Hello all,
I just recovered some old CD-Rs from the dust and they contains my old works done at least 20 years ago.
The file format start from cdr versione 3.0. Unfortunately I only have native cdr files a few PDFs.
Is there a way to open/convert them to current format? I don't mind converting the corel fonts.
TIA
tony
Current versions of CorelDRAW won't open or import CorelDRAW CDR files made prior to version 6. For a long time (going back to the 1990's) various releases of CorelDRAW wouldn't open CDR files made prior to version 3. None of that makes any sense. It just seems like an arbitrary policy Corel chose to code into CorelDRAW.The main rival to CorelDRAW (on the professional end) is Adobe Illustrator. The current version of that application can open any prior version AI or EPS file going back to the late 1980's. The app can even save files down to very early version formats (such as version 3 and 8). CorelDRAW can't do that either.Inkscape can import CDR files made in early versions, such as version 3. But the import results are going to be very unpredictable. I don't know of any other applications off-hand that can import CDR files. Rival applications like Illustrator and Affinity Designer have no CDR import filters.
To me it's not can Adobe or CorelDRAW open and save back to old versions, it's can it be done with 100% accuracy?
If not it's of little value.
Same thing for import and export filters.
Adobe Illustrator opens old AI & EPS files accurately, all the way down to version 1. CorelDRAW cannot do that. And that really sucks since very few applications outside of CorelDRAW can import CDR files. Anyone with a lot of old art files in CDR format is at the risk of seeing those art files made worthless. What if the next release of CorelDRAW won't open CDR files made before version 10?
Saving files down to earlier versions is always going to come with the trade-off that certain features & effects in newer versions are not going to be backward compatible in old versions of the software. Still, there are valid purposes for being able to save art files down to earlier file versions, particularly when the artwork is going to be imported into a different application. I routinely down-save Illustrator AI files to version CS6 format to import into current versions of CorelDRAW. We use AI, EPS, PDF and SVG files as exchange formats with industry specific applications.
As it stands, Adobe Illustrator is far more friendly than CorelDRAW for archiving art files for the long term.
Coreldraw reflects the schizophrenic nature of the original Corel corporation. Under Copeland in my opinion Draw was created in a bizarre manner, ignoring some core technologies of the day. Hence many of the issues.
It has been publicly traded, returned to private ownership, sold and I believe it's on its 3rd owner, maybe more owners than than that, all this leading to lack of continuity in its programming.
Just, my own experience however, in my over 30 years of corporate use of Coreldraw the issue of not being able to accurately open files from previous versions has been significantly, insignificant!
I kept older versions of Draw running on old computers as long as it was required but have not had any issues for an extremely long time and as of January one, I no longer have any contractual obligation to do so.
Now, as a private person creating my own work for my own use, since all my personal work has been done on the subscription version my family is in significantly better shape than an Adobe user.
If my family wants access, to edit my files after my demise a Corel subscription and the cost of support applications is a significantly lower cost than if I used Adobe.
*.ai file is the better for sharing files with other designers. It is openable not only from graphic design programs but also from other kind of programs. *.cdr file is very well too, but much other programs adopted *.ai files as the prefereed vector file sharing format/filter. I saw for example in programs/app for creating embroideries machine executive files, but I remember something like that also for laser cutting and engraving machine or similar.
For sharing I abandoned anything but PDF, EPS for vectors. For raster I use JPG and TIF. All manufacturers I've used for the last 15 years support PDF.
I archive, RAW from my camera and as archive preoutput 16 BIT prophoto TIF files.
PDF is very good too, but mostly used for layouts. Sometimes it can help if *.ai does not work for some reason.
PDF is, technically, not supposed to be an edit-further format. That's coming from people at Adobe -y'know, the folks who invented that format?
As to the notion that there is no need to open a computer file 20 or 30 years old, I guess we just need to burn any books that were published when our parents were born? Is that the idea?
There should never ever be a "sell by" date for any computer files any of us creates. Many of us are all too aware that 10 or 20 years goes by pretty freaking fast. So the work files we create should be workable for freaking ever. I've had to dig out art files made in the 1990's recently more than a few times. So there most definitely is a purpose in place for keeping archive art files usable. The notion that a software company can flippantly decide that it will no longer support files from its own home-developed application after less than a generation of time is only extremely WRONG. It is a grade-F fail-only policy. It's anti-customer.
I get the whole Adobe is the big terrible corporate monopoly bad guy. But Corel is making worse anti-customer mistakes. How can I keep creating artwork in an application where I cannot depend on the files I create being safe? It's very clear from a long term archival perspective I will have far better luck using Adobe formats that the CDR standard.
If I was running the Corel company I would have it as a requirement that a current version of CorelDRAW could open ANY prior version CDR file going all the way back to version 1. Period. Full stop. Anything less SUCKS!
I've never had problems opening old files created in older versions in Corel Draw. I do not understand what kind of problems there could be. Corel Draw is really very complete, I've never had real problems working with it!