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In this project we will scan a hand drawn image into CorelDRAW.
then trace the image using 'Power TRACE',
convert to a vector and stylise the image.
With results like this.
vector graphics are a great artistic medium.
I will now minimise this document
many documents can be open at the same time.
Click the [New] icon, and name the file.
I will mainly use defaults, but I will change the page size.
Select landscape and a page size of 450mm X 250mm.
one page and stay inside the CMYK color mode.
CMYK is used for professional print
and also usually for your home connected printer.
A rendering resolution of 300dpi suits professional print
and your home printer also.
To create graphics for the web
or a large format banner, I would choose RBG.
click [OK] to create the document.
Maximise the document.
and we can start.
Now I will scan the image.
Select [File].
In the [File menu] under [Acquire Image]
[Select Source] allows me to choose a TWAIN compliant device.
CorelDRAW supports TWAIN.
If you have more than one scanner attached,
choose one scanner.
then click [Acquire]
and your scanning software will be activated.
So I will now click [Acquire].
The software for my scanner now opens.
CorelDRAW activates this software for me.
I need to make some settings.
It's a greyscale image so I will choose [Greyscale].
Your scanning software may look different
so you will have to learn your software.
Once settings have been made, click [Scan]
and your scanner will begin to scanning,
your image will then be imported into CorelDRAW.
my scanner has started working.
Its now finished, and the image is placed in CorelDRAW.
It is very quick and easy.
Select the image and from the [Property Bar], [Edit Bitmap]
becomes available because scanned images are bitmap images,
but I want to convert this to a vector image.
I will move this image to the left first
then [Ctrl+C] copies to the clipboard
and [Ctrl+V] pastes back down on the top.
I will move the duplicate to the right.
With the duplicate selected click [Trace Bitmap],
then hover over [Outline Trace] and then
Click [Clipart].
'Power TRACE' has detected the scan is high resolution.
It's simply saying,
It will be faster if CorelDRAW down samples the bitmap,
it will trace faster and be easier to work with.
I suggest, click [Reduce bitmap].
If you don’t like the end result, then undo,
and do it again selecting [Keep original size].
So I will choose [Reduce bitmap].
Immediately 'Power TRACE' starts scanning the image.
The left image is the original and the right is the trace.
Power TRACE does a good job.
I will show you some of the settings.
In the top right corner are the default settings.
These are also available within CorelDRAW.
Try the 'Detail slider’ it makes a lot of difference.
Moving it left, lowers the detail
but it still creates interesting usable results,
I personally think this a very creative look.
Moving the slider Right,
traces with a higher level of detail.
I will now show you these settings.
[Delete original image] is valuable
it deletes the original scan so that
when the trace is put back into CorelDRAW,
the trace is not sitting over top of the original scan.
It can be confusing with the trace over top of the scan
I will select [Remove background].
When I select [Remove background],
notice the white in the background disappears.
'Power TRACE' determines the background color,
to choose your own color, select [Specify color]
then use the eyedropper and click on the background.
Sometimes there are different backgrounds colors
and it can be more suitable to select yourself.
There are still a few white areas here.
So I will turn on [Remove color from entire image].
The remaining white is now removed from the image.
When I click [OK], all I will have is vector outlines.
Then the trace is placed back into CorelDRAW.
Now I will select the 'Rectangle tool',
and fill the rectangle with a grey color,
then to send it to the bottom of the stacking order
I will use [Shift+PgDn]. Notice the trace is see-through
because it's now vector lines and not a bitmap,
A scanned image is solid and not see-through,
whereas vectors can be see through.
To open the ‘Object Manger’ go to [Window],
[Dockers] and select the 'Object Manager'.
The 'Object Manager' allows you to change the order of objects.
This is page one and it has one single layer.
Clicking [+] expands the tree.. and when I click the ‘group’,
the trace is selected.. and clicking ‘bitmap’ selects the scan.
To add more layers
Click the [New Layer] icon at the bottom,
I am going to add six new layers.
A layer can be renamed.
Click twice for renaming,
and again, double click to rename the layer.
I will now rename the rest of the layers.
I'm then going to select various areas of the trace
and group them together onto that layer.
[Z] selects the 'Zoom tool', so I can zoom in,
tapping the [Spacebar] selects the 'Pick tool'.
I need to first select the trace and ungroup it.
to select a number of objects I would normally [Click+Drag]
and draw a marquee around the objects,
however this method will be difficult with these objects,
the rectangular marquee shape is limiting.
Instead I will use the new 'Freehand pick tool'.
It's important to select the layer first.
The 'Mouth' layer is now the active layer.
it's red in color when active.
I will draw a marquee around the objects to select them.
once they are selected, click [Group],
the objects will then move from the ‘scanned image’ layer
and they will group together on the active layer.
I’ll repeat this process again with the nose objects.
[Click+Drag], draw a marquee around all the objects,
click [Group] and they all group on the 'Nose' layer
because that’s the active layer.
I'll repeat with the left eye and the right eye.
The new 'Freehand pick tool' makes this much easier.
Click [Group] so they group together.
Now all of the objects are grouped on various layers.
Tap [F4] to zoom out.
Now that all the trace components are
sitting on various layers, selecting the face
outline will be very easy.
Ill select the active layer and turn off the display
of the other layers hiding those objects..
Its easy to hide or show any layer.
Now I can select what's remaining
and group the objects together.
Automatically the group jumps to the 'Face Outline' layer.
Now I can turn on and off the layers
to create different artistic looks
and it can be fun.
The eyes alone look quite spectacular!
I trust this helps you see the power of using the
‘Object Manger’ and placing groups on layers.