In another thread, someone mentioned that there was a lot of half finished features in the suite. I'd like to know who else shares that thought and what those features are?
Please be brief and list them here. If someone already mentioned it, feel free to mention your interest in the same one.
For example :
- Styles : not everything can be styled.
Image export exporting to the improper pixel size
Converting vector to image and having what looks like antialiasing turned on when you don't.
Photo-PAINT size limitation when opening PDF files.
A lack of warning for fonts that won't embed.
Spot color PDF export tied to the document palette.
Recently or long standing ones Claude? Linked Images, could be so so very useful but is plagued by problems Guidelines Docker. So much promise let down by very poor implementation. Its a really slow way to input numerically new guidelines. The old Guidelines setup is much quicker. I have a list of suggestions gathered from various contributors if you want to see them. I am a heavy guidelines user and I never use the docker it is too cumbersome. I thank Hendrik daily for the macro that reverts a double click back to the setup dialog. Smart Fill. Yes this is a long standing one. It often fails, it cannot take account of outline widths, it has no gap tolerance, it cannot smart fill an area with a number of enclosed regions in one go. Edit Fill Dialog. Too slow, due to calling home. I dont want to see shared fills of dubious merit. I dont want to share my own fills. I need a way to import many bitmap fills in one go, a macro could do that if you guys had the inclination. UI themes. Please remove the page area from the desktop. If I wanted a page I would select 'Show Page Border'. It makes the desktop colour feature useless for me , and others who do not design for output to a page. Contours. 15 years old technology? Desperately needs an update. Can't even apply to more than one object at a time. Can't apply an inside and an outside contour to a closed object. I have a list of suggestions if you'd like to see them, gathered from discussions with others. Mesh fills. They got a makeover a few versions back but there's so much more that could be done for them. Warp brushes to nudge nodes around more than one at a time. Tint brushes, rather like Ctrl and clicking a colour in the palette but applied with a brush. Transparency brush like previous. Multiple node selecting like was introduced in X7. I could go on......
Updated View Modes - Independent Object Level View ModesThis gives DRAW the ability to view objects on the page at various view modes, independent from other objects, i.e., Object 1: view mode=Wireframe, Object 2: view mode=Enhanced, Object 3: view mode= Enhanced, etc. This feature will also allow for independent Before and After viewing of selected object(s) via Wireframe and Enhanced viewing modes.Evolved Outline Pen ControlsMore efficiency recently came to the DRAW environment by way of the alignment of outlines by way of the inside and outside of an object. Adding to this efficiency, engineers should also give DRAW the ability to place a gap color in-between line dashes with also the convenience to control its tint percentage, including the ability to have line dashed corners to be aligned evenly on squares, rectangles, stars, etc. I would also like to see a slider added to interactively adjust the outline thickness on objects.
X7 UPDATE 2: Enhancement of "Hide and display objects"With the inclusion of the new "Hide and display objects" feature in Update 2, its been long overdue, but i don't find the implementation really that useful. This feature needs to be updated by allowing the Object Manager to also control the display of the objects. Meaning, the Object Manager should be able to have the "eyeball" icon available for each object thats been created automatically, and clickable to allow the displaying and/or hiding of them. The "Hide and display objects" feature in its current state IMO is terrible and SHOULD be improved asap. Also, in a multi-page document consisting of various page sizes, I would like to see DRAW reflect the page size/dimensions beside and/or below the Page name in the Object Manager.Enhanced Virtual Segment Delete toolGive it the ability to delete segments in between nodes with a single mouse click without the need to duplicate and overlap objects. For instance, if i have a path, say 5 inches in length, and nodes are placed equally throughout its length at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 inches, if i wanted to delete the segments between 2&3 and 4&5, all i would need to do is to simply click between these nodes respectively. In its current state, the VSD tool deletes the entire 5 inch path. Also, when the VSD tool is placed between a node segment, a visual cue should be made present (similar to “Join Curves”)to identify where the deletion will take place. In addition, if one would like to delete multiple freehand segments, the ALT modifier key is added to the equation.Previews Update - Bleed PreviewSimply put, a quick snapshot view of how the document page will look when it will be printed with objects hanging past the edge of the page dimensions unto the desktop, i.e. cropped out. View>Bleed Preview. When in this view mode, the desktop dims in color to focus on the actual foreground layout.Enhanced Text Wrapping/Image CroppingImages saved with alpha channel(s) and clipping path(s), i.e. TIFF/PSD/CPT, etc upon import can be used for quick text runarounds/wraps, background cropping, etc. using this Enhanced Wrapping tool/Docker feature. For instance, if three alpha channels are saved within “Image A”, one will have the ability to choose either from alpha 1, alpha 2, or alpha 3 for wrapping/cropping, and the same holds true for the clipping paths as well. Inclusive, will also be the ability to modify the clipping paths bounding shape via the shape tool.
Enhanced Crop toolI'd like to see this tool also be given the ability/option to quickly crop the page size, just as it does vector and bitmap objects. In addition, if a crop box is marqueed larger than the current page size, it then crops the page to or within the marqueed dimensions (enlargens).Updated Smart Fill toolAs the name states, make it smart :). This can be achieved by introducing of course the very needed Gap tolerance feature that has been mentioned numerous times not only here, but also in the various beta groups that i was apart of throughout the years. Aside from the Gap tolerance setting, there can also be an option to fill either closed or open objects at the objects live path level (the fill ignores all live outlines-its current state), and/or at its outline level(the fill respects the outline width and fills object(s) within the shape respectively). An option can also be made available to fill all open areas within the selected objects(s). Once again, a visual cue could be made present when the Smart Fill tool hovers over fillable areas.
Interactive Boundary toolSimply put, this involves the automatic live update of the boundary shape around an object and/or objects. For instance, if a boundary is applied around a group of objects, and one or more of those objects are moved into another position, the boundary shape readjusts and updates on the fly to fit the boundary shape of the new group of shapes. Essentially, objects that are drawn with the Bezier/Pen tool with a boundary applied would also hold its shape as it is manipulated by the Shape tool.
Update of the Liquid tools (Smear, Twirl, Attract, Repel)Update needed?, most definitely, or at least in the DRAW environment. The same tools can distort and manipulate bitmaps in PHOTO-PAINT, yet in DRAW they cannot, that shouldn't be the case.
Add Perspective and Envelope tool UpdatePlease allow the functionality of Add Perspective on bitmaps, and also the ability for Envelopes to be applied to them. These are essential updates and must haves that need attention.
Docker NecessitiesOne of my beta group request for years, was to have every docker that allows for adjustments be given the ability and option to save custom settings, and in which, not limited to the Fillet/Scallop/Chamfer, Bevel and other dockers that users find necessary for such an update. Since i'm at it, and if i must be honest, i feel that the entire suite can use a much needed UI facelift. Something better streamlined and easier to handle the laying out, displaying and custom arrangements of dockers.
I also believe we need a warning when operating in CMYK document color and we choose to create transparency, the warning should be to use soft proofing set to match document CMYK color.
I don't want to go so far as to say "half-finished features"; however, from time to time I find myself longing for certain features that was present in X3 (I have not used any versions in between X3 and X8) as well as some features that I use in Illustrator (Forgive me for comparing this to Illustrator, you guys seem comfortable enough to have an Illustrator workspace so I am guessing it is ok). BLEND If I draw two shape, select them and choose to "Apply" blend; then I choose New Path to make it wrap around that path (example a circle). There is sometimes a space left between the "Start" and "End" of the blend. I cannot seem to find a way to cut that blank space from the path PATTERN I once changed my X3 workspace to to the Illustrator workspace and tried to create a pattern and it kind of worked but I am failing to duplicate that. Basically I create Artwork in a rectangle, hexagon, etc; then change the rectangle to a Symbol. Corel has the option to choose Edit>Create and then a dialog box pops up. At this point Illustrator allows me to tile the symbol. Then it creates a Pattern Fill (I cannot seem to use Patterns successfully in Corel and this maybe the only thing I suspected was incomplete or maybe someone can tell me how to use it) which brings me to my next suggestion... PATTERN SWATCHES (that work like Colour Fills from Palette docker) Please create this feature; I need it for so many of my daily tasks. I love the new Palette docker/Palette Editor that I can customize and save. I often work with texture fills. If the Palette docker could also allow me to save my texture fills, it would be so awesome! I read someone's suggestion about using the Tray docker to store stuff we use often - I am loving the Tray docker. Keyboard Shortcut Someone above mentioned switching Views. I would really love a way to switch between Enhanced and Wireframe. Customize>Commands does not allow me to set my own shortcut for that. In fact, I don't feel the need to set a shortcut for any of those things. Is there another window where I can set shortcuts for other functions? ALIGN As I mentioned, I have been using X3 so I am not sure if this was changed earlier. When I align an object and then realize that it's wrong and I try to Undo (ctrl + Z) immediately; it does not work. I have to click somewhere else first - seems like such an unnecessary step.
Otherwise, I do love the progress you guys have made from X3 to X8 - Great Job. Loving X8; especially being able to change the background to Grey so I can can identify my page easily. I hope you guys don't find our suggestions too critical - CorelDraw keeps getting better and we want to do bit by contributing suggestions to improving features.