Fast ways to copy and position objects

If you want to copy one or more objects within CorelDRAW® X3, you can use a faster method than copying and pasting. Here are two fast ways to copy objects:

• Use the Duplicate command.
• Use the new Step and Repeat docker to create and position multiple copies at one time.

Let's take a closer look at these options.

Duplicating objects
Duplicating an object with CorelDRAW creates a copy of a selected object and positions the copy according to the offset distance that you set. Unlike copying and pasting, duplicating does not place a copy of the object on the Clipboard, and it allows you to control where the copy is placed in your drawing. With CorelDRAW X3, setting an offset distance for the duplicate is easier than ever.

To duplicate an object

1. Select one or more objects.
2. Click Edit > Duplicate (or Ctrl + D).
   When you duplicate objects for the first time in CorelDRAW X3, the Duplicate offset dialog box appears. To specify the distance between the duplicate and the original object along the x-axis and y-axis, type values in the Horizontal offset and Vertical offset boxes.

Note: Offset values of 0 place the duplicate on top of the original; positive offset values place the duplicate up and to the right of the original; and negative offset values place the duplicate down and to the left of the original.

You can change the default offset for duplicates at any time. To do this, click Tools > Options, click General in the Document list of categories, and type values in the Horizontal offset and Vertical offset boxes.

Creating and positioning multiple copies

The new Step and repeat docker in CorelDRAW X3 lets you create multiple copies of an object and control how they are positioned.

To create and position multiple copies of an object

1. Select one or more objects.
2. Click Edit > Step and repeat.
3. In the Step and repeat docker, type a value in the Number of copies box.
4. In the Horizontal settings and Vertical settings areas, specify the settings you want.

Figure 1
The figure above shows the new Step and Repeat docker.

Examples:

Figure 2
The Step and Repeat docker settings for the figure above are:
Horizontal Settings: Spacing between objects, Distance = 0.25"; Direction = Right
Vertical Settings: No offset

Figure 3
The Step and Repeat docker settings for the figure above are:
Horizontal Settings: No offset
Vertical Settings: Offset, Distance = –0.5"

Figure 4
The Step and Repeat docker settings for the figure above are:
Horizontal Settings: Offset, Distance = 0.25"
Vertical Settings: Offset, Distance = –0.25"

Source: Corel.com

Cropping graphics in CorelDRAW® X3

Whether you are working with a drawing or an imported bitmap, the new Crop tool lets you remove portions of your graphic quickly and easily. You no longer need to ungroup objects, break linked groups apart, or convert objects to curves to remove unwanted areas in a graphic.

The Crop tool is located in the toolbox, on the Crop tool flyout.

To crop objects, you define a rectangular area (cropping area) that you want to keep. Portions of the graphic outside the cropping area will be removed. You can specify the exact position and size of the cropping area, and you can rotate and resize it.

Cropping clipart

Cropping an imported bitmap

To crop a graphic

Open the Crop tool flyout , and click the Crop tool .

Important note: If an object or bitmap is selected, only the selected item will be cropped. If no objects are selected, the entire graphic will be cropped.

Drag to define a cropping area.

The cropping area indicates which portions of the graphic you want to keep.

If you need to adjust the cropping area, perform any of the following tasks:

To move the cropping area, click inside the cropping area and drag it to a new position. If you want to specify the exact position of the cropping area, type values in the Position boxes on the property bar.

To resize the cropping area, drag any of its handles. If you want to specify the exact size of the cropping area, type values in the Size boxes on the property bar.

To rotate the cropping area, click inside, and drag a rotation handle. You can also type values in the Angle of rotation box on the property bar.

Rotating the cropping area

Double-click inside the cropping area.
Cropped objects, including text objects, are automatically converted to curves.

A cropped graphic

Source: Corel.com

Positioning objects as you draw

Here's a time saving trick! Did you know that you can position an object with any object-creation tool (any tool found in Rectangle, Ellipse, Object, or Perfect Shapes flyout) without having to go to the Toolbox? This tip is particularly useful if your drawing contains several objects.

By right-clicking an object with any object-creation tool, you can move or copy it to a new location in your drawing.

With any object-creation tool active, right-click the object, and drag.

A blue outline of the object follows the pointer as you drag.

After you positioned the object, release the right mouse button.
A menu appears.

Choose one of the following:

• Move here
• Copy here

The object is moved or copied.

Source: Corel.com

Selecting objects in CorelDRAW® X3

To modify objects in a project, you need to select them first by using the Pick tool. The following tips will help you select objects more easily.

• To activate the Pick tool after using other tools from the toolbox, press Ctrl + Spacebar. This keyboard shortcut activates the Pick tool even if you've just used the Text tool.

Pressing Ctrl+Spacebar activates the Pick tool.

• To marquee select objects, you drag the Pick tool diagonally to enclose the objects in a marquee box with a dotted outline. If you hold down Alt while dragging the Pick tool, you need to enclose only a small portion of the objects to select them. This method is useful for selecting specific objects in complex projects that contain overlapping objects.

To select the two flowers in the upper-right corner, hold down Alt, and using the Pick tool, drag a marquee box to enclose a portion of each flower.

Source: Corel.com

Creating custom keyboard shortcuts in CorelDRAW® X3

The preset keyboard shortcuts available in CorelDRAW® X3 help you complete commonly performed tasks faster. Did you know that you can become even more productive by creating custom keyboard shortcuts that suit your working style? For example, if you use the Bèzier tool often, you can assign a keyboard shortcut for activating the Bèzier tool.

To assign a keyboard shortcut to a command

1. Click Tools > Customization.

2. In the Customization list of categories, click Commands.

3. Click the Shortcut keys tab.

The Commands page of the Options dialog box lets you create custom keyboard shortcuts for commonly used menu commands and tools. Click the Shortcut keys tab to access the controls you need.

4. Choose a shortcut key table from the Shortcut key table list box.

5. Choose a command category from the top list box.

The top list box lets you choose a command category such as a menu, a toolbar, or the toolbox.

6. Click a command in the Commands list

In this example, we choose Toolbox from the top list box and Bèzier tool in the Commands list.

7. Click in the New shortcut key box, and press a key combination.

If the key combination is already assigned to another command, that command is listed in the Currently assigned to box.

8. Click Assign.

In this example, we assign Shift+D as the keyboard shortcut for activating the Bèzier tool.

Note: If the same keyboard shortcut is already assigned to another command, the second assignment overwrites the first. By enabling the Navigate to conflict on assign check box, you can automatically navigate to the command whose shortcut you reassigned and assign a new shortcut.

Source: Corel.com

Using keyboard shortcuts in CorelDRAW® X3

You can use keyboard shortcuts (also known as hotkeys) to quickly activate many menu commands and tools in CorelDRAW® X3. The keyboard shortcut for a menu command is displayed to the right of the menu item; the keyboard shortcut for a tool is displayed in a ToolTip when you hover over the tool.

This example shows the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+N) for starting a new project.

This example shows the keyboard shortcut (F10) for activating the Shape tool.

Below are the keyboard shortcuts for some commonly performed tasks.

Task	Keyboard shortcut
Open a file	Ctrl+O
Save a file	Ctrl+S
Import a file	Ctrl+I
Export a file	Ctrl+E
Print a file	Ctrl+P

Note: For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, see the CorelDRAW X3 Quick Reference Card included in your software package.

Source: Corel.com