ART BUCKET

artbucket.net

onlineartbucket — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:52:53 +0000

very soon a new website is going to be launched by the name “www.artbucket.net” dealing mainly with the website hosting, creating logo, designs, making brochure, visiting card designs, wedding card designs, invitation card designs, photoediting, creating web designs n publishing, stickers…… n a lot more stuffs….. so keep visiting my blog. u will be informed soon.

“right now; busy combatting with my final exams of engg..”…….lol…!!!!

keep commenting, so that i can make my blog more useful for others..

best wishes

onlineartbucket.wordpress.com

create a flash text

onlineartbucket — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:16:48 +0000

Flash Text

In this lesson you will learn how to create flash text, change fonts, set text size, and set the color of the text. This lesson is meant for the true Macromedia Flash beginner.

Creating Flash Text

Start off by creating a new file. Then choose the Text Tool (it’s the letter A) from the Tools window and choose Static Text from the Properties window.

Left click and drag a textbox like we have on the stage to create a default text field.

Within the text field type: “I am writing some text that is more than one line”

Notice that the text field is now three lines of text, this is because the default text field will automatically wrap to the next line when your text reaches the width limit.
Your text should look something like this, but if it doesn’t do not worry, we are just about to start
playing around with the Text Properties!

Changing Flash Text Color

Select the arrow tool from the Tools window and left click on your text field to bring up the text properties.

In the text properties box click the color chooser button and select red #FF0000. Notice that your text is now colored red.

Changing Flash Text Size

With the text properties still displayed click and hold the Font Size downward pointing arrow. You can now drag up or down to resize
your text. While still holding down the left mouse button drag up to a font of 20. Note: You could also set the Font Size by left clicking
inside the Font Size field and typing in the number 20.

Changing Flash Text Font

With the arrow tool from the Tools window left click the text field. In the properties toolbar there is a
drop down selector called “Font” that should be set to the default _sans font. Click the downward pointing arrow of Font and choose the Verdana.
This will change the selected text field’s font to Verdana.

Changing Flash Text Field Dimensions

There are two ways you can manipulate the dimensions of the text field in Macromedia Flash. The first option will
keep your text shape and size the same, but change the the overall width and height of the text field. The second
option will deform your text by either squishing or stretching it.

Text Field Dimensions Option 1

The first option of manipulating the text field box is done with the Text Tool, so please select that from the Tools toolbar.

Using the arrow tool left click inside your text box. Next, left click and hold on the square box that appears in the upper right of the text box.
While holding down the left mouse button drag the
mouse around to change the size of the box to a shape that is similar to the one we have below. Notice that we changed the
width of the box and the words per line, but the text itself did not change shape.

Text Field Dimensions Option 2

To change the shape of the text within our text field we first need to choose the arrow tool from the Tools window. Next, left click on the text field to select it.

The only way to squish or stretch the text is to manually enter the size dimensions of the text field within the Info window. You can access it from the menu: Window < Info.

In the Info’s context W stands for width
and H stands for height. Change W: 250 H: 100. Leave X and Y alone and press OK. Notice that the text is now wider.

If you would like you can Download the Raw Flash File that was
used in this lesson.

source: tizag.com

Text Field Single vs. Multiple Lines

So far we have been using the default setting for a text field, which is multiple lines. However, if you want the width of
your text box to grow as you input more text simply follow these steps to convert your text box into a single line text field.

Select the Text Tool from the Tools window and left click once within the text field. A small square now
appears in the top right hand corner of the text box, double click this box to convert to a single line text field.

If you want to return to a multiple line text field, simply click and drag the small circle that appears in the bottom right
hand corner and shape the box to your liking. It is now multiple line again.

Quick reference: A multiple line text box has a small square in the top right, while a single line text field has a circle.

–>

create a flash button

onlineartbucket — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:05:05 +0000

Flash Button

This lesson will walk you through the process of creating a button in Macromedia Flash.
Remember, Macromedia has included a large number of premade buttons in the
common libraries. Access them by going to the menu and selecting Windows < Common Libraries < Buttons!

Creating a Flash Button

Start with a clean slate by going to File < New and select Flash Document.

From the Tools window select the Oval shape tool.

Select the red fill and the black stroke from the Properties window:

Hold shift and left click on the stage and drag to create a circle like the one we have below.

Select the arrow tool from the Tools menu and double click the circle to select both the red fill and the black stroke.
Right click the circle and choose Convert to Symbol

Name: My_Button, Behavior: Button, Registration: Center/Center

Press OK

With the arrow tool, double click My_Button to bring up the symbol edit mode for My_Button. We are now going to change the behavior
when the user mouses over the button. Choose the Over column from the timeline for My Button.

Insert KeyFrame in the Over state. (A shortcut for inserting KeyFrames is the F6 key)

With frame Over still selected, double-click the circle to select it and choose a blue fill from the Properties window.

Select Down in the Timeline for My_Button and insert a KeyFrame for Down.

With frame Down still selected, double-click the circle to select it and give it a yellow fill using the Properties window.

Testing Out Button States

We have completed altering all the different button states we will need for this lesson, so let’s try
them out to see that they work. Go to the Flash menu and navigate to: Control < Test Movie. Mouse over and click your button. Notice that it changes colors!

Adding a Button Action: GetURL

Now we want our button to actually do something, so let’s make it so when you click the button it loads up
Tizag.com. From the menu choose: Edit < Document

Right click our button and choose “Actions” from the pop up menu if it is not already selected. Within the Actions Toolbar select: Action < Browser/Network < getURL.
Be sure that your Script Assist is enabled.

Double click getURL to create a new getURL action, which also brings up the text fields
you will need to manipulate. In the URL field type in: http://www.tizag.com In the Window field type or select: _blank

Finish Button Creation!

You’re done creating a fully function Flash Button! From the menu choose: Control < Test Movie to test out your flash button. When you click the button
it now launches a website! If you’re having trouble, be sure to view our example or download our raw flash document.

source: tizag.com

motion tweening in flash

onlineartbucket — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:01:23 +0000

Flash Tutorial – Motion Tween

Flash Motion Tweening

This lesson will teach you how to create a “motion tween” by taking one shape and moving it to create
an animation. Motion tweening is a term used in Macromedia Flash to refer to the transition from one position or location to another.

Tween Setup

Before we can create our tween we are going to need the shape that will be used in this Flash animation.
First, create a simple oval like the one we have below in frame 1 of the timeline.

Convert to Symbol

Next, select the arrow tool and right click on the oval. Choose Convert to Symbol from the menu. When
the conversion pop up appears name the shape My_Shape, select “type:” Graphic and be sure that the centered
orientation is chosen from Registration.

Altering Our Symbol

We are now going to take our existing symbol and rotate it to create our Flash animation.

Select frame 25 in the timeline window and insert a KeyFrame.

With the circle selected, choose
Window < Transform to open up the transform window. Here we will change the orientation of the
circle to create a spinning effect! Leave the size the same, but change the Rotate to 170 and
press ENTER (for some reason this window doesn’t have a preview feature)

Create the Motion Tween!

Right click anywhere from frame 2-24 on the Timeline window and select create motion tween.
You will now see a solid arrow starting at frame 1 and continuing to frame 25 as we have below.

Control < Test Movie, you’ve now got a nice spinning red oval!

shape tweening in flash

onlineartbucket — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:45:01 +0000

Flash Tutorial – Shape Tween

Flash Shape Tweening

This lesson will teach you how to create a “shape tween” by taking two shapes and using them to morph from one shape to another and back again.
Shape tweening is a term used in Macromedia Flash to refer to the transition from one shape to another.

Shape Tween Setup

Before we can create our tween we are going to need the shapes that will be used
to produce the tween effect. First, create a simple rectangle like the one we have below, in frame 1 of your timeline.

Inserting KeyFrames

Select frame 25 in the timeline window and insert a KeyFrame. Select frame 50 and insert another KeyFrame. Notice that
there is a shaded area from frame 1 to 50. This is your “active” area and the animation is going to occur within this area.

Changing Our Shapes

We want our shape to morph from one shape to another. For contrast let’s have our red box morph into a blue circle.

Select the middle frame, frame 25, and draw a big blue circle on top of the existing red box, so that it is completely covered.
Using the Oval Tool in frame 25, hold shift, left-click and drag to create a large blue circle.
Your stage should now look like this for frame 25.

Inserting the Shape Tween

In the timeline window, select any frame from 2-24 using left-click. In the Properties window you will now see an option to tween. It is currently set to none.
From the Tween drop down selector choose Shape.

Now insert another KeyFrame at frame 26. Left click any frame from 27-49 and once again select the Shape Tween from the Properties window.

If you have a dotted line, rather than a solid line in your Timeline window, be sure that you followed the instructions up to this point exactly.

Test the Tween Out

Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 Image Adjustment Lab: Working with RAW files & snapshots

onlineartbucket — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:58:07 +0000

When you edit photos in Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4, you have the option to import your images as RAW files. These files are like digital negatives with many more editing options than other image formats.

You can save your picture as a RAW-file, or import it directly from the camera into Corel PHOTO-PAINT.

You will then get a dialog box as shown below.

The dialog box looks much like the Image Adjustment Lab in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, but you have the White Balance option that works much like resetting your camera before you shot the picture.

You can adjust the image even further by clicking the Detail Tab, and in the Properties area, you can find details about the camera settings etc.

But when you do not have access to the RAW-format you can edit the image in this way:

Open the image in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, and select the Adjust menu | Image Adjustment Lab, and you will see the same window as mentioned before.

In both cases, there is an excellent feature: The Create Snapshot feature

Click the Create Snapshot button in the bottom of either of the screens, and you have created a snapshot of the image as it is. This is shown by the small thumbnail picture below the image.

Make some adjustments in the picture by dragging the different sliders to the left or to the right.

Click the Create Snapshot button again, and you have made a new thumbnail showing the adjustments.

Click the Reset to Original button, and make some other adjustments,

Click the Create Snapshot button again, and you have made a new thumbnail showing the second adjustment.

Click on the Snapshot thumbnails, and you can browse through the different adjustments to find the best adjustment.

Working with layers in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4

Now you can work with layers on individual pages in CorelDRAW X4, as well as Master layers and Guide layers. If certain pages (such as the cover page) have their own specific content, it often makes sense to use separate layers for this.

In the picture above you can see two pages with their own layers. You can also see the Master Page layer.

Everything you put on the Desktop part of the Master Page will be shown on all pages. Using the Guides and Grids of the Master Page will reveal guides and grids on all pages.

You can also use guides and layers on individual pages, so these will only apply to the page you have selected. In this example, each page contains layers with text in different languages as well as a “background” and “pictures” layer.

To create a new layer, click the New layer button at the bottom of the Object Manager Docker.

As soon as you have clicked this button, you can rename the layer.

To the left of the layer name you can lock the layer (click on the pencil icon), hide the layer (click on the eye icon) and make it printable or non-printable (click on the printer icon).

By making a layer non-printable, you can create a layer for comments to other people involved in the process of creating the document. The layers will be visible but not printable.

Scanning Images for Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3

There are a couple of important things to consider when scanning: the quality of your print or film scanner, and the quality of the image being scanned. The higher the quality of both your scanner and original image, the better the image you have to work with in Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3 will be.

A high-quality original yields the best results, whether it’s print or film. Here are some things to look for:

Good color saturation

Edge to edge sharpness

Smooth color graduation (no banding)

Smooth contrast definition from highlights to shadows, where highlights retain some detail and aren’t blown out, and shadows contain detail and don’t suddenly fall to solid black.

Fixing Moiré Patterns

Sometimes when scanning, you’ll encounter moiré patterns, which are caused by a misalignment between pixels and a scanning device or camera, making patterns turn into rainbow-colored streaks. Sometimes moiré patterns are the result of an original image that has tightly knit, multicolored areas or a tightly repeating pattern, such as a hound’s tooth design in fabrics.

In my experience, moiré patterns often occur when scanning images from a magazine. In the process of printing the magazine, dots are overlaid to create the color image that you see. In some cases, scanning such an image creates a moiré pattern. Here are a couple of quick fixes. Note that each technique presented here will give you a different result. Before using another technique, click on CTRL + Z to undo the effect or your results will be cumulative.

Removing Moiré Patterns in Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3

You can quickly and easily remove moiré patterns in Corel PHOTO-PAINT by clicking Effects > Noise > Remove Moiré.

In the Remove Moire dialog box, you can adjust moiré-removal settings.

Scanning the document at a higher resolution than what you need

For example, if you’re scanning an image for the Web, scan at 150 dpi instead of 72 dpi, which you would normally use. Once the image is scanned, reduce the image to the size you need.

Skewing the document when scanning

With the document flat on the scanner surface, rotate it on an angle from the vertical, and then scan it. After the scan comes up in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, you can rotate the scan back to the vertical by clicking Image > Rotate, and choosing a rotation option.

Skewing an image can often reduce moiré patterns.

Correcting Exposure Problems Quickly

Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3 lets you quickly correct exposure problems, which are caused by too much light (overexposure) or not enough light (underexposure) at the time the photo was taken. Here are a couple of quick corrections that you can use.

Using the Image Adjustment Lab

The Image Adjustment Lab consists of automatic and manual controls, which are organized in a logical order for image correction. You can access the Image Adjustment Lab by clicking Adjust > Image Adjustment Lab. A quick fix is to click on the Auto-Adjust button at the top right, and click OK. In many cases that will be enough to correct any exposure problems.

The Image Adjustment Lab

Adjusting Exposure in the Objects Docker

You can adjust exposure in the Objects docker, which you open by clicking Object > Object Docker. Next, drag the background object down onto the New Object button at the bottom of the Objects docker to make a copy of the background.

Then, choose either Add or Multiply from the Merge Mode list box at the top of the Objects docker. The Add mode increases the exposure (often quite dramatically), while the Multiply mode decreases the exposure. You may need to make several copies of the background to obtain the exposure you want. You can reduce the effect by adjusting the opacity of an object in the Opacity box.

The Merge Mode list box (left) and the Opacity box (right) are at the top of the Objects docker.

When you you’re satisfied with the exposure, you can merge all the objects into one by clicking Objects > Select All, and then clicking the Combine Objects Together button at the bottom of the Objects docker.

The original image exposure (left) and with the Add mode applied (right).

Choosing Output File Formats

Two common image-output destinations are the Web and service bureaus. The file format for your final images should be determined by where they’re going to be viewed.

Choosing File Formats For The Web

I recommend using the JPEG format for most images. For 8-bit images, I recommend using the GIF or PNG formats. Depending on the image, the compression may be slightly more or less in a PNG file than a GIF.

Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3 has a handy tool when you’re preparing images for the Web — the Web Image Optimizer. This feature lets you experiment with different compression ratios and preview images in a variety of Web-compatible file formats. You can access the Web Image Optimizer by clicking File > Web Image Optimizer.

Choosing File Formats for Service Bureaus

When working with a service bureau, TIFF is the universally preferred file format. You can also use Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3 to create a PDF, which I’ve found produces excellent results. You can access this versatile, easy-to-use feature by clicking File > Publish To PDF.

Using PDF in Your Workflow

When I created my book cover, I used Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3 to do some color correction on my photographs, which I then imported into CorelDRAW® X3. Once I completed my layout, I saved it as a TIFF, which merged my photos into the background and gave me a solid black. From there, I imported the image into Corel PHOTO-PAINT X3 and used the Publish To PDF command to create the image you see below.

The final book cover layout

You can access a wide variety of options by clicking the Settings button in the Publish To PDF dialog box, which opens the Publish To PDF Settings dialog box. For example, you can add crop or registration marks, apply ICC profiles, set JPEG compression, and add passwords to the file.

The Publish To PDF Settings dialog box

I’ve also published layouts that were solely created in CorelDRAW X3 to PDF. I made things easier for the printer by clicking File > Prepare for Service Bureau in CorelDRAW X3. This launches a wizard that lets you gather all the files in the layout (such as fonts), create a PDF, and store all the files in one folder, making it easy to send to a service bureau. I recommend sending the PDF, all the fonts, and the original CDR file. To make things even simpler, use WinZip® to group all your files together before sending them. Of course whenever using third party content you must be sure to secure appropriate permissions. Of course whenever using third party content you must be sure to secure appropriate permissions.

In this newsletter, you’ve learned some important design and image manipulation techniques, such as how to set up your layouts, create high quality scans, make fast exposure corrections and work with service bureaus. Applying this knowledge will speed up your workflow and make it easier to obtain the results that you seek.

Nathan Segal boosts your Corel PHOTO-PAINT productivity with proven tips, tools and techniques to create better scans, images and prints in his book, The Corel PHOTO® PAINT X3 Insider. Sign up for his newsletter and receive free weekly graphics and photography tips.

Create cool 3D Chiseled Graphics (Part 1)

onlineartbucket — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:56:03 +0000

In this visit to the CorelDRAW toolbox, you’ll discover a technique you can use to create perfectly chiseled shapes. It’s an effect that will enable you to create the 3D illusion of shapes which appear either recessed into – or raised above - a flat surface. Your success will depend on your object’s shape, your skill at node editing and path commands, and of course how closely you follow these tutorial steps.

This is part one of a two-part tutorial. If you’d like to discover even more of this technique, be sure to check out Create Cool 3D Chiseled Graphics (Part 2). Also keep in mind that although I happen to be using CorelDRAW 11 in this tutorial, these techniques can be accomplished regardless of which recent version of CorelDRAW you happen to be using.

First, do a little set up work

Before you begin the exercises to follow, it’ll help immensely for you to ensure a few invaluable snap settings are selected in CorelDRAW. You’ll need to check that certain Snap options are active using the Options dialog. To get set up, follow these steps:

Choose Tools, Options to open the Options dialog.

Under the Workspace heading, click Snap to Objects. Ensure the Snap to Objects is selected active and click both the Snap to Nodes and Snap to Object Center Points options are selected (shown next).

If you happen to be using a later version of CorelDRAW (for example, version X4) that includes a more granular set of snapping modes (as shown next), selecting all modes will provide even more snapping control and choosing View > Snap to Objects (Alt+Z) will toggle the snapping action on or off.

Click OK to close the dialog and accept your changes and you’re ready to start.

Creating the chisel shape path

The key to the riddle of a successful chisel shape lies in creating a new path to represent the center between two existing paths. You could manually draw the shape with mastery of the Freehand or Bezier tools, but that could take considerable time and effort, and the result may not be entirely accurate. This is where the Blend Tool can help. By creating a single blend step between two existing paths, you’ll be able to quickly create a new path automatically. In most cases, you’ll be able to use the resulting shape with very little node editing. But as you’ll discover, the process isn’t without its little tricks.

To familiarize yourself with the process, try these steps:

Choose the Ellipse Tool and create an ellipse of any size or shape. Make it a circular ellipse by holding Ctrl as you create it.

Create a copy of your new circle centered within the original by holding Shift as you drag one of the corner handles toward the inside of the original, then clicking the right mouse button to create the copy (as shown next).

Choose the Pick Tool (press Spacebar), select the two circles, and convert them both to curves (Ctrl+Q).

Choose the Interactive Blend Tool and click-drag from the edge of one circle to the other to create a default blend effect. Using Property Bar options, set the Number of Steps option to 1. This will create the chisel path (shown next).

Using the Pick Tool, right-click the blend object and choose Break Blend Group Apart to break the link between the original circles and the blend.

Select only the blend object and press the “+” key on your numeric keyboard to create a copy superimposed over the original. With the copy still selected, hold Shift, click the outer circle and combine the two paths to make a compound path (Ctrl+L). Send the new object to the back (Shift+PageDown).

Click to select the original blend object and hold Shift while clicking the innermost circle to select both objects. Combine them into a single compound object (Ctrl+L). You now have two separate compound paths.

Select both objects and fill them with any color (Red for example), and choose the Interactive Fill Tool (G). Using Property Bar options, choose Radial from the Type menu to fill both with a default red-to-white radial fill.

Offset the centers of each radial fill. Drag the white marker on the outer object to the upper-left and the white marker of the inner object to the lower-right. This will enable you to simulate basic shading (as shown next). Remove any outline properties from the objects and you’re done.

In the circle example, you were able to create the chisel effect using a series of unbroken circular paths. But, if the shape you’re attempting to apply this effect to feature corners, the process becomes slightly more involved and requires the blend step process as well as node editing. This is where the effect really takes off though. Let’s take a simple square as an example:

Using the Rectangle Tool, create a square shape (hold Ctrl to constrain). As you did with the circle, create a smaller copy inside the original by dragging a corner handle inward while holding the Shift key and clicking the right mouse button to make the copy (as shown next). Select both objects and convert them to curves (Ctrl+Q).

Using the Blend Tool, create a single blend object by dragging from one shape to the other (shown next). Then, using the Pick Tool, right-click the blend object and choose Break Blend Group Apart from the popup menu. This will represent the chisel path.

Select only the blend shape and press numeric “+” to make a copy. Hold Shift and click to select the outer square and Combine the two shapes (Ctrl+L).

With your shape still selected, choose the Shape Tool (F10) and click any node on the shape. Then, using Property Bar options, click the Select All Nodes and the Break Curve buttons (shown next), to select and unjoin all the nodes at once. Then separate all the lines in the shape using the Break Apart command (Ctrl+K). This process essentially reduces the shapes to lines.

Next, we’ll join each pair of lines representing the sides of the shape. Using the Pick Tool and while holding the Shift key click to select the first pair of lines and Combine them (Ctrl+L). Then, choose the Shape Tool and choose the node pair at one end and click the Extend Curve to Close button in the Property Bar (shown next). This will add a straight line between the two nodes. Repeat this operation for the node pairs at the opposite end. Once you are complete, the shape will be a closed curve.

Repeat the above step for each pair of lines, first combining them and then joining the node pairs. In the example shown next, all sides of the outer shape have been combined into closed curves.

You’ll also need to repeat this process for the inner shapes. Click to select the original blend path object and combine it with the innermost square. Then select and break apart all curve nodes and break apart the entire arrangement. Choose each line pair and combine them, and close each end using the Extend Curve to Close button. The result will be eight closed shapes. Although we haven’t yet explored the shading aspects of the chisel effect (which we’ll do in part 2 of this tutorial), the example shown next demonstrates the final result with various colors and shades applied to each side.

Variations on the chisel

You may not always need to create a negative and a positive shape for the chisel effect. In some instances, you might simply need to create the effect of a complete shape carved onto (or into) a surface. In this exercise, there is no need for the blend step, but there is certainly more emphasis on node editing and drawing. Let’s take a simple polygon as the example and create a chiseled star shape:

To begin, choose the Polygon Tool (Y) and create a default symmetrical polygon shape by holding Ctrl to constrain the shape as you drag. Using Property Bar options set the Number of Points option to 5. If needed, increase the depth of the star spikes by holding Ctrl and dragging any of the shape nodes toward or away from the center of the shape (as shown next).

You’ll also need to create an object to use as a snapping guide. For this, choose the Ellipse Tool (F7) and create a circular ellipse (hold Ctrl) slightly smaller than the inner area of the star. Select both shapes and press E and then C to center the two objects vertically and horizontally with each other (as shown next).

Using the Pick Tool, select the star and convert it to curves (Ctrl+Q). Then choose the Shape Tool and hold Ctrl+Shift while clicking any node to quickly select all nodes composing the shape. Using Property Bar options click the Break Curve button and then press Ctrl+K to break apart the lines in the shape.

In this next step your node-snapping settings will be really pay off. Click to select one of the original star lines to select it and choose the Bezier Tool. Notice the nodes at either end are visible. Click any node and then click the dead center of the circle to add a straight line. Then, click the remaining node on the opposite end of the original line to close the shape (as shown next). This will create a single chisel side.

Repeat this process for each of the 9 remaining lines which composed the original star. To do this quickly, press the Spacebar to toggle your tool state between the Bezier and Pick tools using the Pick Tool for selecting and the Bezier Tool for drawing. Once all 10 lines have been completed, the effect needs only to be colored or shaded (as shown next). Once you are finished, be sure to select and delete the circle shape and remove any outline properties from the star chisel shapes.

So far, we’ve only explored creating and chiseling basic shapes, but there’s much more to perfecting this effect. In part 2, we’ll look at techniques for applying color and shading to the shapes and see how the chisel effect can be applied to other more complex shapes such as text, lines, and other useful shapes.

Create cool 3D Chiseled Graphics (Part 2)

onlineartbucket — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:55:20 +0000

In part 1 of this 2-part tutorial, we learned how to create the illusion of chiseled effects in Create cool 3D Chiseled Graphics (Part 2)CorelDRAW using very basic shapes. Now we’ll explore how to work with more complex shapes. We’ll also reveal how to add realistic color schemes to simulate various lighting levels.

Keep in mind that this is part two of a two-part tutorial. If you haven’t yet absorbed part 1, now may be a good time since the settings you’ll need to have selected and the techniques covered in those step sequences lay the groundwork for the tutorial steps we’ll be following next. Also keep in mind that I happen to be using CorelDRAW 11, but these techniques remain valid regardless of which version of CorelDRAW you happen to be using.

Tackling different object types

It goes without saying that the shapes you’ll want to apply the chisel effect to won’t always be simple circles, squares or polygons. In fact, you can apply this effect to almost any object type you can create in CorelDRAW. But, how you approach each challenge will depend on the object type. Let’s take a close look at three uniquely different examples and explore how chiseled sides can be created.

Freehand lines

First, we’ll see how our chisel effect can be applied to a simple open curved path. The basic thrust of this technique involves drawing an open path, applying a heavy line weight, converting the outline to an object, and applying the chisel to the resulting shape.

If you don’t already have a line ready to apply the effect to, use the Bezier Tool to create an open path. Be sure the path doesn’t cross itself, and try to ensure it is composed of mostly curves with a minimum of nodes. Copy your selected path to the clipboard (Ctrl+C) for a later step.

With the path selected, choose the Pick Tool and use Property Bar options to increase its thickness value (in this case 16 points). Then, choose Arrange, Convert Outline to Object (Ctrl+Shift+Q) to convert the state of your line into a closed path complete with corner nodes (as shown next).

Choose the Shape Tool (F10) and select each pair of nodes at either end of the object and use the Break Curve button in the Property Bar separate the nodes. Then, choose Arrange, Break Curve Apart (Ctrl+K) to separate each of the lines in the object. Select each of the lines representing the ends and use your Nudge keys to offset their position (as shown next).

Paste (Ctrl+V) a copy of the original path from your clipboard onto your page. By default, the copy is pasted exactly in its original position, but you’ll need to perform a little node editing. Using the Shape Tool, double click to add a new point beside each end point, and double-click the existing end points to delete them. Choose the Pick Tool and press your numeric keypad “+” key to duplicate the path.

Select the copy together with one of the paths representing the outline of your shape and Combine them (Ctrl+L). Using the Shape Tool, select each pair of end nodes and click the Extend Curve to Close button in the Property Bar to close each end of the object (shown next). Now select the path you duplicated together with the second outline and repeat this. You now have two sides of your chisel effect and only the ends remain unfinished.

Using the Pick Tool, select one of the end lines you moved earlier and use your Nudge keys to move it back into position. Now, choose the Bezier Tool, click one of the end points, and click the point where the two chisel paths meet. Then, click the last node on the line to close the path. Perform this same operation on the line at the opposite end of your chiseled line.

Since the two shapes in your chisel are curved, let’s apply a radial fountain fill applied to each to create the shading effect. Using the Interactive Fill Tool, select the upper chiseled side of the shape and choose Radial as the Fill Type from the Property Bar to apply the fill at defaults. Drag the white center marker to the upper-left area of the shape and drag any dark color from your onscreen color palette to the other secondary fill marker. Then, select the lower chisel side and do the same, but this time drag the white center marker to the lower-right area. To finish the shading, set the end shapes with the same uniform color used for your secondary color and your effect is complete (as shown next).

Chiseling simple text shapes

Creating chiseled text effects is of the more practical applications. Simple text characters are relatively easy to work with, but you’ll need to analyze each character shape before you begin. In the case of characters, the one-step Blend usually serves as the best technique to use. Let’s examine how to apply this effect to a simple sans-serif character shape.

Using the Text Tool (F8), create an Artistic Text character (single click, then type the character), and apply your size, font, and weight attributes using Property Bar options. The example is an uppercase C set to Franklin Gothic Heavy Italic. Choose the Pick Tool and convert your character to curves (Ctrl+Q).

Using the Shape Tool (F10), select the nodes joining the curves with the straight lines and click the Break Curves button in the Property Bar to unjoin the nodes. Then, use the Break Apart command to separate the curved lines from the straight lines (as shown next).

Choose the Interactive Blend Tool and click-drag between the two curve paths to create a default blend effect. Use Property Bar options to set the number of blend steps to 1. You’ll notice the blend effect doesn’t even come close to matching the shape of either curve. This is because the nodes have not yet been mapped.

Click the Miscellaneous Blend Options button in the Property Bar and choose Map Nodes. Use the targeting cursor to click on each of the adjacent end nodes on the two curves to map them to each other (as shown next). Using the Pick Tool, right-click the blend object and choose Break Blend Group Apart from the popup menu to separate the effect. Even after the node mapping is complete, you may notice the blend object is still slightly inaccurate (as highlighted in yellow). You can often correct these irregularities using the Shape Tool by double-clicking to delete the node(s) where the anomaly occurs.

With your chisel path selected, use the Shape Tool to add nodes as shown next, and delete the existing endpoints to shorten the curve shape. Select the curve using the Pick Tool and press “+” on your numeric keypad to create a copy. Combine (Ctrl+L) the copy with the outer curve, use the Shape Tool to select two adjacent endpoints, and click the Extend to Close Curve button in the Property Bar. Repeat this to join the two nodes at the opposite end and close the path.

Choose the Bezier Tool next and click one of the short, straight lines remaining. Click an existing node and click the point where the two chisel corners meet and then click the opposite end of the line to close the path. Repeat this operation on the other straight end line.

To apply quick shading to the curved shapes of the arrangement, use the Interactive Fill Tool to apply radial fills using white as the center color and any dark color as the ending color. Position the white center at the upper-left on the inner curve and at the lower-right for the inner curve (shown next). Apply Uniform fills to the triangular chisel shapes at either end and you’re done.

Chiseling more complex character shapes

Complex characters require a little more ingenuity as you’ll discover next. The approach is similar, but more steps are involved. Let’s see how it’s done.

Begin with an Artistic Text character again, this time an uppercase H. Apply a sans serif font style, such as the Franklin Gothic Heavy Italic used in the example.

Using the Shape Tool, hold Ctrl+Shift while clicking any node to select all nodes. Click the Break Curve button to break the nodes apart and separate all the lines using the Break Apart command (Ctrl+K). Apply an outline color to the lines by right-clicking any color in your onscreen color palette.

Create a one-step blend between the vertical parallel lines in the original character shape using the Interactive Blend Tool (as shown next), right click each blend object and choose Break Blend Group Apart to separate the effect.

Apply a one-step blend between the two horizontal lines and notice the blend path is not the shape you need. Using Property Bar options, click the Miscellaneous Blend Options button and choose Map Nodes. Use the targeting cursor to map the adjacent end pairs to each other. Right-click the blend object and choose Break Blend Group Apart.

The blend paths will serve as the chisel paths, but they’ll need to be edited. Using the Shape Tool, increase the length of each line as shown next. Select the three chisel paths and create copies (with the + key). Add nodes on the vertical lines where they meet the horizontal chisel lines and click the Break Curve button. Separate these using the Break Apart command. Each side will now have a corresponding chisel path.

Assemble the sides using the Combine (Ctrl+L) command and connect the pairs of end nodes for each side using the Shape Tool and the Extend to Close Curve button to close the shapes (as shown next). Then, use the Bezier Tool to finished chiseling the remaining ends. Once the shapes are closed, you’re ready to apply the final color and shading and remove the outline colors.

Shading your chisel effect

Although nearly every example we’ve looked at shows a finished a color version, we still need to explore some basic techniques for applying color and shading. After your shapes have been created, this effect would be nothing without it. Before you begin applying color though, you’ll need to determine a few key characteristics. For example, is your chiseling recessed or on a raised surface. From which direction will it be lit? How bright is the light source? What is will the color scheme be? Your answers will help you determine which colors to use and where to place them.

When it comes to applying uniform fills, the color of chisel sides facing the light will appear brighter while the others are darker. One quick technique to lighten selected object colors applied to the sides facing the light is using the Hue/Saturation/Lightness filter (Ctrl+Shift+U) by moving the Lightness slider (shown next) to the right while clicking the Preview button to view the results.

An efficient way to darken selected object colors is by adding black in incremental percentages using the CMYK model. Select the sides you wish to darken and open the Uniform Fill dialog shown next (Shift+F11), click the Models tab and choose CMYK from the Mode menu. Increase Black in percentages of 20 percent until the shade appears suitable.

The two examples shown next illustrate a how shading schemes can be applied using the Lightness and techniques discussed next. In this case a base color of Red (100 magenta + 100 yellow) was applied to the shapes. Sides facing the light were lightened using only the Red channel by the values indicated using the Hue/Saturation/Lightness filter. Sides facing away from the light were darkened by adding percentages of black. By varying the settings, you may control lighting contrast illustrated by the bright light source on the left and the dim one on the right. This particular chisel requires only 4 variations on the original color to simulate the lighting.

Color Styles offer another quick way to formulate colors. Open the Color Styles docker shown next (choose Window, Dockers, Color Styles), create a new color, and then create child colors of the color. This will enable you to create a variety of lighter or darker colors (or both) based on whichever color you choose. Use options in the Create a New Child Color dialog to add as many colors as you need.

Raised chisel effects like the ones shown in my examples can quickly be converted to recessed chisel shapes simply by rotating the objects 180 degrees. The example shown next demonstrates how simple rotation creates this illusion. This works perfectly if the objects you’re working with are symmetrical, but not so much if they are non-symmetrical. For non-symmetrical objects you can use rotated copies for color and shading reference.

Photoshop Tutorial: Destroyed Heraldry

onlineartbucket — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:54:37 +0000

The destroyed heraldry tutorial. It is actually a lot simpler than you might think. It shouldn’t take long, so lets get started..1. Start with some ink.

Start out by scanning a messy ink splotch (or find one around the web) and open it in Photoshop.

2. Levels

Hit Command/Control + L, or go to Image > Adjustments > Levels, and move the right slider to the left until the whites are pure white. You can tell by looking at the info palette (F8) as you hover over the white areas. While you have the Levels palette open, when you move the mouse around it turns into the eyedropper tool and reads out the values in the info palette. Anyway, get the whites all the way to white and hit ok.

2. Heraldry

Find some heraldry or scan some in from a book, and do the same thing as above. Make sure the whites are pure white by using the Levels palette. If you don’t have a book to scan, you can also use a vector. Just open it in Photoshop and put it on a layer above the ink.

Select your heraldry and copy/paste or drag it to your document.

Put it on a layer above the ink.

Now, change the “Layer Mode” of your heraldry to Multiply. This makes all of the pure white pixels invisible, eliminating the need to clip anything out.

3. New Fill Layer

Add a new layer underneath your two current layers.

Fill it with white by going to Edit > Fill or Shift + F5. You can also hit Shift + Delete.

4. Layer Masks

Select your ink layer, and add a layer mask by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layers palette.

Do the same for the heraldry layer.

5. Start Masking

Ok, now what we are going to do is use the brush tool, and some grungy texture brushes to ‘mask’ parts of both the ink layer and the heraldry layer to make them look like they were blended together a little nore naturally.

You can download and install my grungy texture brushes, or use your own. Now select the brush tool and a grungy brush you wish to use.

Start with the ink layer. Select the “Layer Mask,” not the layer itself and make sure your foreground color is set to black. Go back and forth between the 2 layer masks and keep stamping out parts of the images with your grungy brush/s until you are happy with the results.

As you stamp out parts of both layers with the grungy brushes, you’ll notice the 2 images becoming a little more happily blended together in a nice grungy fashion

And Keep going until you’re happy with what you see. That’s it. That is the process I used to create my “Destroyed Heraldry” brushes. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial

Creating a flyer in CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X4 using the Table Tool and Live Text Preview

onlineartbucket — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:53:47 +0000

The most common way to create a layout is to use guidelines to help you align all the elements in the document. But when you need to change the layout, e.g. to add an extra row of pictures, you have to do the layout all over again.

You will save much time and effort by using the new table feature in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 to lay out your documents. That way, you can just add, remove or edit rows, columns or cells without having to start the layout all over again.

Start by making a sketch of the flyer, either on paper, or as here using the Smart Drawing Tool in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4.

With the sketch in place, it is easy to count the number of columns and rows you need for the layout.

You can create a table in two ways in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4:

Select the Table Tool in the Tool box, and drag with the tool on the page to create the table.

Or select the Table menu | Create new table. You can type the number of columns and rows, as well as the overall size of the table into the dialog box that opens.

Create a table with the settings as shown above

Select the Table Tool in the tool-box and change the size of the cells in the table by dragging the lines of the cells to fit the layout. You can drag the lines, when the cursor changes to a double arrow.

You can also merge the cells together. Select the cells by dragging across them with the mouse. Then right-click and select Merge Cells in the popup menu. Selected cells are shown with a hatch pattern.

Now you are ready to fill the cells with pictures and text:

Some of the cells are merged to fit pictures and text

You can write text in the different cells by selecting the Text Tool.

To import pictures you need to deselect the Table Tool first, e.g. by clicking on the Pick Tool. Import the first picture by selecting File | Import and finding the appropriate picture on your computer.

Insert the picture on the page, and drag it to the target cell while pressing the right mouse button.

Select Place inside Cell in the popup menu. You can move the picture into the right position, scale it etc.

Continue in the same way with the rest of the pictures.

Formatting the text using Live Text Preview

Another new feature in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 is the ability to preview changes to the text before you make them. This feature is called Live Text Preview.

Select the text with the Text Tool, and then scroll the Font List drop-down menu to find the most appropriate font. You will be able to instantly preview the change in the text you selected. In the image below we are previewing the font Impact.

Finally we need to remove the lines in the table.

Select the table with the Pick Tool

Set the border to All in the Property Bar, and then select none in the Border Width field