Welcome to the Spring 2009 edition of By Design!

By Design has always been one of our favorite ways to communicate with you, our community, about all of the latest information on the CorelDRAW product family. Over the next few issues, we're going to work with you to ensure this newsletter continues to provide you with the insight and news you need. The first step - let us know what you think. What do you want to see in By Design? How do you feel we can improve this newsletter so it can be more useful for you? You can send your thoughts and comments to us via email at bydesign@corel.com, in the CorelDRAW.com community or on Twitter.

CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X4 Service Pack 2 is now available in multiple languages, including Polish, German, Spanish, and more. Reflecting the top requests from the CorelDRAW user community, the service pack includes expanded RAW camera support capabilities, improved Drop Shadows functionality, and enhanced visual feedback for specific suite functions. Get your update from Corel.com or directly from the Update tab in the CorelDRAW X4 Welcome Screen.

Once updated, both CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT will be at version 14.0.0.701. The second service pack is a cumulative one, meaning it also includes previously released Service Packs and updates.

CorelDRAW International Design Contest

The CorelDRAW International Design Contest is now open! Until May 31st, 2009, you can submit your work in six different categories:

With prizes across the different categories representing a total value of over US$75,000, winners in each category will receive a unique prize pack, and the overall grand prize winner will receive a Roland® VersaCAMM™ VP-540 printer/cutter (approximate retail value of over US$21,000). Remember - your submissions need to be in before May 31st, 2009. The winning entries will be displayed on the CorelDRAW.com community. Below are links from our contest sites around the world where you can find out more information in your language, read the terms and conditions, and submit your entries:

Have you submitted your entry yet?

Make the most of CorelDRAW® X4 with this 932-page, full-color eBook. With more than 11 hours of multimedia tutorials, it will help you fully understand the product's features and how they work. Take advantage of the PDF format by using links to useful Web pages, tutorials and other related information within the book. You'll also receive sample files that let you work while reading and watching. This is the most complete learning tool available for CorelDRAW X4!

A must-have resource for anyone who wants to create stunning artwork with CorelDRAW, this 892-page guide explains how to create compelling graphics and vector animations for print and the Web.

The Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 Insider ebook by Nathan Segal, is an extensive practical resource that covers PHOTOPAINT, and the software and devices that work in conjuction with it. This ebook contains 29 chapters covering a variety of topics that will assist both beginners and experts to accomplish their projects.

This tutorial will show how to easily create modern fashion style t-shirt designs and effects with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

This tutorial will show you how easy it is to create simple artist style design effects using Corel PHOTO-PAINT.

This video is first in a series that showcases how to use CorelDRAW PowerTRACE and create an original graphic from a quick drawing based off of a clipart image. The goal is to create custom artwork of high quality in the shortest time possible. The details show how to go from a scan to a finished piece in under 10 minutes.

Extending CorelDRAW with macros and add-ons

The Vector CMYK Channel Mixer from MacroMonster.Com is a remarkable technical achievement, available for free for your use and enjoyment. Thanks to a Live Preview, artists can see instant results of global color adjustments on numerous vector shapes. You can also do advanced processing where you can add a fixed percentage of color to numerous vector shapes.

Imported Clipart is often constructed of RGB hues. There's a convenient option in this macro to convert these hues to CMYK. Import some vector clipart, or any other design and give this cool macro a try today!

In Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4, the Red-Eye Removal tool lets you quickly and easily remove red-eye from photo subjects. You can interactively adjust the size of the Red-Eye removal tool to get great results.

To adjust the Red-Eye Removal tool nib size interactively, hold down the Shift key and drag in the image window.

CorelDRAW X4 lets you choose a drawing scale so that distances in a drawing are proportionate to real-world distances — without using large pages..