What tool setting is missing in X6?
In Photo Paint X3, the airbrush tool has a setting for transparency and another setting for ink amount. In X6 the ink amount setting is missing and nobody seems to know why (I've asked everywhere I can think of, including on Corel's two Facebook pages.) Without the ink amount setting I can't get the fine mist I like to work with, so I had no choice but to go back to X3.
Thank you Harry. That worked indeed! (I feel like I should be using a more recent version, but what else can I do?)
Most of the bitmaps I work with are either RGB or grayscale. Does X7 have the ink amount setting?
No but (and I my be a novice here) I can easily control ink density, (color depth in RGB) with the fill and transparency, the ink density seem redundant to me. I just looked across remotely and believe I have X3 loaded on a really old XP system and may be able to directly look at the specific tool on Monday.
Ok I may have an answer for you but first I must say that you may be I victim of the improved color management in X5 and newer and for that I most likely need to take some blame.
However try this when in X5 or newer when you use colors for your air brush use the fill dialog, select pallets pantone spot colors and try coated v2, the fill dialog there will allow you to select a color and if you want it to be10% of that color you can set that and spray to your hearts content. Save you work as the CPT file format and when you need to send it some where flatten and convert all objects to RGB and enjoy.
Thanks David. I might reinstall X6 and check that out, although I don't really want to go through that experience again (Draw X3 will default to PhotoPaint X6 while it's installed, and I don't want that...) I suppose I can't just use X3 for the rest of my life. (I'm concerned that future versions of Windows might not support it.) I hate to say this on the Corel forum, but I downloaded Gimp and found it to have all the controls I need and a few more that I find myself now using. The only reason I don't just switch over to Gimp entirely for raster work is that Corel is so much more convenient when you're using it for a combination of vector and raster on the same project.
Ripcord3 said:Draw X3 will default to PhotoPaint X6 while it's installed
No, not necessarily.
Windows is a bit like the army -- when two instructions conflict, it will obey whichever command was given most recently. So yes, if you install X6 then windows will (until told otherwise) make X6 the default for everything that X6 is capable of handling. But if you run the X3 repair install immediately after, without uninstalling X6, then X3 will again be the default.
There are some complications, but they can either be worked around or lived with, and many people run with plural versions installed at the same time. Just remember that only one of them can be the default at any time and don't be surprised that if you want to edit a bitmap in CorelDraw X6, it will now open in PP X3 (because that's what you last told windows to open CPT bitmaps in) unless you open PP X6 first (because windows considers the open PP X6 as temporarily over-riding your previous instruction).
Ripcord3 said:Does anyone (even representatives at Corel) know why a very useful feature that was already in existence has apparently been eliminated?
I've been thinking about this and I believe that I understand the logical progression of what happened between X3 and X5. I believe your feature got caught in this change and that change was for the graphics suite to support two core technologies that were required for CorelDraw and Corel Photo-PAINT to function in the professional output graphics area.
First was from X3 to X4 and that was proper spot color transparency support, unfortunately in X3 and before everything ever written that I've seen about spot color and transparency was wrong. The CorelDraw Graphics Suite in X3 and before DID NOT support spot color transparency and it was killing them in the professional graphics market.
In X4 proper transparency support was integrated into the suite and not before, it was A SIGNIFICANT investment for Corel but we as Corel users could not compete head to head with the other applications in the market. Unfortunately I'm not sure that the feature you use could survive that move as it may use aspects of programming that may not support this change, certainly not a significant investment in time since using a spot color and sliding the percentage to adjust in coverage is an ICC compliant work around to the old process.
In X5 Corel made another move to support core technology that kept the graphics suite in the market with the professional output area and that was a color handling process that was in the strictest sense of the technology ICC compliant.
For Corel these two moves were significant because unfortunately many people who buy the product do so as a less expensive alternative to the other applications not realizing that they have not bought a home use product only and therefore (Corel as demonstrated by this form has many users who are not in professional output) and they and Corel get caught in the process of support technology decisions.
The issue being that Corel has a significant install base in the professional output environment that do not post here, I have engineering and interior design firms that do all their marketing in CorelDraw and they never post here they all rely on me which is good for me and Corel.
harryLondon said:I think we have microsoft to "thank" for most of that. Every time microsoft brings out a new release of windows or its development tools, Corel and every other software manufacturer has to waste a lot of time rewriting its software to work in the new version. That's an incredible amount of totally wasted effort, for what? To remain compatible with something that did not need to be changed in the first place.
I disagree and agree, the Windows operating system and no other is finally getting to the point of really being useful for a truly mobile business environment. True for the home user that Windows has been a limited use in the real home environment with the upgrades.
Now to business, I use a Windows 8.1 phone, a Windows 8.1 RT tablet, a Windows 8.1 laptop, I have 8 systems running various versions of Windows. I run 95% of my communication via my Windows phone, accessing the laptop remotely and have done so while 80' in the air putting up a sign and 300 miles away from my office.
I maintain my staffing at low levels, my pay scale for those I retain very high and according to the IRS agent who audited my an extremely high profit margin.
I suggest that you consider embracing the future, with Windows and Corel, it works for me.