Graphics Suite 12 - Ideas for Cool Effects

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CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 - Blossoming Ideas for Cool Distortion Effects

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CorelDRAW Tutorials

Blossoming I deas for Cool Distortion EffectsBy Steve Bain

CorelDRAW 11's distortion effects are superb for applying controlled changes to an objects'shape-all the while allowing the object to remain in the vector world. There are several differenttypes of distortion effects you can apply in CorelDRAW 11 - ranging from subtle to downrightvicious - thanks to the complex mathematical algorithms on which each type of distortion isbased.

Understanding Distortion EffectsBefore we get too far along, let's gain an understanding of how these effects work with a littlebackground information. As with other effects in CorelDRAW 11, distortions are applied usingthe Interactive Distortion Tool. You'll find it in the Toolbox grouped with other interactive tools.The effects you apply using this tool are dynamic, so they can be applied without losing the

original object properties and may be edited at any time, saved as custom distortion presets,copied between objects, or cleared altogether.

A few other facts will help you in your distortion adventures. First, you may apply multipledistortion effects to a single object, meaning each distortion builds on the last. Once a distortionexists on your page, you may clear it in incremental steps, or copy it between objects. Thecondition of the object path - including the number of nodes it's comprised of - determines thebasic shape of the resulting distortion. Also, there are three basic modes of distortion you canchoose from using Property Bar options, each of which features overlapping variables.

The sheer number of variables and the wild results they create can make distortion effects trickyto use. In fact, you can easily while away more than a few hours creating practical drawing

applications. To experience the power of this undervalued effect, let's explore a few relativelysimple projects you can try to create some of the objects in this project.

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Distortions NaturallyThe Interactive Distortion Tool is great for quickly emulating natural or organic-style patheffects which would otherwise be next to impossible to create manually, making it perfect forthe objects shown next.



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Let's start by creating the flower objects to represent, and follow up with variations of the sameidea.

1. Begin by drawing a circular ellipse roughly three inches in diameter using the Ellipse Tool.Holding your Ctrl key as you draw will constrain its shape. With the circle complete andstill selected, press the Convert to Curves button in the Property Bar to delete the ellipseproperties. Drag a copy of this object aside by right-clicking as you drag it using the PickTool. The copy will serve as a template for a later step.

2. Apply color to your original circle using a customized Radial Fountain Fill. You could use

the Interactive Fill Tool, but to do it quickly and precisely, press F11 to open the FountainFill dialog. Choose Radial as the type, and click Custom under Color Blend. Using theCustom Fountain options, set the position 0 color marker to white and the position 100marker to 100 percent magenta. Add a new position marker at 65 and color it 100percent magenta also (as shown next). Remove any outline properties.

3. Choose the Interactive Distortion Tool. Using Property Bar options choose Zipper as thedistortion mode. Enter 17 as the Amplitude, 4 as the Frequency, click the Smooth buttonand press Enter to apply the effect. This will add a slight wave to the circle path (shownnext).



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4. For the concentric flower petals, create copies of the object in a centered arrangement.To create the first copy quickly, choose the Pick Tool, hold Shift while dragging any cornerobject handle slightly toward the center of the object, and click your right mouse buttonto make the copy. Repeat this action to create enough copies to nearly fill the area(roughly 13 in our example). Then randomly rotate each of the object copies slightly tooffset them (as shown next with black outlines). To quickly rotate any object using thePick Tool, you can click any selected object a second time to enter rotation/skew modeand drag any of the corner rotation handles.

5. Next, we'll apply a series of distortions in sequence to the template circle created earlier.Using the Interactive Distortion Tool, choose Zipper mode, click the Random button andenter an Amplitude value of 30 and a Frequency value of 5 and press Enter. Then, choosePush and Pull mode, enter 20 as the Amplitude value and press Enter to complete thedistortion. Your template circle now has the distortion you need (shown next).



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6. Switch to the Pick Tool momentarily and marquee-select all the objects in your flowerpetal arrangement. Choose the Interactive Distortion Tool again, click the Copy DistortionProperties button and click your circle copy after the targeting cursor appears. Thedistortion is copied to your petal objects (as shown next) and your arrangement is now aflowering shape.

Impressive VariationsBy varying the distortion values in your arrangement of objects, you can quickly create a widevariety of flower styles. Follow this next example using the same objects to create adramatically intricate effect and experience the real power of this effect.

1. Using the Interactive Distortion Tool, choose your template circle and clear the currentdistortion effects by clicking the Clear Distortion button two times. Apply a Push and Pull

mode distortion with an Amplitude of 5. Then apply a Zipper distortion with the Randomand Smooth buttons clicked, set the Amplitude to 100, and the Frequency to 20. Yourtemplate circle now features a slightly wavier path (as shown next).



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2. Use the Pick Tool to marquee-select all flower petal objects. Press F11 to open the

Fountain Fill dialog and change the custom fountain fill options as follows: Position0=Red, position 40=Yellow, position 100=Yellow and click OK to close the dialog (shownnext).

3. With the objects still selected, choose the Interactive Distortion Tool. Click the ClearDistortion button once to return the flower petals to their earlier wavy path shape. Use



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the Copy Distortion Properties button and target your template circle. This time a warningdialog (shown next) will appear to let you know the effect you are applying is complex-click OK to proceed.

4. Remove any outline properties applied to your objects and the effect is complete. In theexample shown next, the distortion is applied and resembles a flower with intricatelyspiked petals and a complex path structure.

Combining Distortions with BlendsYou can create yet another variation on the flower illustration by combining a distortion effectwith a blend effect. The steps may be shorter, but the effect is no less impressive. Theprocedure involves first distorting an ellipse and blending with a scaled copy. Here's how it'sdone:

1. Start by drawing a circle roughly 3 inches in diameter using the Ellipse Tool (hold Ctrl to

constrain its shape). Using the Pick Tool, convert the circle to curves (Ctrl+Q). Choosethe Shape Tool and hold Shift+Ctrl while clicking any of the four path nodes to select allthe nodes. Then, press the "+" key on your numeric key pad two times to automatically



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add 12 more evenly spaced nodes to the path (as shown next).

2. Choose the Interactive Distortion Tool and choose Push and Pull mode and apply anAmplitude to -50 (a negative value). Fill the object with 100 percent Yellow. Using thePick Tool, create a centered copy roughly 10 percent of the original by dragging anycorner handle inwards while holding the Shift key and clicking your right mouse button.Fill the copy with Red (as shown next).



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3. Switch to the Interactive Blend Tool and drag between the two objects to create a defaultblend effect. Using Property Bar options, set the Blend Steps to 20, click the Applybutton, and the effect is complete as shown next.

Creating Mixed GreensWhat would a flower garden be without some greenery? The intricate detail on leaves is anotherideal candidate for CorelDRAW's distortion effect. To simulate the serrated edges found on leafshapes, follow these quick steps:

1. Using the Ellipse Tool, create a tall, thin ellipse roughly 3 inches tall and half an inch wideand convert it to curves (Ctrl+Q). Using the Shape Tool, change the top two curves tostraight lines by clicking each line and clicking the Convert Curve to Line button in theProperty Bar. The result will be a teardrop-shaped object (as shown next).



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2. With the object still selected, fill the object with a dark green color. Then, choose theInteractive Fill Tool and drag upwards from bottom to top to apply a default Linearfountain fill. Click to select the top fill marker and apply a light green color. Remove anyoutline colors applied to the shape.

3. Choose the Interactive Distortion Tool and choose Zipper mode. Apply an Amplitude of 50and a Frequency of 30 to create the initial distortion. To control the direction of theserrated edges, drag the diamond-shaped interactive marker to the top of the object.Notice the serrated points are now angled upwards (shown next).

These steps will create one variation on the leaf shape. But, you can quickly create more byvarying the Amplitude and Frequency values as well as adjusting the width or height of theobject (as shown next).


C lDRAW G hi S i 12 Bl i Id f C l Di i Eff


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As a finishing touch, stems are easily created using a series of blended paths. To do this, createa path and apply a thick line width (such as 8 points) colored dark green. Press the "+" key onyour numeric key pad to create a copy and change this path's outline to a thin width (such ashairline) colored light green. Using the Pick Tool, select both paths and open the Blend docker(choose Window, Dockers, Blend). Enter 5 as the Number of Steps and click Apply to create theblend effect (as shown next).

Steve Bain is an award-winning illustrator and designer, and author of nearly a dozen books

including CorelDRAW The Official Guide.

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