Combine & Group
Software : Corel DRAW X3
Level : Beginner

Concept: The lesson is designed using CorelDRAW, the world fame vector program used by artists, illustrators and designers. CorelDRAW is a very user friendly software and you can learn fast for the basic level. Try to explore more commands using these lessons as guideline. CorelDRAW has best of the drawing and editing facilities with the astonishing range of effects. Please try to go further than these tips and tricks by drawing your own shapes and applying effects with different options.

Lets us understand the concept of group and combine in depth and compare both of them using certain commands.

1. Open Corel Draw.

2. Draw rectangle using Rectangle and fill it with red color. Keep it selected.

3. Go to Edit > Duplicate

4. You will get another rectangle filled with red color. Fill the second rectangle with green color. Keep them side by side, on the same level with a very less space in between. Select both of them.

5. Go to Arrange > Group

6. Both the rectangles are grouped and still filled with the different colors.

7. Go to Arrange > Ungroup

8. Now the rectangles are ungrouped.

9. Go to Arrange > Combine

10. The objects are combined and filled with single color.

11. You need to do this smoothly as we are going to use the same rectangles further to explain the difference between group and combine.

12. Go to Arrange > Break Curve Apart

13. Click anywhere to deselect the object. Select any object using Pick Tool. You will observe that now you can select any object separately and fill the color of your choice.

14. Delete any one rectangle. Select the rectangle left on the page. Click on the fill tool and select Fountain Fill Dialogue. Select Radial in Type and Two Color in Color Blend. Choose any colors for From and To boxes. Click OK to fill the radial fill in the rectangle. Keep the rectangle selected.

15. Go to Edit > Duplicate

16. You get another identical rectangle with redial fill. Please try to observe the nature of the radial fill in those two rectangles. They have two centers.This means both the rectangles have their own identical separate radial fills. Keep them side by side, on the same level with a very less space in between. Select both of them.

17. Go to Arrange > Group

18. Both the rectangles are grouped and still filled with the separate radial fills.

19. Go to Arrange > Ungroup

20. Now the rectangles are ungrouped. Select both of them.

21. Go to Arrange > Combine

22. Both the rectangles are combined. Now please carefully observe the fountain fill. When grouped, the fill are separate with two centers in each rectangle. After combine command is applied, both the rectangles are treated as one single object and hence the two fills are turned into one single fountain fill. This fill has one center and both the rectangles are treated as big one single rectangle.

23. Go to Arrange > Break Curve Apart

24. The object is separated again and we have two different rectangles with two separate radial fills.