CorelDraw, the Adobe Illustration direct competition. I have long forgotten it since I started using Mac and picked up Adobe Illustrator. After 18 years hiatus, the other go-to illustration software has return to Mac and like Adobe, it has also hopped onto the web bandwagon. Meet the CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2019, now for Mac and as a web app. With the release of the CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2019, Corel also brings to the table, the latest Windows update.
However, this for Mac version is not a port-over; it is built from a separate and newly developed code base and it will, of course, have the look and feel of a native macOS application (quite obviously, actually). This means the app will follow the system-specific conventions like having preferences under the application menu as opposed to edit menu in Windows, support dark mode in High Sierra, Touch Bar integration, and whatnot. In other words, Mac users who have long forgotten the interface of CorelDraw shouldn’t feel out of place.
Additionally, CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2019 will also support native GPU acceleration. According to the official product page, CorelDraw “provides functionality for graphic design and layout in one application,” which has PhotoPaint and Core Font Manager for photo editing and font organization tools integrated into the workflow. We found the app on Mac App Store which it stated that the app is compatible with macOS 10.13.2 or later and machine that runs on 64-bit processor. Though, you may want to go through the system requirements laid out by Corel to be sure.
The CoreDraw web app, on the hand, is Corel’s answer to Adobe Creative Cloud that lets users to save document to Corel’s proprietary cloud service. Ka Ching. Well, I guess that’s where the money is moving forward. It is not a standalone product though. It is part of the Suite and as most cloud/web-based applications, it is for collaboration and to some extend, “quick-and-dirty creations.” At the time of this writing, offline use of the web app and sharing of documents stored in the cloud via a link are not available yet. According to our source, those features are expected to available “later this year.”
If you are keen, you can read up in depth about the CorelDraw 2019 over at CNET’s post HERE. CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2019 goes for $500 for perpetual license, or as a sub-based product, going for $198 per year. Before you go, you may like to know there is a FREE two weeks trial for you try it out before you commit your hard-earned dough on it.
Image: Corel.
Source: CNET.
