Customer Reviews

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 11 [Old Version]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Corel never ceases to amaze me. Their goal was to create a new version of this suite that was supposed to be the most bug-free yet and have accomplished it with flying colors!

This suite is STILL far easier to learn than it's competitors (ie. Illustrator, Quark, PhotoShop, etc..) and just as powerful. Don't let addicts of the competitor's products fool you. This suite will do everything they can do with a much lower learning curve.

If you are familiar with previous versions of Corel's graphics suite you will appreciate many of the new features, faster speed and the best stability yet. My favorite new tool is the ability to slice images in PhotoPaint for use on the web. It works WONDERFULLY and with great ease!

As usual, Corel throws in everything PLUS the kitchen sink. For anyone who is interested in a well-rounded, inexpensive, professional publishing package this is it!! It includes a top-notch vector graphics package (DRAW), a raster (bitmap, photo, etc..) based package (PhotoPaint -- which is as good as Adobe Photoshop), an animated graphics package (RAVE) and a variety of other useful tools for use in image tracing, media management and more.

You would have to spend a couple thousand dollars on other programs to come close to what this suite includes in ONE package! If you are looking to create graphics or documents for print or the web, this is a defenite MUST BUY!

I've been using good old CorelDRAW 6,7 and then 8 for as long as I remember myself working with computer graphics (that is over 6 years). I think it's a great product and so far I was able to visualize everything that came into my mind using this software.

The latest version of CorelDRAW that I had for the last 3 years was 8.0. Just for sake of curiosity, I decided to try the latest release (11).

Cannot say that I was too excited. There are few new features advertised on Corel web site - like "Symbol" Support, 3-point Ellipse and Rectange, etc - most of these functions can be accomplished by combining functions that exist in older versions. I haven't checked "Red Eye Removal" tool so I cannot tell how good it is.

Other than that, I didn't find any significant new features that make this product worth upgrading to. They redesigned all toolbar icons to make them look more XP-style, but this is purely cosmetic improvement.

Maybe I missed something, but I failed to bring "Anti-Alias" function to the toolbar after 30 minutes of exploring program options. They had it in version 8 and I actively switch this option on/off for lines, fills, masks, etc - which is very useful when you design icons. As a result I wasn't able to draw simple line without anti-aliasing. Customization menu doesn't offer "Anti-Alias" function and when I dragged corresponding icon from some property bar that had it to some general toolbar, it was disappearing when I chose Line tool.

As I said, I might have missed something, but it is very not obvious and definitely less convenient than in previous versions.

The bottom line is, if you already have previous version of CorelDraw and you feel yourself comfortable with it, I would not recommend to upgrade to version 11 - stick to what is working and don't waste time and money for upgrades.

I've been a CorelDraw/PhotoPaint user since Version 8. I used it on a PC, on a dual 200 MHz Pentium system, and found it to be a very useful and stable product.

Now I am working on a Mac and this has all changed. I bought v11 hoping that they had eliminated at least some of the problems in v10. Nope. The constant crashes are still there. It crashes if you Undo a Fill, it crashes if you import an EPS file...on and on. It is MORE crash prone than v10. I am working on an iBook, and all my other apps are rock solid. Except CorelDraw. Furthermore, the software is god-awful slow on an iBook. Maybe a dual G5 would give you some performance, but my dual p200 was faster that this.

Also, the PhotoPaint scripting that allowed you to make movies and do other useful things is gone. Completely gone, and I understand it was removed from the PC version as well, for GOD KNOWS what reason. Why, o why, does Corel think it is progress to REDUCE the functionality of your software?

If you liked the old versions, you are not missing anything. Stick with v9. If you are working on a Mac, do yourself a favor and find a different tool. Corel is not making any advances here, they are not fixing bugs, and they are not going anywhere. It's a very unfortunate end to what used to be a very nice piece of software.

Corel Corp. is very unreachable, unfriendly. You'd better already know how to use the graphics program because the tutorial is a dry 'help' button. I've had problems with the program interfacing with Windows XP and crashes have been frequent. The website is difficult to navigate, find answers, and Corel is definately hard to reach. Emails go unanswered ("due to the volume of emails we receive we cannot guarantee a response.") A $25 fee is expected per question. Web pages come up blank, update downloads won't go thru, and when I registered and was given a password that was supposed to give better access, the password would not work. After being assigned another password, the access is the same. The program does list minimum system requirements, but did not include video card specs. 32? 128? 256mg? When asked, Corel said they could not 'recommend.' Then who can? I am a graphic artist but not literate in CorelDraw specifically. I'm trying to teach myself this program by following a book and a CD. However, many actions are not available as instructed. It is not user friendly and appears I'll have to learn a thousand steps when I need to know how to do two. I'm a longtime fan of their wordprocessing program, WordPerfect, but I'm so unhappy with Corel that I wouldn't recommend it either.
When you spend $400 for a computer program, I feel help and tutorials should be more available. BJ Lewis Eagle Point OR

In 1990, I took a computer certificate program and one of the applications I learned was CorelDRAW [ver. 1] -- a new vector drawing program made by a little Canadian company that set out to show that the graphics industry didn't need to revolve around Adobe or MACs.

I have successfully used CorelDRAW on a daily basis in commercial print shops and more. I have sent my projects to third party printers with no production problems because CorelDRAW is able to save to so many "acceptable" file formats to satisfy anyone.

I have seen CorelDRAW grow and mature from version 1 to version 11 and I still say it beats Illustrator hands down, not only for its ease of learning and intuitive interface, but for value of dollar. Many features that Illustrator has only recently introduced in its Version 10, CorelDRAW had already implemented several versions earlier.

No, I'm not a Corel Corp employee. I'm simply a consumer that loves CorelDRAW, has used it professionally for over 10 years with consistent, high quality results and has shown others the value of this remarkable program.

If I was stranded on a deserted island with a laptop and my choice of one program, CorelDRAW would be my choice.

I use Corel Draw 9 every day and was hoping for a worthy upgrade. Corel Draw 11 has alienated people so much with the new enviroment and badly designed icons, that you lose your way very easily. It almost feels like I'm trying to learn a new program all over again. I have to give CorelDraw credit for creating a tool that produces certain shapes with extreme ease, but don't expect much else.

I work with graphics as a profession and I've been using CorelDRAW since version 2.1. I've never had to buy anything else.

Sure, if you've been using Illustrator or another vector graphics program, you may have to get used to the interface but there is nothing you can't do with CorelDRAW. In fact, I'd venture to say there are probably lots of things CorelDRAW will do that other programs will not.

But what really blows me away about CorelDRAW is the fact it's bundled with a bitmap graphics program every bit as good as Photoshop. Though a great deal of what I do involves bitmap graphics, I don't have a need for Photoshop. Corel PhotoPaint will do everything Photoshop will do--and it comes bundled with CorelDRAW! Anyone who doubts me should try the package if you can.

As a die-hard user of CorelDraw and Photo-Paint since way back to Version 6, I recently (and excitedly) made the jump to Version 11. Corel graphics apps have always been easy to use, comprehensive, and stable. But not anymore...
Since installing Corel 11, it's become painfully obvious that the jump was a major mistake. On a machine that includes the Macromedia MX Suite, Photoshop 7, and AutoCAD LT 2004, the Corel Graphics Suite 11 has been an unstable, bug-ridden, resource hogging pain in the proverbial behind. I built my computer, and it's a finely tweaked, blazing fast, graphics demon. And of course, all of my other graphics programs work just fine on it. But not Corel 11. Until Corel actually addresses the endless number of serious flaws and bugs in this latest suite, I cannot recommend it to anyone.
The only reason I didn't give Version 11 just (1) star is because of the simple fact that Photo-Paint is easily the most underrated photo-editing/bitmap creation software on the planet.
(When it's actually working right!) There's not anything that I can do in Photoshop that I can't do in Photo-Paint; and I do it all at a fraction of Adobe's ridiculously high price. (I only own Photoshop because certain clients expect it.)
Unfortunately, the new Corel 11 has me using Photoshop a lot more these days, and using Photo-Paint 8 on a W98 machine.

In summation, one reviewer said it best... this one's definitely "dead out of the box".

Corel Graphics Suite 11 is by far the best product for illustration and digital imaging that I have used yet. These full featured applications are powerful and robust enough to allow graphics professionals to be as creative as they need without being bogged down with hidden commands, or unfriendly tools. The user interface is intuitive and smart giving creative flexibility and yet is not overwhelming to new users.

This new version of Graphics Suite has many new features that allow the graphic artist to go the extra mile in their design, and I have found that power and ease of the applications allows me to be far more productive then with competing products.

If you are new to Corel you will enjoy how easy it can be to use these applications. You will also enjoy the ability to make many different types of graphics, such as vector and raster images as well as fully interactive Flash animations.

If you are already familiar with Corel you will appreciate the new features and the added power that Corel has put into these applications.

I have a hard time learning new computer programs. (i.e Adobe illustrator) Corel Draw 11 took me about 4 days to master with the help of Corel Draw's oOficial Guide. This program rocks! I am not a pro graphics person i just wanted a way to take designs in my head and put them to paper. Corel draw easily does this for me with all there tools. The layout of this program is amazing. Real easiy to use without skimping on powerful graphis tools.
Along with corel draws graphics suite comes rave and photo-paint. I'll admit there not as powerful as Flash or photoshop, but their a lot easier to learn. Making flash movies is very intertaining and photo-paint has some cool effects.
All the programs in this suite also have tutorials to help you learn quickly. And designer.com is packed full of even more tutorials. If you're a new to computer graphic's or a pro thinking about switching from Adobe illustrator Corel Draw is for you. Value, Value and even more Value!