For the instructions for Corel 7, I am okay until I get to where he says Click Effects>Fancy>The Boss. It doesn't have "The Boss". I asked him about it, and he said to use "plastic" instead of The Boss, but "plastic" is not there, either.

Then I tried to use the instructions for Corel 9. I was okay until I got to Click Effects>Texture>Plastic. "Texture" was not there, nor could I find anything that said "Plastic".

Can't quite figure this one out. You guys got any ideas ?

Amy Billings
T-Shirt Express
Asheville, NC

Sounds simple, but I have never done anything with a "mask" before. Don't about such an animal. I followed the instructions prior to this point, so I suppose this thing does have a mask, but I can't figure out how to fill it with white. When I do a white fill, I end up filling in my letters.

Help !!!!!

Amy

A mask is just like any other mask in sign making. You have a "positive mask" and a "negitive mask". Your real close just change from positive to negative or visa versa.

So I really don't know anything about the positive and negative masks on signs.

Can anyone tell me exactly the steps to change the mask to white, like Bob says in his instructions ?

Thanks for your help !

Amy

I may not be the best person to listen to, but....

If you make a mask in a computer program, you trace the "artwork" and it divides the positive from the negative.

having said so.... If you fill the inside of a mask, the changes happen to your artwork. If you change the outside of a mask, it is your background that is changed.

Not knowing the job in hand, I think you just have to change from inside to outside.

I work in Adobe and this is not a problem for me but when I talk to Corel it is presented as differant, but it is the same step with a differant name. Do you know about layers?

Talk to Dave Grundy about layers...ooops I mean Masks.

In fact, I am WAY less talented and less knowledgable than several other folks here about CorelDraw. My only attribute is that I seem to be able to explain things that I know in a way that others are able to understand

In these instructions for Corel, he first has you type in the letters, then you make a "mask from object" which I assume is making the negative, or the background, and then invert it, which I would suppose is the same thing as choosing the letters (why ???)

Then you emboss it (the letters, of course), then fill the masked area with white, then remove the mask.

Based on your description, this seems to be what the instructions are telling me to do.

It seems a little confusing to me; why fill the mask with white, and then remove it - why not just remove it ?

Anyway, thanks for the explanation. At this point I don't know if I will ever get my gold embossed look. It is soooooo frustrating trying to figure all this stuff out !

Amy

Sorry I put you on the spot.

You have helped me in so many ways, I can not thank you enuff!

Yes this is a bitmap thing as opposed to a vector thing. but it is all the same process in the end.

Filling in the "top" layer and filling in the "back" layer is sorta, kinda no differant
than choosing your colours in vector. As explained in previous posts, you can work in layers or "just move artwork from print sheet to off of print sheet"

We still get back to the old fashioned positive and negative thing.