Title: CorelDraw 10: The Official Guide
Author: Steve Bain steve@helix.net
Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill http://www.osborne.com
Publication Date: December 18, 2000
Pages: 878 pages with CD
ISBN: 0-07-213014-8
Price: $49.99

CorelDraw 10: The Official Guide, gives you in-depth coverage of the the product and the new and improved features. There are 16 pages of full-color CorelDraw-generated images to spark your imagination, as well as a bonus CD that features 6 special-edition PDF chapters, tutorial files and trial software - plus scripts,
templates, clip art, brushes and spray lists, bitmap frames, and animated GIFs you can use in the book's examples. CorelDraw 10: The Official Guide helps you: (1) Execute hundreds of professional user tips, workarounds, and drawing techniques from a CorelDRAW master; (2) Harness the drawing power of dynamic effects like blends, drop shadows, transparencies, contours, distortions, envelopes, and effect presets; (3) Link text to paths and objects, use conglomerated writing tools, and support text in multiple languages; (4) Personalize user interface settings for greater access to your most-used tools and features; (5) Improve your online or print designs using professional techniques; (6) Apply and integrate multiple effects including bitmap filters, vector drawing, 3D effects, color resources, and more; and (7) Expand your online creativity by incorporating Corel R.A.V.E. for Web animation.

Features I like include:

• Explains program operation and feature use without rechnical jargon;
• covers and addresses both macintosh and Windows platforms;
• Provides loads of tips, tricks, and CorelDraw 10 shortcuts;
• Teaches illustration techniques;
• Demystifies complex CorelDraw 10 features;
• Covers print and World Wide Web issues:
• Includes bonus CD that features 6 special-edition PDF chapters, tutorial files and trial software - plus scripts,
  templates, clip art, brushes and spray lists, bitmap frames, and animated GIFs you can use in the book's examples.

CorelDraw 10: The Official Guide is organized into 8 parts and 35 chapters. Each chapter is designed to guide you through use of CorelDraw 10's tools. The parts are structured in a sequence for reference and logical to a typical learning sequence.

Chapters 1 through 4 cover the basics.

• Chapter 1 Installing CorelDraw 10 and Finding Help: covers the isntallation procedure in both typical and customization scenarios and shows users how they may obtain help using the applicaiton from within CorelDraw 10 and using various Web resources.
• Chapter 2 What's New in CorelDraw 10: provides brief summaries of the new tools and features available in version 10.
• Chapter 3 A Primer on Using CorelDraw 10's Interface: helps familiarize you with how to use various application and document window components including docker, Toolbar, status bar, and workspace features.
• Chapter 4 Opening and Saving Files: covers essential file commands for creating and saving documents and templates, using clipboard commands, and navigating scrapbooks.

Chapters 5 through 8 covers getting the most from document-related features.

• Chapter 5 Controlling Documents and pages: details procedures for controlling the size and layout of documents, with tips on controlling individual page options.
• Chapter 6 Measuring and Drawing Helpers: offers tips and tricks for using conveniences aimed at making your illustration and drawing operations easier and more productive.
• Chapter 7 Zooming and Viewing: explores navigating documents and pages, setting page manification, and creating custom page views, as well as using the Zoom and Pan tools and Toolbars critical to making your work accurate.
• Chapter 8 Essential Object Commands: details all the ways you can select, move, transform, and arrange your drawing elements.

Chapters 9 through 13 investigates CorelDraw's illustration and drawing tools, including rectangle, ellipse, polygon, and spirals and graph paper.

• Chapter 9 Basic Shape Creation: offers techniques for creating and manipulating rectangles, ellipses, polygons, spirals, and graph paper using specific tools.
• Chapter 10 Drawing with Line Tools: provides detail on drawing and editing lines and paths, controlling line properties, manipulating Beziers, and applying special line effects.
• Chapter 11 Cutting, Shaping, and Reshaping Objects: explores Trim, Weld, and Intersect operations including coverage of Knife and Eraser Tools.
• Chapter 12 Managing and Arranging Objects: covers ways to examine and organize graphical objects and to use page layers.
• Chapter 13 Object Organization Resources: details object grouping, combining and locking procedures with explanation of copying, duplicating, and clonging techniques, as well as object align and distribute operations.

Chapters 14 through 18 discusses object distortion and special effects.

• Chapter 14 Envelope and Distortion Effects: explains how to distort, shape, and reshape objects.
• Chapter 15 The Power of Blends and Contours: demonstrates use of CorelDraw 10's object blend and contour effects applied using interactive tools.
• Chapter 16 Applying Lens and Transparency Effects: demystifies the program's object lenses and transparency feature.
• Chapter 17 Creating Depth with Shadows: explores use of CorelDraw's Interactive Drop Shadow Tool.
• Chapter 18 Drawing and PowerClips: shows how to place objects into other objects.

Chapters 19 through 22 cover 3D illustration.

• Chapter 19 Creating Depth with Perspective Effects: explains how to apply depth to 2D objects.
• Chapter 20 Extruding Vector Objects: details depth, fill, lighting, and rotation effects you may apply to vector objects.
• Chapter 21 Applying Bitmap Extrude to Objects: explores CorelDraw 10's improved bitmap-based 3D extrusion effects.
• Chapter 22 Manipulating 3D Models: demonstrates how to incorporate and manipulate 3D models, including controlling camera views and applying 3D depth and lighting options.

Chapters 23 through 24 looks at working with digital images.

• Chapter 23 Using Bitmap Commands: explains all related techniques for workign with bitmaps in your drawing, including techniques for creating, importing, linking, editing, tracing, cropping, sizing, and transforming birtmaps.
• Chapter 24 Applying Bitmap Filter Effects: demonstrates special effects available using CorelDraw 10's new bitmap filters.

Chapters 25 through 29 help you master the advanced features.

• Chapter 25 Under the Hood of the Pring Engine: helps you navigate through the progrm's powerful print features.
• Chapter 26 Import and Export Filters: details use of the importing and exporting filters for getting specific types of data in to and from your document.
• Chapter 27 CorelDraw 10" Web Resources: Introducing Corel R.A.V.E.: explains options for harnessing Web-related features, includign techniques for creating animations in Corel R.A.V.E. and usign the Web Image Optimizer.
• Chapter 28 Take Control Through Customization: shows you how to customize your workspace and application.
• Chapter 29 Adventures with Scripts and VBA: guides yous through advanced-level programmign techniques for creating scripts to automate drawing tasks and control your CorelDraw 10 application.

Bonus Chapters and Extras are included on the CD-ROM.

• Chapter 1 Mastering Text Propertties: details text-creation techniques, including high-level text formatting, editing, linking, and style application.
• Chapter 2 Linking Text to Objects: explores the illustrative aspects of text, detailing text-to-path and text-to-object strategies.
• Chapter 3 Resources for Perfect Writing: reveals the use of text-composition fetures, such as working in languages and correcting grammar, as well as using and customizing thesaurus and spell-checking operations.
• Chapter 4 Mastering Object Outline Properties: explains the various ways the program lets you control ine properties, such as width, style, pattern, and arrowheads options, as well as advanced line properties such as calligraphic, corner, and end cap shape.
• Chapter 5 Filling Objects with Color: details all the wasy you can apply color fills to objects.
• Chapter 6 CorelDraw 10's World of Color: explains all the ways CorelDraw 10 lets you measure, display, apply, and translate color, includign detailed explana;tion on working with uniform, fixed, and custom palettes, as well as workign with color harmonies and using color mixers.

For running CorelDraw 10 on a Windows system:

• Processor: Pentium 200;
• Operating System: Windows 95/98, 2000, Me or NT 4.0;
• Memory: 64 MB RAM minimum (128 MB Ram recommended);
• Hard Disk Space: minimum 160 MB;
• Graphics: SVGA monitor;
• CD-ROM: 2X CD-ROM drive.