Corel Draw 7 encompasses Corel Draw 7, Corel Photo-Paint 7, and Corel Dream 3D7.  It is a mind-boggling experience to work with this most magnificent, totally integrated application. You can be certain that this is not just another graphics application, that presents you with a graphic that you can alter.  No!  This application combines everything that will make it easy to create anything from a simple graphic to intricate illustrations.

Corel Draw 7 gives the user a wealth of tutorials that are easy to follow.  The following is only a small description of Corel’s Welcoming Screen.  It is here that they explain the differences between vector and bitmap graphics, and how to export to Corel PhotoPaint; a file management tool for new, existing, saving and organizing files; a tremendous variety of shortcuts using the right mouse button; customizing the keyboard, changing menus, color palette, tool bars, and status bar.  The color manager, also in the Welcoming Screen teaches you how to calibrate the color producing devices in your system so that they work with Corel graphic software to produce the best possible colors.  This utility manages color production by creating device profiles for scanners, monitors and printers in the system.  Corel Draw also shows you how to set up your page, i.e. the property bar provides a series of controls that let you set up the drawing page.  You can use the tools to set style, dimension, orientation of the page as well as default units for the drawing.

Their Scrapbook feature is a roll-up that gives you drag and drop access to folders that store the Draw 7 tremendous collection of clipper, designs and photos as well as the collection of preset fills, outlines, clip art and photos. They have an Option Dialog Box that gives you a "step by step" to change the values for duplicating, nudging, changing drawing options and tool settings and adjust backup and undo levels.

In Corel Draw7 you can do the following ‘good stuff’ with text: create realistic shadows, create gold lettering, fit text to a closed path, create drop caps, create business cards, brochures, beveled text, fill text inside an object and link paragraph text frames.

Another great feature is Corel’s ability to change the appearance of objects by creating color styles, applying uniform fills, fountain fills, pattern and texture fills, applying outlines, joining objects, transforming objects, changing the shape of objects.  Yet another feature is the knife and eraser tools. The knife let you cut through paths and break apart objects and the eraser lets you remove portions of the object.

The application also can create wonderous special effects like the lens, that lets you simulate a camera lens.  This application has eleven lens types that use different methods to alter colors, shapes or objects.  It creates 3D effects; blends objects, creates contours, and adds perspectives.  Corel has a wealth of step by step instructions for publishing in general as well as publishing on the Web.  Corel shows you how to design a seamless background for the Web, saving images such as GIFs or JPEGs and using a Print Merge, all on the Web.

Corel PhotoPaint

Once again Corel eases your passage into the art studio and shows how to integrate the Draw tools with the Photo Paint portion of the application.  There is a special section on retouching photographs. It is in this area that you can remove red eye from your photos, repair dust marks and light scratches, repair tears or creases.  If that isn’t enough they show you how to correct photo exposure, blend two images, remove a color cast, colorize a black and white image and totally enhance any scanned object.

It is in Photo-Paint that you can repair all of the above for texts and objects as well.  Of course, you can truly get creative with Corel’s help and create kaleidoscope patterns, simulate hand-tinting, create two tone effects, create an image sprayer collage.  Corel takes you on a step by step to show you how to fill with a texture, apply surface texture and paint with a texture.  And, again, Corel gives you a step by step to do all of the above on a Web page that you designed.

Corel 3D

You find that once again, in Corel 3D is where your imagination knows no bounds.  It is in this area that I chose to use the scene wizard to conjure up my ‘dream room’.  I was able to choose an indoor scene template and create custom interiors with walls, floor, lighting, etc.  I was able to select wall and floor combinations, i.e. a back wall, curved wall, etc.  From there, I chose a brightly lit room with a single spot light. I could have chosen a bulb to illuminate the entire room or multiple spot lights.  From there I could choose various graphics to make my room complete.  In this area, I could make up a logo template and be as creative as I dare.  There is also a virtual Photo Studio where you can create a scene with custom lighting, backdrops and props.  Also Corel has provided outdoor scenes with lighting effects and props.  I can actually see myself on a sandy beach with swaying palms or on the ski slope.

The entire suite was amazingly easy to install.  It uses approximately 200mg for full installation, - but you still have to use the disks to get at certain areas.  Corel indicates that while you can use 16mg ram, 32 is recommended.  A bare minimum of 40 mg hard drive space is required to install CorelDraw, Help and Filters.  Admittedly, this application is not easy to master unless you have the basic fundamentals of using graphics.  It takes a good deal of time and patience to get through the many tutorials, and trying out everything that CorelDraw offers.

It is, without question, the Grandma of all graphic applications.