CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation. It is also the name of the Corel graphics suite, which includes the bitmap-image editor Corel Photo-Paint as well as other graphics-related programs (see below). It can serve as a digital painting platform, desktop publishing suite, and is commonly used for production art in signmaking, vinyl and laser cutting and engraving, print-on-demand and other industry processes. Reduced-feature Standard and Essentials versions are also offered.
History In 1987, Corel engineers Michel Bouillan and Pat Beirne undertook to develop a vector-based illustration program to bundle with their desktop publishing systems. That program, CorelDraw, was initially released in 1989. A Short History of CorelDRAW from 1989 to 2008 CorelDraw 1.x and 2.x ran under Windows 2.x and 3.0. CorelDraw 3.0 came into its own with Microsoft's release of Windows 3.1. The inclusion of TrueType in Windows 3.1 transformed CorelDraw into a serious illustration program capable of using system-installed outline fonts without requiring third-party software such as Adobe Type Manager; paired with a photo-editing program (Corel Photo-Paint), a font manager, Corel Capture, and several other pieces of software, it was also part of the first all-in-one graphics suite.
Features by version
CorelDraw Version supportOSCompatibility New Features Release date Version Reading files Writing filesJan 1989 1 1 1 Windows 2.1First versionMar 19891.011 1 2.1 Introduces backups on save, and draw rectangles from their centreApr 19891.02 1 1 2.1 IBM PIF file format supportJul 19891.10 1 1 2.1 102 new fonts in Corel's proprietary WFN format, with WFNBOSS file font managerFeb 19901.11 1 1 2.1 AutoCAD DXF import/export supportSep 1991"A Short History of CorelDraw", at Corel, retrieved 11 Jan 2011........................................................................ (PDF version) 2 1, 2 1, 2 Windows 3.0Envelope tool (for distorting text or objects using a primary shape), Blend (for morphing shapes), Extrusion (for simulating perspective and volume in objects) and Perspective (to distort objects along X and Y axes). CorelDraw for Unix also became available.Lisa Picarille, "CorelDraw to be ported to Sun, Dec HP Unix, InfoWorld, 11 Mar 1991, page 27"New Products: Unix", Computerworld, 21 Sep 1992, page 5815 May 1992Corel Announces 'CorelDraw 3.0' 3 1, 2, 3 2, 3 Windows 3.0, 3.1 (preferred)Included Corel Photo-Paint asp (for bitmap editing), CorelSHOW (for creating on-screen presentations), CorelCHART (for graphic charts), Mosaic and CorelTRACE (for vectorizing bitmaps). The inclusion of this software was the precedent for the actual graphic suites. CorelDraw for Unix also became available."Index of https://web.archive.org/ftp://ftp.corel.com/pub/CorelDRAW/DRAW_Unix/" at Corel"New Products", Computerworld, 30 Aug 1993, page 55. The fonts bundled with CorelDraw are no longer in the proprietary Corel format WFN, but in Type 1 PostScript fonts and TTF TrueType formats.20 May 1993"CorelDraw 3 will remain on market as low-price option", InfoWorld, April 19, 1993. (Anticipated date) 4 1, 2, 3, 4 3, 4 3.1 Photo-Paint (for bitmap editing), CorelSHOW (for creating on-screen presentations), CorelCHART (for graphic charts), CorelMOVE for animation, Mosaic and CorelTRACE (for vectorizing bitmaps). Multi-page capabilities, Powerlines, support for graphic tablets, Clone tool, elastic node editing, Envelope tool.27 May 1994"Testers praise CorelDraw 5", InfoWorld, April 18, 1995. 5 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 3, 4, 5 3.1 This is the last version which was made for Windows 3.x. Corel Ventura was included in the suite (and then sold as a separate program); it was a desktop publishing application akin to PageMaker, QuarkXPress, or (later) InDesign.24 Aug 1995"Corel Corporation Begins Shipping CorelDraw 6 Suite for Windows 95", August 24, 1995, at Corel via Internet Archive 6 3, 4, 5, 6 5, 6 Windows 95, PowerMacThis is the first version which was made for 32-bit Windows, and the first for Macintosh. New features were customizable interface, Polygon, Spiral, Knife and Eraser tools. Corel Memo, Corel Presents, Corel Motion 3D, Corel Depth, Corel Multimedia Manager, Corel Font Master and Corel DREAM (for 3D modelling) were included in the suite.8 Oct 1996"Corel Corporation Announces the Launch of CorelDraw 7", October 8, 1996, at Corel via Internet Archive 7 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 5, 6, 7 Windows 95, NT 4, PowerMacContext-sensitive Property bar, Print Preview with Zoom and Pan options, Scrapbook (for viewing a drag-and-dropping graphic objects), Publish to HTML option, Draft and Enhanced display options, Interactive Fill and Blend tools, Transparency tools, Natural Pen tool, Find & Replace wizard, Convert Vector to Bitmap option (inside Draw), Spell checker, Thesaurus and Grammar checker. The suite included Corel Scan and Corel Barista (a Java-based document exchange format).27 Oct 1997"Corel Corporation Launches CorelDraw 8", October 27, 1997, at Corel via Internet Archive 8 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 6, 7, 8 95, NT 4, PowerMacDigger selection, Docker windows, Interactive Distortion, 3D, Envelope and tools, Realistic Dropshadow tool, interactive color mixing, color palette editor, guidelines as objects, custom-sized pages, duotone support. Corel Versions was included in the suite. A free, feature-limited promotional version called CorelDRAW 8 LE was later offered for Power Macintosh.31 Aug 1999"Corel Launches CorelDraw 9 Premium Color Edition", August 31, 1999, at Corel via Internet Archive 9 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Windows 95, 98, NT 4, LinuxMesh fill tool (for complex color filling), Artistic Media tool, Publish to PDF features, embedded ICC color profiles, Multiple On-screen Color Palettes and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications 6 support. The suite included Canto Cumulus LE, a piece of software for media management. The Macintosh version was dropped in advance of the release of OS X.13 Nov 2000 10 10† 10 ‡ Windows 98, Me, NT 4, 2000, OS XCorel R.A.V.E. (for vector animation), Perfect Shapes, Web graphics tools (for creating interactive elements such as buttons), Page sorter, multilingual document support, navigator window. Open, save, import and export in SVG format. 1 Aug 2002"CorelDraw Graphics Suite 11 Now Available", Aug 1, 2002, at Corel via Internet Archive 11 11 † 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Windows 98, Me, NT 4, 2000, XPSymbols library, image slicing (for web design), pressure-sensitive vector brushes, 3-point drawing tools.10 Feb 2004"CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12 Marks a New Era of Intelligent Graphics Software", Corel press release, via Internet Archive 12 12 † 12 ‡ Windows 2000, XPDynamic guides, Smart Drawing tools, Export to MS Office or Word option, Virtual Segment Delete tool, Unicode text support.17 Jan 2006"Corel Introduces CorelDraw Graphics Suite X3", Jan 17-06, at Corel. Full text at hexus.net X3 (13) X3 † 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, X3 Windows 2000, 2003, XP (32-bit, 64-bit), Vista (32-bit only), 7, 8Double click Crop tool (the first vector software able to crop groups of vectors and bitmap images at the same time), Smart fill tool, Chamfer/Fillet/Scallop/Emboss tool, Image Adjustment Lab. Trace became integrated inside Draw under the name PowerTrace.22 Jan 2008"CorelDraw Graphics Suite X4 Unveiled Today", January 22, 2008, at Corel.com X4 (14) 7 to X4 † 7 to X4 Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8WhatTheFont font identification service linked inside CorelDraw, ConceptShare, Table tool, independent page layers, live text formatting, support for RAW camera files.23 Feb 2010"CorelDraw Graphics Suite X5 Delivers More Versatility, Content and Color Tools for Graphics Professionals", February 23, 2010 at Corel X5 (15) 7 to X5 7 to X5 XP, Vista, 7, 8Built-in content organizer (CorelConnect), CD, web graphics and animation tools, multi-core performance improvement, digital content (professional fonts, clip arts, and photos), object hinting, pixel view, enhanced Mesh tool with transparency options, added touch support, and new supported file formats. It has developed Transformation, which makes multiple copies of a single object.
For the first time, OpenType versions of Helvetica, Frutiger, Futura and Garamond #3 font families (32 fonts total) from Linotype foundry are included instead of the Bitstream counterparts. All but Garamond are in OpenType Pro format.Iconic Fonts from Monotype Imaging Part of CorelDraw Graphics Suite X5
Scripting is now also permitted in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.20 Mar 2012"Corel Releases CorelDraw Graphics Suite X6", March 20, 2012 at Corel X6 (16) 7 to X6 7 to X6 XP (32-bit only), Vista, 7, 8 64-bit and multi-core processor native support. Support for 64-bit Adobe Photoshop plugins. More tools to import and export from Adobe Creative Suite and Publisher. Object properties, styles, and color styling consolidated into their own docking toolbars (Dockers). A new Unicode OpenType-based text engine modernizes text handling, including full international language support (the legacy text mode is retained). Dynamic alignment guides allow for easy repositioning without setting static guidelines. CorelConnect content organizer allows for in-app access to online sources such as Flickr for image and clip art assets. New tools for pushing, pulling, smearing, etc. vector objects. Improvements in frame-based layout, masking, clipping and effects.27 March 2014"CorelDRAW Graphics X7 Press release", March 27, 2014, corel.com X7 (17) 7 to X7 7 to X7 Windows 7, 8, 10*New default workspaces for illustrators, beginners, and other user roles; new training videos. New tabbed documents can break out of main window, making multi-screen work easier. A few more retouching and fill tools, additional color harmony and QR code generating tools. New Guidelines Dockers continued the migration of tools away from dependence on pull-down menus.
Corel X7 introduced 30-day and 365-day rentals (subscriptions) as an alternative to buying a perpetual license. Corel Content Exchange, an online source for fonts, fill patterns and other materials, required continuing payments for access to the full range of content.15 March 2016"CorelDRAW Graphics X8 Press release ", March 15, 2016, corel.com X8 (18) 7 to X8 11 to X8 7, 8, 10Added new Font List selection filtering system; Corel Font Manager replaced Bitstream Font Navigator. Ability to hide objects and groups, not just layers. Possible to copy and paste portions of curve segments. Adjacent node selection, improved Knife tool, photo retouching Healing tool, improved perspective correction tool, improved (Gaussian) feathering on drop shadows, and automated camera effects such as bokeh and sepia. Startup and feature tours; enhanced Hints. Border and Grommet and Canvas Prep and Stretch tools for large format and commercial print applications. High-resolution displays became officially supported with new scalable icons and UI elements. First version to fully support Windows 10.11 April 2017"CorelDRAW Graphics 2017 Press release", April 11, 2017, corel.com 2017 (19) 7 to 19 11 to 19 7, 8, 10LiveSketch, 4K resolution and real-time stylus support, Enhanced Font list Box and nodes, Supports Microsoft Windows 10 tablet mode & Surface Dial.10 April 20182018 (20)7 to 2011 to 207, 8, 10Symmetrical Drawing Mode, Block Shadow Tool, publish to WordPress, Impact tool, Pointillizer, and PhotoCocktail, straighten photos interactively, adjust photo perspective interactively, apply envelopes to bitmaps.12 March 20192019 (21)7 to 2111 to 21Windows 7, 8, 10, MacOSObject Docker, Non-Destructive Effects, Pixel-perfect Workflow, Find and replace workflow, Supports 64-bit TWAIN scanner, PDF/X Support, digital asset management, improved performance, enhanced print merge, modern templates.
An online app is now included, and MacOS is supported, requiring 10.12 (Sierra) or better.12 March 20202020 (22)11 to 2211 to 22Windows 7, 8.1, 10,