Look Mac, I'm just gonna tell you once - you have to back up to the web with XDrive Try it free
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miss your computer while away from home? Cheer up, GoToMyPC lets you access it from anywhere.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Software review
Created: June, 2000
Corel Corporation is well known in the
Windows world for its graphics suite. CorelDRAW 8 is the company's
second incarnation of the suite on the Macintosh platform, with
a native implementation achieving feature parity with version
8 of the Windows platform.
The box includes three CDs, featuring CorelDRAW 8 for illustration
and page layout and PHOTO-PAINT 8 for editing photos. There
are also several utilities, including Font Reserve, a font management
tool to manage the 1,600 fonts included. The third CD is the
seemingly ubiquitous Corel Photo Collection CD.
The suite emphasizes its cross platform and multiple format
capabilities -- and much effort has gone into this, to good
effect. Both applications have various options to import and
export options to or from most common formats. For instance,
in addition to its own file format, CorelDRAW can handle file
formats of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
This effort is not perfect, however. When exporting to or importing
from Illustrator, tinting was lost and some text turned into
individual objects. However, with some experimentation, such
issues can be found and worked with. Performance is on par with
Illustrator.
On Mac versions -- and only on the Mac versions -- is also the
ability for CorelDRAW to edit frames from Quicktime and Quicktime
VR scenes.
The interface for both programs is similar to their Windows
brethren. The interfaces can be customized, with the settings
saved in Workspaces. Interface elements that can be changed
include keyboard shortcuts, menus, color palettes and toolbars
-- almost every element of the work environment.
In addition to the standard workspace, other elements are supplied
that closely emulate Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and Macromedia's
Freehand. Both programs have long supported multiple use of
the "Undo" command on the Windows version and continue
to do so with the Mac.
Like CorelDRAW, PHOTO-PAINT, an image editing program akin to
Adobe Photoshop, supports multiple formats natively, including
Photoshop plug-ins and the Photoshop .psd format. PHOTO-PAINT
can import many other file formats but the effort isn't always
perfect -- images with layers may sometimes be flattened. Performance
is comparable to Photoshop.
When opening large jpeg files, it is faster.
Documentation and online help are excellent. The box comes with
two indexed user manuals, one each for CorelDRAW and PHOTO-PAINT.
Appendices are included, comparing and contrasting functions
with the more common competing products (Illustrator, Freehand
and Photoshop). Online help is comprehensive, comparing terminology
with competing products and even indicating when the applications
may not work perfectly with the competition.
On-line tutorials guide novices in a step-by-step process for
learning the basics of the programs. Rounding out the documentation
is a gem: Corel's Commercial Printing Guide, a primer on working
with service bureaus and how to prepare images and documents
for them. Even experienced hands could benefit from reading
it.
CorelDRAW 8 puts a lot of power behind a small business's graphics
projects and covers enough ground to get a nod even from graphics
professionals.
The street price of $389 US ($686 Canadian) is a little steep,
but if you already own a piece of Corel software, it's not hard
to qualify for the upgrade, which is only $149 US ($203 Canadian).
PHOTO-PAINT 8 for the Mac is also available separately.
Reviewer's rating: 4.25 / 5
Comments: CorelDRAW 8 is a fine product when a general
graphics suite is required for cross-platform purposes, or required
to be compatible with another Corel shop. The multiple format
capabilities are especially difficult to find elsewhere forn
the Macintosh.
Minimum systems requirement: Mac OS 7.6 (8.1), 32 MB
RAM (64 is even better) with virtual memory enabled, Power Mac,
CD ROM.
More info: http://www.corel.com
Price: $389 US, $686 Canadian.
Upgrade: $149 US, $203 Canadian. To find out if you qualify
for an upgrade, go to: http://www.corel.com/draw8mac/pricing.htm
|
Adding RAM is easy, 
