User Guide

19
Using Shapes
Shapes are vector-based objects that
you can draw, modify, and fill. Shapes
can be open or closed. They can be
simple lines, curves, or text outlines.
You can create and edit shapes with
the precision of a drawing program
and integrate them with the Natural-
Media environment in Corel Painter.
In this chapter you’ll learn how to
create shapes and set their stroke and
fill attributes. You’ll learn how to
modify shapes, edit their outlines, and
convert them to pixel-based layers.
An image created with shapes.
About Shapes
In Corel Painter, you work mainly
with bitmaps, or raster images.
Bitmaps are composed of tiny squares
called pixels; each pixel is mapped to a
location in an image and has a
numerical color value. The location
and color value data are stored as
bits—hence the name bitmaps.
Vector graphics are made up of lines,
curves, objects, and fills that are all
calculated mathematically. Shapes are
vector objects, and you can work with
them in Corel Painter in much the
same way you work with vector
objects in drawing programs like
CorelDRAW® and Adobe®
Illustrator®.
Corel Painter draws shapes in an anti-
aliased fashion. This anti-aliasing
gives objects a smooth edge, as
opposed to the jagged edges apparent
in some drawing programs. Some
clipart objects actually look like