Tips on recreating scanned charts, logos with CorelDRAW<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): You're the computer whiz in the office. You know
\nhow to create all sorts of graphics in CorelDRAW. So, one
\nmorning, your boss throws a fax containing a chart under your
\nnose.<\/p>\n
He's going to make a presentation at a client's office in the
\nafternoon and he wants to include the chart that he has just
\nreceived through the fax in his PowerPoint slide show. He wants
\nyou to do it for him.<\/p>\n
Well, because you're the only guy in the office who knows
\neverything there is to know about the computer and the programs
\n(at least, that's what they think), you do get some privileges.<\/p>\n
Among other things, you have a full control over a decent
\nscanner.<\/p>\n
But, hey, can you simply scan a chart from the fax and insert
\nit into the slide?<\/p>\n
A glance at the curly paper tells you that it will not be so
\neasy. The chart is too plain and the resolution is so poor. Some
\nof the text is not legible at all.<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, there are blotches everywhere. Clearly,
\nbefore faxing the chart, the sender had to photocopy it from a
\nmagazine page.<\/p>\n
Your boss's slide show is a smashing one. You know this
\nbecause it was you who prepared it. Now, if you only scan this
\npoor quality chart and just add it to the slides, you'll be
\nruining everything -- perhaps including his business prospects.<\/p>\n
And your own career, maybe.<\/p>\n
What can you do? You only have two hours before lunch. Well,
\nnot to worry.<\/p>\n
Just scan the chart and save it in a TIFF file. Then call up
\nCorelDRAW. Create a new file and import the scanned image into
\nthe blank page. Place it in the center.<\/p>\n
Enlarge it as much as you can. Don't worry about the
\nresolution right now. Then, go to View and select Wireframe.<\/p>\n
CorelDRAW allows you to combine bitmap images with vector
\ngraphics. When you import a bitmap file, it will become an object
\nin the drawing.<\/p>\n
You can adjust the resolution level of the display, usually to
\nget faster screen refresh. In the new CorelDRAW 8.0, you even
\nhave five levels of display quality.<\/p>\n
To create the accompanying illustration, I placed a scanned
\nbar chart from an old press release from Intel Indonesia on a
\nblank page of CorelDRAW 8.0.<\/p>\n
When I clicked on Wireframe, the scanned bitmap image became
\nshadowy. It was still clear enough to see but it wouldn't
\ninterfere with CorelDRAW native drawings.<\/p>\n
Now back to your project: Your next job is to create a new bar
\nchart using the tools that are available in CorelDRAW. You should
\nmake sure that the new chart has exactly the same dimension as
\nthe scanned one.<\/p>\n
You'll find it easier to work if you zoom in the bitmap image
\nto enlarge everything. The simplest way to do this is to select
\nthe Zoom Tool from the Tool Bar and create a rectangle just
\noutside the periphery of the bitmap image.<\/p>\n
As you see in the accompanying picture, the image will now
\nfill the entire screen.<\/p>\n
If you're already working in CorelDRAW 8.0, there's another
\nstep that you can take to make your job even easier. In Version
\n8.0, you can lock an object in its position on the page to avoid
\naccidentally moving it around.<\/p>\n
Because you're going to create dozens of other objects on top
\nof this bitmap object, you'd better lock it. Just select the
\nbitmap object and click on the Arrange menu item, and click on
\nLock object.<\/p>\n
No matter what you do to it, the bitmap image will stay put
\nuntil you unlock it.<\/p>\n
You will also finish your job much faster if you use
\nCorelDRAW's guidelines. But first, make sure that all objects
\nwill be snapped to these guidelines to ensure exact alignment.<\/p>\n
Click on Layout, and make sure there is a check mark next to
\nthe Snap to Guide option.<\/p>\n
OK, you have made all the necessary preparations. Now you can
\ndrag guidelines from the vertical and horizontal rulers and place
\neach one of them exactly on the outline of the objects in the
\nbitmap image.<\/p>\n
To give you a clear idea of what needs to be done, I have
\ngiven some examples in my drawing, too. Don't worry if you end up
\nhaving a lot of guidelines on the screen.<\/p>\n
If you want a very high level of precision, you can even zoom
\nin further to make sure that each guideline is exactly on top of
\nthe outline of the shape in the bitmap image underneath it.<\/p>\n
You can add more guidelines as you go. Now, if you already
\nhave the guidelines for the x-axis and y-axis, you can start
\ndrawing them by using the Freehand Tool.<\/p>\n
Remember that if you press the Ctrl key as you draw the line,
\nthe angle will be constraint to an increment of 15 degrees.<\/p>\n
However, since you have already activated the Snap to
\nGuidelines feature, you'll have no difficulty making the right
\nangle between the two axes.<\/p>\n
Rectangles<\/p>\n
Your next step is to create a box on top of each bar of the
\nbar chart.<\/p>\n
With the help of the guidelines and the Rectangle Tool, this
\nwill be as easy as finding a pirated VideoCD in Glodok. While
\nyou're still at it, you can add color fill to each of these
\nrectangles.<\/p>\n
If you prefer solid colors only, the quickest way in CorelDRAW
\nis to click with the left mouse button on the color swatch in the
\ncolor palette while the object to be filled is still selected. By
\nthe way, if you want to change the color of its outline, click
\nwith the right mouse button on your favorite color swatch.<\/p>\n
Well, now you have a simple bar chart. All you have to do now
\nis add all the text, including the label for each bar. You can
\nplace them on top of the ones seen vaguely in the bitmap image.<\/p>\n
I didn't go as far as this in my illustration because I wanted
\nto show you how the bitmap object actually looks when you select
\nthe Wireframe view mode.<\/p>\n
Do you think that a 3-D look will make the bar chart stands
\nout more? I did. What I did when doing the illustration was
\nselect the two axes and all the rectangles, and call up the
\nExtrude tool.<\/p>\n
In the Extrude dialog box, I selected Small Back as the shape,
\nand I selected Shade as the option for the color fill. I set the
\nshade to be gradually changing from the original color of each
\nbar to black. This would enhance the 3-D look.<\/p>\n
Logos<\/p>\n
About two weeks ago I was chatting with a store owner in Orion
\nPlaza, Glodok.<\/p>\n
He told me that he was going to open a repair shop for a
\nleading notebook brand. He also needed a logo of his principal,
\nbut all he had was a tiny logo on a faxed memo. He had scanned
\nthe logo and enlarged it, and of course the result was far from
\nbeing acceptable.<\/p>\n
Actually, he could have done what I've just shown you here. He
\ncould have imported the file containing the scanned logo into
\nCorelDRAW, zoomed in, selected the Wireframe view mode, and
\ntraced all the shapes in the logo using guidelines.<\/p>\n
Depending on how carefully he worked, he could have gotten the
\nperfect vector-based logo that he needed.<\/p>\n
So, the next time your boss asks you to draw a bar chart, a
\nlogo, or even a map, don't forget the Wireframe view. Not only is
\nthis feature useful in increasing the display speed of complex
\ndrawing, it can also help you trace bitmap images easily -- and
\nkeep your boss dependent on you.<\/p>",
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