artildawn]

The thing I can't get past in illy is when you do a marquee select, it grabs everything the marquee box touches, whereas in corel, it only grabs what it completely covers...

Hold down "alt" while marque selecting in Corel to get that effect... er that is if that's what you want.

I am a long time Corel user also, but I'm of the opinion that all programs are just tools and are only as good as the user allows. It's like arguing over brands of hammers.

 

[signmeup]

I spent all of my adult working life in color.. offset printing... photo adjustment... high end stuff. Corel sucked during most of it, but haven't really used since Corel 9.

I just got a Corel file, opened it in X3 and printed it... the colors were wayyyyy off... exported as an .eps. After much experimentation... the file would not print with correct colors unless I selected an offset printing profile in Corel... not used to doing that... I expect the profile I assign in the RIP to take over - and it didn't.

So IMHO... and I will fully admit it may be operator error... Corel DOES have color issues... still.

Save your Corel file as an Illy file (ai) then print it and it works fine. For me anyway. Although I do send Corel files to the local printer and they come back fine too. Maybe She does the save to .ai thing...

 

[Bigdawg]

I'm sure she does.. .that's what I generally do. But if Corel is so great over Illy.. then the I shouldn't have to do that...

And I agree Artildawn.. I can and HAVE created things in Publisher when that was the only tool at my disposal. And no one was the wiser...

 

[Joe Diaz]

I spent all of my adult working life in color.. offset printing... photo adjustment... high end stuff. Corel sucked during most of it, but haven't really used since Corel 9.

I just got a Corel file, opened it in X3 and printed it... the colors were wayyyyy off... exported as an .eps. After much experimentation... the file would not print with correct colors unless I selected an offset printing profile in Corel... not used to doing that... I expect the profile I assign in the RIP to take over - and it didn't.

So IMHO... and I will fully admit it may be operator error... Corel DOES have color issues... still.

It is most definitely user error. Corel has a very nice Color Management Tool where you can adjust your color profiles and optimize your setting for print output or web and etc.


The problem is some people don't take the time to set this up properly.

I think the only thing Corel could do better in this case is set the default to a different more widely used setting.

 

[Bigdawg]

Been there... done that... got the profiles to prove it...but all my customers don't. So that does me no good when I get a "print ready" eps from my wholesale customers... Dump and run is supposed to be the way that works... and it does from Illy.

But here's the thing Joe... I trust my Versaworks profiles completely... and hate Corel overriding them and adding to my work.

 

[Joe Diaz]

But if Corel is so great over Illy.. then the I shouldn't have to do that...

But on the flip side you could say this... If Illy is so great than it should be able to open Corel files flawlessly. You see what I'm saying???

In other words, it's not a question of which softwares are to blame, It's just a fact that they are two different systems and they open and export files in different ways.

 

[Replicator]

Most of Corels onscreen colors appear wrong for me, but I've worked around that . . .

The colors don't seem to pop as much for me in the printing as they do through Flexi !

 

[jiarby]

it's the carpenter, not the hammer

 

[Bigdawg]

Understood Joe.. and I'm glad we're having this discussion.

With Illy - there is no export for an eps... what the customer saves is what I get...

With Corel you have introduced an export option that the customer must be educated in to use correctly. Most aren't... so I can't just open that eps back up in Corel.. I need another cdr version of their file to do that on my profiled system. I have added steps that (IMO) don't need to be there.

I like the tools of both... each have their plus and minuses... and I flip over to Corel for certain text effects and other "specialty" tools that Corel has... but I don't trust it on color. Too much room for error.

 

[Pro Signs & Graphix]

Corel does not own Adobe, nor Adobe own Corel. They both have differences and their place that require people to learn how to use and cope with what they have. I prefer to have both.

Corel HAS come a very long way and is a good software package. Admittedly, I will turn to Corel for layout long before I turn to Illy because of my familiarity with the terms and controls (as Luggnut put it).

With that said, Corel still needs to work on their import filters. They are better in X4 but still not what I would term as reliable. When importing a clients pdf file, you should be getting exactly what you see in Acrobat and that is not always the case.

Corel's color management is much better than what it was. With some tweaking it can get to where one can use it. The output issues are not as much with color nowadays as with the random elimination of vectors when a file is set to print. Output a 5'x10' banner or sign without looking at the RIP's preview, only to find that part of an outline or some other vector disappeared and everybody will change their tune. I never had that problem with Illy.

For those that say that Illy is impossible or too hard - it is not. It is lack familiarity and the willingness to learn it (even if one has to force themselves). Illy users/owners in the sign business should also have Corel in their arsenal and the willingness to learn it.

My original response to the OP was because when one gets accustomed to Illy and its import filters, as well its output reliability - it is the first thing they complain about in Corel. It does not affect everybody, but it can.

 

[Replicator]

With Illy - there is no export for an eps

Illy has a save as EPS . . . !

 

[Joe Diaz]

But here's the thing Joe... I trust my Versaworks profiles completely... and hate Corel overriding them and adding to my work.

Well I don't know what process you are taking but we have absolutely no problems with colors using both Corel and Versaworks. Here again the answers lie in the Color Management tools.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I don't know what the colour issues people have between Corel and Illy and don't really care. It doesn't affect me. I do mostly cut vinyl or painted dimensional stuff so it matters not what the colours print like. I will say that everything I've ever sent out for print looked exactly like I wanted it to.

Most of the trouble I have with Illy is figuring out what the heck I need to tell it to do. For example, one of the first things I tried in Illy was to draw a line. Can't be done.....you have to "describe a path". WTF? Searching help for "draw a line" gets you no where.
BTW....the help files are beyond dismal....the default is an Adobe website with a few lame videos about "art boards" whatever they are. I had to post here to learn how to access the secret help files included with the program. The help file in Corel has a very handy "Corel to Illy" dictionary which was far more help than anything in the Illy help files.

My hat is off to anyone who has mastered this program....you are far smarter than I am.

Loved the comment about "Adobe Irritator". Spot on for me.

Drawing line: pen tool

The help menu in CS3 looks like an entire manual, it does not go to the website. Maybe that is in an older version

I have used Illustrator since the program first came out, so Corel is very foreign to me. When you use a program for a long time it becomes second nature. Illustrator is very reliable for me

Ford/Chevy, Mac/PC

 

[synergy_jim]

I love Illy and can do almost anything with it.... I will say the learning curve was steep!!!

Corel doesn't make a native Mac version of X4 so I won't be using it again any time soon.

 

[Bigdawg]

Well I don't know what process you are taking but we have absolutely no problems with colors using both Corel and Versaworks. Here again the answers lie in the Color Management tools.

My point exactly.

Customers aren't informed enough to provide the correct, color-profiled artwork to me. Hence... I prefer Illy for that.

I can print fine from an eps I create from Corel.. I know what to do to make it work... but the average end user doesn't.

And Rep - that's what I was saying.. no cumbersome export to get that eps from Illy...

love seeing the differing opinions..

 

[Tim Aucoin]

I love Illy and can do almost anything with it.... I will say the learning curve was steep!!!

Corel doesn't make a native Mac version of X4 so I won't be using it again any time soon.

Illy does have a steep learning curve, but most high-end professional software does! If you take the time to learn it, maybe even subscribe to lynda.com for a year and take all the Illy lessons... you'll become much better at it.

Ahh Corel... a good ol' Canadian product!
I used to use Corel back in my PC days... It's unfortunate they no longer provide a Mac version... I think they stopped around V7 or so...

 

[Ponto]

...of the opinion that all programs are just tools and are only as good as the user allows. It's like arguing over brands of hammers.

Well put!!! I use CDrawX3 daily and wish I had the time to explore beyond what I consider substantial experience... and if there is a knock against some application it is typically done out of ignorance and frustration! The end user makes the application of choice shine!!!

JP