While it shares a similar air of business-like efficiency, it doesn't deliver the same level of sophistication. You also get Photo-Paint X7, which is Corel's answer to Adobe Photoshop. PhotoPaint's new Liquid tools don't quite measure up to the similar Liquify editor in Adobe PhotoshopĬorelDraw is the star attraction, but it's only one part of the suite. There isn't much in the way of new creative functions, but one is the ability to generate QR codes. In some cases, we're surprised it has taken so long to introduce these features.

These are all welcome improvements but we're not convinced they justify the £215 (inc VAT) upgrade price. It's now possible to embed fonts into native CorelDraw project files. There's a new Welcome Screen that pools various resources including templates, recent documents, updates and the ability to switch between predefined Workspaces. It's easier to jump between multiple open documents, and to spread them out across multiple monitors.

It also adds transparency settings and its Fill tab has been overhauled, with pattern fills now sorted into categories such as Floral, Abstract and Geometric. The redesigned Object Properties cuts down on the clutter with better organised tabs. The Guidelines docker introduces the ability to create angles guidelines, while the Alignment and Dynamic Guides docker dictates how objects automatically snap to guidelines and other objects. However, it's bizarre that it can't apply a font directly to a text object already on the page. This is a great idea that automates something we've often had to do manually by duplicating text objects. The Insert Character docker makes it easy to locate unusual text characters, while the Font Playground docker auditions various fonts side by side with your own text. There's finally an Align and Distribute docker, which is much tidier than CorelDraw X6's floating panel. The interface uses docked panels, known as dockers, and various new additions help make the workflow faster than ever.

The revamped Object Properties and new Align and Distribute dockers bring welcome improvements to speed of use

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