CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 4

CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 4

Continued from CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 3

Footnotes on the CorelDraw Graphics Suite

Considering that the CorelDraw X8 Graphics Suite isnt available for macOS, working with the Surface Pen and CorelDraw/Corel Photo-Paint shouldve been a match made in heaven for Corel fans. Unfortunately, it isnt.  That isnt to say the CorelDraw X8 Graphics Suite is a bad fit for the Surface Pro 4. In fact, the Mini DisplayPort, powerful processor, and portability of the SP4 makes it perfect for creative professionals without a permanent office. Moreover, the screen size is more than enough for veteran Corel users who work with a mouse or Wacom digitizer. In addition, some digital artists are exceptionally adept at adapting to digital pens and can probably get a lot of mileage from the combination of CorelDraw and the Surface Pro 4.

For those who use Corel products at home, a PC or a 2-in-1 hybrid would be a good alternative. The larger Yoga or Inspiron 2-in-1s (13" or larger) would work well for users who dont use the keyboard often (or prefer a full-size keyboard), and rely on a mouse or Wacom when working on CorelDraw. Moreover, these machines generally have better graphics cards than the Surface Pro 4, with multiple ports for numerous displays and additional accessories.

During installation, CorelDraw will inform you if your Windows device doesnt meet minimum requirements. I attempted to install X8 on my 8" HP Stream 8 tablet running Windows 10 Home. The setup process wont prevent you from completing installation, but I dont recommend CorelDraw or Corel Photo-Paint on the HP Stream 8 due to its size, performance, and display resolution.

Although you can bypass the installation warning and install Corel X8 on a smaller Windows device, the user experience is quite poor and not recommended.

One of the reasons Ive always turned to the CorelDraw Graphics Suite over the last 16 years is because of its ease of use, file format support, and flexibility for a variety of projects. However, Im also aware that times have changed and some of the tasks that the Corel Graphics Suite can do, can be done easily and faster using todays iOS, Android, and Microsoft apps (even free ones). Even Microsoft saw the writing on the wall and started making Office available ostensibly for free on mobile devices. Corel X8 is fine for older users like myself, but I concede that its probably less useful to todays users who are spoiled with apps and who prefer touch screens when working. On the other hand, the Home and Student version is pretty affordable, so it doesnt hurt to have such a powerful set of applications on your Surface Pro 4 or Windows laptop.

The incremental updates Corel has added to CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint seem painfully dated. Whereas Adobe has arguably moved with the times by migrating their software to the cloud and producing mobile apps, Corel isnt present at all on Google Play, Microsoft or Apple Store. Corel seems to be satisfied with the CorelDraw Graphics Suite as-is, and seems to be focusing instead on Corel Painter, arguably their most popular product at the moment thanks to the rise of geek culture, manga, and Marvel/DC. To be fair, I occasionally see technical documents and company ads that use CorelDraw, but considering how reliable and powerful Corels applications are, the word "Corel" should be found more often in document metadata.

It would be interesting to see if Corel would take steps to improve the Corel Graphics Suite for Surface Studio - the developers should at least ensure the UI would work well with Microsofts massive design workstation. Corel on machines like the Surface Pro 4 has a lot of potential and X8 fails to take advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately, it seems that Corels developers have yet to acknowledge mobile devices, the new ways people work, and the different Windows machines currently available on the market.

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CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 3

CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 3

Continued from CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 2

The Surface Pen and the CorelDraw X8 Graphics Suite

I freely admit Ive always been horrible with the old-school Wacom Pen tablets, but I did use the accessory a few times over the years with applications such as InDesign, FrameMaker, Corel PaintShop Pro, and Corel Designer. When I purchased the Surface Pro 4, I fully expected to use the Surface Pen extensively with CorelDraw X8 and Corel Photo-Paint X8. As it turned out, I found using the Surface Pen even more awkward than the Bamboo tablets. Note that devoted Surface Pen users will probably fair much better than me and my bruised and misshapen unskilled hands.

As mentioned in the previous section, users should not expect Corel Photo-Paint to be optimized for the Surface Pen. The CorelDraw X8 Graphics Suite Reviewers Guide has a short section devoted to the "New" Real-Time Stylus (RTS) support, but its clear the developers never focused on it as a selling point. In fact, compared with Microsofts free Fresh Paint app, Corel Photo-Paint X8 is a bit embarrassing in terms of pen accuracy. Even if you crank up the Surface Pens sensitivity settings and set the Pen Settings in Corel as best as you can, Photo-Paint X8 (and CorelDraw X8) cant mimic the performance of free drawing and painting apps from the Microsoft Store.

Note: Based on the configuration settings and performance on the SP4, it seems like X8 seems to be still using Windows 8s stylus support, rather than the newer and better engine found with Windows 10, which was designed for devices such as the Surface Pro series.

There were moments while using Corel Photo-Paint X8 that I felt the Surface Pen worked well, but for the most part, the pen skipped terribly and the user experience was nowhere as smooth as when working with dedicated painting and drawing mobile apps. In addition, the palm block feature of Windows, which works well with OneNote and Microsoft mobile apps, was inconsistent on Corel Draw and Photo-Paint. There were times when marks would suddenly appear on the document as I attempted to scribble on the workspace with the Surface Pen.

The palm block feature for SP4 was inconsistent on CorelDraw X8, making vector editing with the Surface Pen extremely awkward at times.

There is every possibility Corel fans can paint and draw with Photo-Paint X8 with the Surface Pen accurately with practice, but for my part, I think Im sticking to traditional pen and paper, or create initial sketches using Fresh Paint and then import it over to Corel Draw or Photo-Paint. Starting a project from scratch with Photo-Paint X8 with the Surface Pen seemed impractical and frustrating.

Using the Surface Pen with CorelDraw is slightly better, especially for basic design tasks. However, as mentioned in Part 1 and 2 of this series, the screen real estate of the SP4 doesnt make it the best environment for using the Surface Pen to tap and drag nodes, and zoom in and out of the work area. As I adjusted angles and smoothened objects on my .cdr file, I found myself repeatedly tapping the Surface Pen on the screen several times when the application wouldnt take. It was clear the Surface Pen doesnt perform as well in Corels applications as it does in apps such as OneNote, Fresh Paint, or even Word.

Note: I often read incredibly uneducated comments online about comparisons between the Apple Pencil and the Surface Pen. Many mainstream users dont realize the software - the app where youre using the input tool - affects the overall performance and user experience. In short, if you use the Apple Pencil with a crappy iOS app, then obviously the user experience would be awful. When you go to an Apple Store and test the iPad Pros Apple Pencil, Apple ensures the apps installed on the display models were tested rigorously with the Apple Pencil. If you used it with a quality iOS app, theres the illusion of Apple Pencils infallibility. The Surface Pen works in the same way, though its not as obvious because ignorant users seem to think that the Windows 10 desktop should work like an Android tablet UI (big screen elements and massive idiot-proof buttons) or iOS. However, more experienced (and more intelligent) users can scribble along on OneNote and draw amazing illustrations using the Surface Pen with ease using Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, or stylus-optimized mobile and desktop applications.

Finally, although in time Ill probably improve with the right-click button on the Surface Pen, I fumbled with pressing it while working with a CorelDraw or Corel Photo-Paint project. It wasnt long before I found myself returning the Surface Pen to the magnetized area on the SP4s bezel and picking up my Microsoft mouse.

Concluded in CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 4

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CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 2

CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 2

Continued from CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 1

Wacom Pen and Touch and using an external display

It may seem odd to non-designers or non-Corel users, but connecting a Wacom digitizer to the Surface Pro 4 is still a good idea. Although I myself have never been very good with my 4x6 Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch and prefer a traditional wireless mouse, some Wacom fans may still prefer the older Pen and Touch tablets over the Surface Pen stylus (see Part 3 of this series) when working with CorelDraw. Its recommended to take advantage of the Mini DisplayPort on the SP4, however, to expand the Surface Pro 4s screen real estate.

An old Wacom 4x6 Pen and Touch is almost as big as the Surface Pro 4.

I connected my aged Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch to the Surface Pro 4 and quickly found out that although the dimensions of the Wacom Pen and Touch (4x6) are quite close to the Surface Pro 4s form factor, the 2736 x 1824/12.3" display of the SP4 made it awkward to pan around the screen elements and users would have to zoom in and out more often than usual to get anything done. With a 23" AOC connected via the Mini DisplayPort on the SP4, however, work with or without the Wacom Pen and Touch progressed like I was using my desktop PC.

If you plan to do any amount of serious work on CorelDraw X8, an external display is highly recommended.

Note: As a footnote, image color and fidelity were accurate on the SP4s screen while working with Corel Photo-Paint.

Surface Pro 4 and touch screens

Users can certainly make use of a touch screen All-in-One, or a hybrid like the Surface Pro 4 with the Corel Suite, but theres no advantage to it whatsoever unless you really prefer working with your fingers (or exceptionally good at tapping on surfaces). Tapping the menus and menu entries can be a chore on a traditional UI and using your finger to select objects using the Pick Tool in CorelDraw, much less edit vector nodes, is difficult.

The small screen components and UI of CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint, as well as the constant use of context menus, make it difficult working on a touch screen.

Even if you had a pretty massive touch screen display from HP or Dell, youll have to make an effort to either zoom in, or work closely with your eye next to the LCD panel. Many of the tasks in CorelDraw, as veteran Corel users know, are executed using the combination of the keyboard and an input device. For example, to create a mask in Photo-Paint using the Freehand Mask tool, you click and drag with a mouse or Wacom pen, and then press ALT+Left click to complete the mask - a combination that is difficult with a touch screen or Windows 10s on-screen keyboard (which doesnt have the ALT button by default).

Brush tools such as the Clone tool and Healing Clone tool require the use of the finger or on-screen keyboard to select an origin, which is difficult even with the SP4s gestures and 10-point touch screen.

As mentioned in Part 1, Corel didnt make any attempt (thankfully) to convert the CorelDraw Suite to a more tablet-friendly application. Users shouldnt expect bigger buttons or tap and drag accuracy when working in CorelDraw or Corel Photo-Paint, even on the Surface Pro 4. Photo-Paint, in particular, may disappoint users expecting a similar experience as the Microsoft Stores Fresh Paint app or Autodesk Sketchbook. Users should not expect the CorelDraw X8 Graphics Suite to have the advantages of dedicated mobile apps in terms of touch support (Using the Surface Pen is a different discussion altogether however).

Even flat line drawings with little detail can be difficult to paint with a finger on Corel Photo-Paint on the SP4.

When working with CorelDraw on the Surface Pro 4, I always dropped back into old habits and connected a mouse and tried to ignore the touchscreen. If you rarely work on large projects on the go, tweaking already existing .cdr files without an external display is fine on the SP4. Thankfully, the SP4s touchpad is a few notches better than touchpads found in Lenovo or Acer laptops. However, I would still recommend using a mouse for more accurate tasks such as snapping and positioning objects and adjusting fills, blends and nodes.

Continued in CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 3

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CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 1

CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 1

This article uses CorelDraw X8 Home and Student on the Surface Pro 4 with Intel Core i5, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 SSD. The SP4 runs on Windows 10 Pro and tests were also made using a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch (4x6), and a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500.

Note: Apart from professional features like barcode creation, templates, and more royalty-free images and fonts, the Home and Student version is the same as the full CorelDraw X8 release.

The CorelDraw Suite has historically been an alternative to Adobes range of products. Having used CorelDraw X5 for years now, I purchased the boxed version of CorelDraw X8 Home and Student for my Surface Pro 4. Unlike Adobes subscription model for their products, a boxed set is really yours and only requires regular Internet access to verify your license unobtrusively and occasionally in the background (as expected, some consumers who purchased the boxed set from Amazon dont understand how license keys work and made incredibly ignorant remarks in the reviews).

Corel Photo-Paint X8 on the Surface Pro 4

CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint as Desktop applications

Younger users probably have a hard time understanding the difference between "apps" and "desktop applications" because they grew up with tablets and smartphones. CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint are strictly desktop applications, which means they are best used on a PC with a large display and a keyboard. There are keyboard shortcuts and tricks that veteran Corel users have grown accustomed to for years. The original workspace and UI of CorelDraw were created during a time when users were accustomed to multi-tasking with a keyboard and mouse, rather than a touchscreen with 10-finger gesture support.

Note: Its important to note that I really like the CorelDraw Graphics Suite and that Im comfortable with Corel Photo-Paint and CorelDraw, because the article might sound somewhat brutal as a whole.

CorelDraw X8 Graphics Suite isnt optimized for touch screens, nor was it designed for the 2736 x 1824/12.3" display of the Surface Pro 4. For one thing, some of the dialog boxes are visibly pixelated on the SP4s screen. This doesnt make the suite any less useful or efficient for designing and digital or print publishing, but its distracting. For more details about using the suite with the SP4s touch screen, refer to Part 2 of this series.

Most of the dialog boxes and settings look fine, but some windows in CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint, such as the Export window, are pixelated on the SP4.

If youre accustomed to a mouse, keyboard, or an old school Wacom digitizer (using the word tablet confuses people these days), you can get started really quickly with Corels improved tools. In fact, the UI hasnt changed from earlier releases of CorelDraw. You can get around using the Navigator and Magnifier as before and use the shortcut keys and mouse when needed. On the other hand, both Photo-Paint and CorelDraw wont recognize your finger for panning the workspace or document. You would still need to switch to the Pan or Magnify tool. This wont bother users who are accustomed to Corels working methods, but would confuse newer designers who have been trained with a touch screen.

As a desktop application, however, CorelDraw X8 is as good as ever, particularly if youre a Corel or vector designer. Older .cdr and .cpt files opened without issues on CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint on the Surface Pro 4 and the system easily performed tasks like vector-editing, color changes, bitmap conversions, and exporting to different formats including PDF. The Surface Type keyboard felt luxurious compared to stock Logitech wireless keyboards and initially felt weird to use with CorelDraw, but performance was excellent. The experience made it worth writing about independently as a desktop suite here at Unsolicited But Offered.

If youre using CorelDraw on a Surface Pro 4 as a desktop application with a mouse and the Surface Type keyboard, the user experience is indistinguishable to using the application on a desktop PC.

The bottom line is that users who are comfortable with mouse and keyboard will be happy with CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint because it hasnt changed much as a desktop application. I use the word "desktop" in the sense that its not a "mobile app". In fact, processors and RAM in todays laptops are so efficient, all the vector and bitmap tasks will fly along on any recent ultraportable or even entry-level laptop without any lag whatsoever. SP4 users who purchased the 4 GB version will be happy to know 4 GB is more than enough to perform tasks even on complex vector projects on CorelDraw X8.

Continued in CorelDraw X8 on a Surface Pro 4 Part 2

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