[DOC] Sempiterne (Italian Edition) by Raffaella Maresca at Arts-Photography

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Learn to REALLY use CorelDrawBy Matt MorganCorelDraw is a powerful application for putting together very detailed and complex graphical designs. In the hands of someone who knows how to use it; it is an amazing software application and it provides a staggering amount of power and control. For the less knowledgeable it is simply overwhelming; likely causing more frustration than anything else. For many years I have played with CorelDraw but my knowledge has been only on the absolute surface - I never really harnessed the real power available and it was more of an expensive plaything instead of a tool. I finally decided with CorelDraw X6 to truly learn how to use the application; and after a little bit of research I settled on buying CorelDraw X6: The Official Guide. This has been one of the better book purchases I have made and has provided me with exactly what I have needed to get moving.The book presents topics with tutorial information that allows the reader to actually work through a concept rather than simply read about it; and this approach definitely works. Each tutorial is laid out in a numbered step-by-step manner and makes following along very easy and straightforward. Support files for the tutorials are available online and it is a very good idea to get these files so that the tutorials make a lot more sense.The tutorials are usually spot on. However; one thing that has been slightly frustrating is that the CorelDraw interface uses button groups instead of individual buttons and this means that on occasion there are specific buttons needed for a tutorial that are not visible as the default in the group. On several occasions this has meant; for me; digging through the online help in search of information on where to locate a function. This does not bother me too much as it helps me to learn even more about what is available to me; but it may prove to be discouraging for others.The book presents fairly complete coverage of what is available in CorelDraw. There is great coverage on working with objects and groups of objects; object creation and drawing. It covers many of the desktop publishing features too (which is the aspect of CorelDraw that interests me most). Just in the introductory chapter alone there is enough training material to put me much closer to using CorelDraw for assembling sharp documents that make a real impact.What came as a pleasant surprise is that the book also covers some of the features of Photo-Paint; the other major application in the CorelDraw suite. Photo-Paint is a powerful photo editing tool that does a fine job of retouching photos but it provides a lot more than that. The book really highlights the power available and walks the reader through some great exercises on how to really make some incredible adjustments to images; such as removing parts of pictures without leaving a hole or an obvious splice line.It should be obvious that this book will not teach the artistically challenged how to draw or create artwork. Thats not the purpose of this book. There are other books for this purpose. What it does teach; though; is how to make artistic elements of a drawing such that those with a talent for art will be able to combine these elements in CorelDraw to create art.I like the authors writing style. Although this is a well-written and professional book; the author has found a way to write in a light-hearted manner and injects humor along the way.CorelDraw X6: The Official Guide is a very good book for those wanting to learn how to really use CorelDraw and get more out of this powerful application. It covers the basics as well as some more in-depth and challenging aspects of the application and provides excellent tutorial materials to help the reader along in the journey. If you really want to delve into CorelDraw and really know how to use it; this book is a great place to begin that journey. This is the book I wish I had years ago.10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. GREAT MANUALBy Robert PierThis is a God Send! Very informative. Could not use corel X6 to the fullest without this easy to follow manual. I was a Corel 8 user for a long time but cant get it to work on Windows 7 so I purchased X6 and it has so many new features it takes this manual to get the upper hand on learning X6.I HIGHLY recommend this manual for all X6 users both new and experienced. So full of information. And the best part is that I can carry the manual with me wherever I go and can read it while I am away from my computer; unlike the included manual you have to read on your computer. I just love it and have learned so much more than I would have using Corels manual. Of course; you could print the included manual if you have a couple reams of paper and a gallon of ink. And this manual still teaches you more and is more in-depth. If you have Corel X6 you NEED this great; easy to use manual. It will cut your learning curve in half. BUY IT!!!!!!!10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. The one book on CorelDRAW X6 and the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 to own.By M. E. VolmarIm a professional freelance artist and designer recently moving from Adobe Ai and Ps (10+ years of experience) to the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6. I purchased this book after having read through the introductory Guidebook included with the software because; as an Adobe Ai user trying CorelDRAW for the first time; I feared that the often forewarned steep learning curve for the new software might make me give up on learning it altogether either out of frustration or as the result of an impaired workflow that would ultimately affect my productivity.Thankfully; my fears did not materialize because of this book; and I am still as impressed with it as I am with the software: the detailed and simple-to-follow step-by-step instructions; the abundant and thoroughly annotated illustrations; and the opportune tips; tricks and clarifications allowed me to not only learn my way around CorelDRAW and the CDGSX6 in less than 3 weeks (basically the time it took me to read the book and put the how-to lessons into practice) but learn it well enough to improve my previous workflow (customizing the software to my needs) to the point of accomplishing the same results I normally achieved with Adobe Ai but in a lot less time.One of the strengths of this book is that the material is organized in a logical progression that invariably moves from basic concepts to advanced features; making it not only easy to gain a full understanding of each concept but also to use the accumulated knowledge as a solid foundation for further and more complex learning and experimentation; all the while aiding long-term retention of the lessons. Another of the strengths of the book is that the wealth of information it contains makes it both an essential textbook for beginners and a helpful reference for advanced users; especially considering how superbly cross-referenced the material is throughout.Moreover; although the book focuses on CorelDRAW; it also includes helpful instructions on other features of the Graphics Suite (such as PHOTO-PAINT; CAPTURE; CONNECT; and so on); some general design concepts (such as color theory; designing for the web; graphic design principles; and so on); and suggestions on how to integrate all the lessons into both projects and workflows. The varied collection of artwork (from magazine illustrations and logos to flyers and diagrams) that serves as illustrative examples for these topics and the numerous tutorials featured throughout the book are a wonderful way to immediately put the lessons into practice--especially since all the tutorials and some bonus content can be readily downloaded from the authors website. And the humorous and lighthearted yet professional voice of the author is a big plus for the material; as it provides just the right tone for both learning and enjoying the lessons contained in this huge volume--800+ pages.My only two issues with this publication are that it could have a) used better editing (there are enough typos and erroneous references; especially those pointing to images; to warrant revising this edition); and b) had a better index (too few references and too few terms are used and given for each topic as is). Neither issue; however; is reason enough to give this book less than a 5-star rating; as the typos are easily spotted and the index is still quite useful.Lastly; it is quite a shame that the book was not published in full color (as was the Kindle version) or hardcover format; because; judging from the 8-page color insert and the downloadable tutorials; not only would have all the designs; illustrations; and screen shots looked much better presented in color--although kudos to the author for pointing out the colors in the examples where the differentiation was necessary--but the full-color visuals would have definitely improved the learning process. I would have gladly paid extra for a full-color hardcover edition of this book.In a nutshell; this is the one book to read to learn CorelDRAW X6 from scratch and to get a basic understanding of some of the other features of the CDGSX6. Its also the one book to read to brush up on pre-existing knowledge about the software and push it to the next level. This splendid how-to book is hands-down the best textbook; learning aid; and reference currently available for the CDGSX6 for newbie and advanced users alike.A nice companion book for those wanting to familiarize themselves with some of the practices of in-house graphic design and to learn some professional techniques for creating and preparing graphic materials is "Bring it Home with CorelDRAW" by Roger Wambolt.--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar