Changing the transparency of objects

You can apply a transparency to an object so that all objects behind it show through. The CorelDRAW application also lets you specify how the color of the transparent object combines with the color of the object beneath it.

In this section, you’ll learn about

•applying transparencies

•applying merge modes

Applying transparencies

When you apply a transparency to an object, you make the objects beneath it partially visible. You can apply transparencies using the same kind of fills you apply to objects; that is, uniform, fountain, texture, and pattern. For more information about these fills, see “Filling objects” on page 141.

By default, CorelDRAW applies all transparencies to the object’s fill and outline; however, you can specify whether you want the transparency to apply only to the object’s outline or fill.

You can also copy a transparency from one object to another.

When you position a transparency over an object, you can freeze it, making the view of the object move with the transparency.

To apply a uniform transparency

1Select an object.

2Open the Interactive tools flyout , and click the Interactive transparency tool .

3On the property bar, choose Uniform from the Transparency type list box.

4Click a color on the color palette.

5Type a value in the Starting transparency box on the property bar, and press

Enter.

To apply a fountain transparency

1Select an object.

2Open the Interactive tools flyout , and click the Interactive transparency tool .

3On the property bar, choose one of the following fountain transparencies from the

Transparency type list box:

•Linear

•Radial

•Conical

•Square

4Reposition the interactive vector handles that display, or point to where you want the transparency to start on the object, and drag to where you want the transparency to end.

If you want to reset the transparency, press Esc before releasing the mouse button.

5Type a value in the Transparency midpoint box on the property bar, and press

Enter.

You can create a custom fountain transparency by dragging colors, whose shades convert to grayscale, from the color palette onto the object’s interactive vector handles .

To apply a textured transparency

1Select an object.

2Open the Interactive tools flyout , and click the Interactive transparency tool .

3Choose Texture from the Transparency type list box on the property bar.

4Choose a sample from the Texture library list box on the property bar.

5Open the First transparency picker on the property bar and click a texture.

6On the property bar, type values in the following boxes:

•Starting transparency — lets you change the opacity of the starting color

•Ending transparency — lets you change the opacity of the ending color

To apply a pattern transparency

1Select an object.

2Open the Interactive tools flyout , and click the Interactive transparency tool .

3From the Transparency type list box on the property bar, choose one of the following:

• Two-color pattern — a simple picture composed of “on” and “off ” pixels. The

only shades included in the picture are the two that you assign.

•Full-color pattern — a picture composed of lines and fills, instead of dots of color like bitmaps. These vector graphics are smoother and more complex than bitmap images and are easier to manipulate.

•Bitmap pattern — a color picture composed of patterns of light and dark or

differently colored pixels in a rectangular array.

4Open the First transparency picker on the property bar, and click a pattern.

5On the property bar, type values in the following boxes:

•Starting transparency

•Ending transparency

To specify the extent of a transparency

1Open the Interactive tools flyout , and click the Interactive transparency tool .

2Select an object to which a transparency has been applied.

3From the Transparency target list box on the property bar, choose one of the following:

•Fill

•Outline

•All

To copy a transparency to another object

1Select an object to which you want to apply a transparency.

2Click Effects ` Copy effect ` Lens from.

3Using the horizontal cursor, select the object with the transparency you want to copy.