Hello community. I just joined the community moments ago, Christmas day 2018. This is my first question/post ever.
My subject header pretty much explains it all about my question but if interested here is why I'm asking.
I took the plunge a few days ago and bought CorelDraw 2018. I'm a total CorelDraw noob.
My full disclosure is that I first tinkered with CorelDraw version 3 way back around 1992 at my job. I wasn't the primary user, my company let me toy with it at lunch time. I got my first, real CD edition of CorelDraw v7 in 1999. It came bundled for free with a low end (though expensive) HP Monochrome laser printer that I purchased. I've used that CD, that version, ever since. To my surprise it has always worked perfectly on many versions of Windows up until just very, very recently.
I'm no artist - I never have been, never will be. My talent extends to the point that I could probably draw a nice stick man if I tried really hard. I've always been CorelDraws biggest fan though because I don't have to be an artist to make nice looking flyers for my church or simple graphics/illustrations for my job tasks. I just use bundled fonts, clipart and whatnot on the cd.
Back in the day I did acquire and love the various Corel ArtShow coffee table books and CD's. Using the CD's I could load CDR images made by the masters of the day. I learned a thing or two tinkering with those incredible images.
Immediately after installing 2018, I dug through my ancient software. The first CD I found was Corel ArtShow 91. I have it right here in front of me. To my shock Corel doesn't support those early file versions anymore. It's like Corel just dumped their founding art and artists in the landfill. I don't have a dog in the fight but to me it is scary that gifted artists of our day that use digital as their medium will have their art tossed out and forgotten in a fraction of a century -in their lifetime.
I'm sorry that I rant a bit - I'm straying from my question. I've now updated to this modern, mature, state of the art graphics application and I have nothing to tinker with. If I want to load a masterpiece to see what CorelDraw can really do in the right hands I'm stuck with drawing a stick man and trying to go from there, even though I have early ArtShow CD's with thousands of stunning, award winning images.
I understand that other hot selling software released in the very early 90's is obsolete. Windows 3.1 will forever rest in peace, never to be touched again. I agree. CDR file types 1 & 2 and the artwork created with them should never be obsolete no more than the Mona Lisa or Michelangelo's Peita.
In Corel's marketing literature on their webpage https://www.coreldraw.com/en/pages/royalty-free-images/ they state
"Keep in mind there are hundreds of free image resources directly from within CorelDRAW Graphic Design Software."
I can't find them. I search Corel help as well as the web, cutting and snipping in bits of their quote above but nothing relevant shows up. I see the paid stuff right there on my application Welcome screen and I'm sure it's excellent. I just want to see something, anything more advanced than my stick man figure to give me an idea of what this program can do.
Thanks for your time. Sorry to post such a long newbie question. I'm just a relic of Corel's past, a genuine lifelong noob with the credentials to show it. Any others out there like me?? We should hold a reunion.
Sincerely,
dberry100
Don't know what to say about current versions not being able to open previous versions. I guess backwards compatibility is too much of a drag on resources at some point. Recent versions of Draw have the clip art in the cloud. You have to use Corel Connect to find it. Here I use connect in program. There is also a stand alone Connect, that acts like a thumbnail browser. Connect its awkward at times. It can be annoyingly slow. The Connect docker works with the Tray Docker also. You have to be logged in.
I bet Inkscape can open the old CDR files, but I wouldn't bet the farm. Might trash some things, but it's free and a possible way to get to the art. Save it as eps and current Draw versions could use it. Post a link to an old file Draw won't open and I could see what Inkscape does.
You know you are not limited to CDR. Other vector formats Draw can deal with, SVG, EPS, AI, PS, and a few others. raindrop.io/.../194167
THANK YOU! All I can say is WOW! When I installed Corel 2018 I saw Corel Connect but I never gave it a second thought. You know how it is with software regardless of vendor, you do a full install and they throw in a bunch of other stuff. I thought Connect was just an after thought add in to pad out their application directory, like all other software vendors do. I had no clue it was the main way to the art, just like the cd folders were the way to the art back in the old days.
I just opened a new blank image and found the tool on the left (I don't recall seeing that tool in my 1999 V7 version). Using it, I looked around my computer and typed in the first thing I saw ("envelope") and the sidebar instantly filled with images that I could drag and drop. I might be suggesting my age here, but that is the coolest thing ever.
Thank you for your super fast suggestion. I'm good to go now. You got me launched!
CorelDRAW is a graphics suite and the concept is a reality I install everything