Digital Imaging Software: Corel Corp.
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 11 ships with CorelDRAW 11, PHOTO-PAINT 11 and R.A.V.E. 2. CorelDRAW 11 now comes with a new Symbols support that lets users reduce and reuse the most important elements in their 
designs. The new Roughen and Smudge brushes are pressure-sensitive for editing curves. With the new three-point Ellipse, Rectangle and Curve tools, users can easily achieve the exact size and rotation of these shapes. Live effects let users work freely and efficiently with real-time feedback. An enhanced Scalable Vector Graphics support lets users create data-driven, dynamic graphics, while a new Polyline tool creates curves and lines in one stroke.
PHOTO-PAINT 11 is a complete image editing program. The new CutOut tool lets users mask complex objects, while an enhanced Image Stitching tool creates seamless panoramas with multiple images or objects. The application also makes loading large images onto a Web page faster with a new Image Slicing tool. In addition, new Rollovers add dynamic effects to Web graphics and a new Red-Eye Removal tool brushes over the problem areas in photos.
R.A.V.E. 2's new features include new Symbols that reduce Macromedia Flash file sizes by referencing objects or animated symbols. An enhanced Flash filter produces compact animations for the Web, while an enhanced Behavior support adds a greater level of interactivity to Flash animations, diagrams, sequences and more. The new Animate and Tween features create advanced text transitions and effects, as well as animations using customizable shapes.
The company also offers a full line of digital illustration products called procreate (www.procreate.com). Three products are offered under this label: Painter 7, KnockOut 2 and KPT effects. Painter 7 works in sync with Adobe Photoshop, allowing designers to add painting effects to photos and designs. The tool comes with a new Watercolor technology, Liquid Ink, Brush Library architecture for easy organization of brushes, as well as Continuous and Variable Zoom and Perspective Grids for creating 3-D scenes. It also comes with enhanced text capabilities, which let designers access text styles from a single drop-down palette, and color management features.
With Knockout 2, designers can easily mask smoke, shadows, transparencies, etc. The new version now comes with new touch-up tools for detailed corrections, a Property Bar for faster access to commonly used controls, CMYK support, Revert File options to return to previously saved versions of images, and multiple undo/redo functions.
KPT effects plug-ins come with several new features, such as KPT Fluid, a new filter that treats images as a fluid for creating and animating distortions; KPT Hyper Tiling for complex tiling effects that can be transformed through 4-D space; KPT Lightening for creating realistic lightening effects; and KPT Scatter, which lets designers scatter particles over a source image for intricate patterns and textures. Corel Corp., Ottawa, Canada, (877) 652-6735, www.corel.com.
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2002 issue of THE Journal.