Looking for a CorelDRAW replacement

Hello,

I am currently running VMWare fusion to run two windows-only applications, one of them being CorelDRAW.

This is used to put together a little document containing photographs, tables and text.

Whilst Fusion runs the application perfectly (just as well as my PC at work) I am looking for a Mac compatible app to purchase instead - currently running a trial of CorelDRAW.

The main requirement of the application quickly and accurately add photographs inside set aspect ratio 'rectangles'. Within CorelDRAW I can create a simple shape (rectangle mainly), import a photograph and then place the photograph within the shape. From there I can edit the contents to resize the photograph to set boundaries within that shape accurately.

Once a template is created, I can then just simply edit the text within tables and import/place the photographs and then export to PDF as a final deliverable.

I currently have CC subscription for Lightroom and Photoshop and would like to keep the software within the Adobe stable however, any recommendations are welcome.

Thank you all in advance.

Marty

I too have to keep a VirtualBox WinXP machine for the sole purpose of maintaining CorelDRAW X3, as I have a very large collection of files, that refuse to convert correctly into anything else, and believe me, I tried - from PageMaker to Illustrator, to InDesign, to Scribus, to OODraw, etc, etc ...

However, since your reason for keeping CorelDRAW is to produce a current publication, I would certainly have a look at InDesign, if you want Adobe, or even Pages - your requirements are very 'reasonable', so pretty sure Pages can handle it.

Otherwise, you might want to check OpenOffice Draw - again, nothing as sophisticated, as CorelDRAW, but reasonably capable, and a good in-built PDF engine too.

If you go Adobe route, and depending on your printers' requirements, I'd also get the Acrobat Pro, as nothing beats it (and Distiller) in creating a perfect print-ready PDF, although CorelDRAW's own PDF engine comes very close.

Hi David,

Thanks for your reply. The actual document is no more than 8 pages generally, and is very, very simple. CorelDRAW is used as it is was available and done the job nice and quickly - purchasing Adobe software was out of the question.

I will be doing contract work so really need to purchase my own software and the CC scheme is perfect for me. Although I'm sure older versions of Corel can be had relatively cheaply on eBay.

The document is exported solely as a PDF for distribution via e-mail - any PDF creator would probably do the job but Corel's is very flexible with variable quality settings etc. If going the Adobe route I'd get Acrobat XI Pro and InDesign I think then.

Are there any essential 'getting started' guides on ID? I'm well up to speed with Lr & Ps but the rest of the Adobe suite is a mystery to me!

It sounds even more like a job for Pages, as InDesign will be a massive overkill, honestly.

For distribution-only PDF, where you won't have to worry about bleeds, crops, layers, transparency, etc, etc you don't need anything but basic Quartz PDF engine, and that's already built into OS X.

It might take you a few hours to get used to slightly different approach to that of CorelDRAW, but it is definitely better way forward, and with Pages - an incomparably shorter learning curve, than with anything Adobe.

As much as I love CorelDRAW, I'd certainly advise against purchasing one for a new project like that - keep it all in OS X, if possible.

You can also do a 'test run' with either of the two free office suites' Draw apps, OpenOffice or Libre Office - you might found you like it, and don't need anything else.

I installed a trial version of InDesign CS5.5 from a trial DVD I ordered from Adobe some time ago, after watching a 30 minute video on-line I am actually up-to-speed as far as I actually need to be - except for one thing...

I need to merge two photographs together within a 'frame'. In CorelDRAW that is a copy/paste job within the container. Doing some research online it seems that it may not be possible to have two images in one frame though?

Is this correct or is there a sneaky way around it.

I found a used copy of CoreDRAW X4 on eBay for next to nothing so I always have that option to fall back on and as far as costs are concerned it may be the cheapest.

martyp said:

I need to merge two photographs together within a 'frame'. In CorelDRAW that is a copy/paste job within the container. Doing some research online it seems that it may not be possible to have two images in one frame though?

Click to expand...

Unless I misunderstand the task, I would do that in Photoshop and place the resulting image into whatever page layout software I was using ... But then again, it is only because I would be concerned with correct multi-layer rendering at the print shop, so doesn't matter for distribution PDF ...

Probably the easiest way to do it to be honest, really isn't it!

At least that way I can guarantee a 'clean' join which in CorelDRAW the way I'm doing it isn't always the case...

I think I will run with InDesign, skip on Acrobat for the first while until I'm fully setup.

I appreciate the fact that Pages would probably fit my bill however, on hindsight I will be doing other jobs which will require printing so having the software ready to roll and being up-to-speed with it will be a benefit.

It's also good to keep all the software under one roof so to speak and isn't costing much per month in the grand scheme of things. Now if only Autodesk would do a monthly subscription to AutoCAD I'd be laughing - that purchase is going to need to wait a few months!

Thanks again for your help today David. +rep.

martyp said:

I think I will run with InDesign, skip on Acrobat for the first while until I'm fully setup.

I appreciate the fact that Pages would probably fit my bill however, on hindsight I will be doing other jobs which will require printing so having the software ready to roll and being up-to-speed with it will be a benefit.

It's also good to keep all the software under one roof so to speak and isn't costing much per month in the grand scheme of things

Click to expand...

That makes perfect sense ...