To apply an effect destructively
To apply an effect non-destructively
To preview your design while adjusting the effect settings
Corel PHOTO-PAINT special effects let you change the appearance of an image. You can apply an effect to the entire image or object, or you can use a mask or a lens to transform only part of an image.
Examples of effects applied to an image. Top (left to right) Original image, Emboss effect, Cubist artistic effect, Mosaic creative effect, Distort pixelate effect; bottom (left to right) Add noise effect, Zoom blur effect, Solarize color transform effect, Edge detect contour effect, Sharpen effect
Effects are organized into the following categories.
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Lets you simulate effects produced by various camera lenses. Effects include Colorize, Diffuse, Photo filter, Lens flare, Lighting effects, Sepia toning, Spot filter, and Time machine, which lets you walk your image back through history to recreate some popular photographic styles from the past.
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To browse the effects that are available in the application, see Special effects categories.
Destructive and non-destructive editing
Corel PHOTO-PAINT lets you apply effects destructively and non-destructively. If you apply an effect destructively, the changes are permanent, so when you save your document, the application modifies the original image. When you apply an effect non-destructively, the original image is not affected; Corel PHOTO-PAINT saves the changes separately, so you can edit, remove, show or hide them, and revert to the original object or image at any point. If you want to apply an effect destructively, use the Effects menu; if you want to add an effect non-destructively, use the Effects docker (Window 
Dockers Effects) or the Add Effect button 
in the Objects docker (Window Dockers Objects).
Before you apply an effect, you can customize it. For example, when you use a vignette effect to frame an image, you can increase the offset value and decrease the fade value to decrease the size and opacity of the frame. With a watercolor effect, you can decrease the size of the brush to show more image detail or increase the size of the brush for an abstract effect.
The Effects docker is the hub for non-destructive editing, allowing for quick adjustments and unlimited experimentation. You can show and hide effects, edit applied effects, and apply multiple special effects to the same object. Plus, you can change the order of the applied special effects, and you can delete a special effect. Effects are cumulative; each time you apply an effect, it's stacked on top of the previous effect. In the Effects docker, the effects appear in the order in which you apply them, with the most recently added effect at the top of the list. You can also flatten effects to apply changes permanently.
Applying special effects to an image area
With destructive editing, you can apply a special effect to part of an image by defining an editable area. For information about editable areas, see Masks.
You can also use a lens to apply a special effect to part of an image. When you use a lens, changes are not applied to the image; instead, they are seen on the screen through the lens. Most special effects are also available as lenses. Applying a non-destructive effect to an object affects only the appearance of the selected object, whereas applying an effect to a lens affects the appearance of all objects beneath the lens. For information about lenses, see Create lenses.
Repeating and fading special effects
After you apply an effect destructively, you can repeat it to intensify its result or fade it to diminish its intensity. For more information about repeating and fading actions, see Undo, redo, repeat, and fade actions.
With non-destructive editing, you cannot apply the same effect twice to an object.
You can define how an effect is merged with the image. For information about merge modes, see Merge modes.
Tracking, recording, and automating special-effects operations
Corel PHOTO-PAINT lets you track, record, and automate special-effects operations. For more information, see Use macros and scripts to automate tasks.
| To apply an effect destructively |
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| 1 . | Do one of the following: |
| • | Open an image — to apply an effect to an image |
| • | Define an editable area — to apply an effect to an image area |
| • | Select an object — to apply an effect to an object |
| 2 . | Click Effects, choose a special effect category, and click an effect. |
| 3 . | Adjust the settings of the special effect filter. |
| If the image contains one or more objects, the special effect is applied only to the background or the selected object. |
By default, as you modify the effect settings, the application shows a representation of the adjusted image in the image window. To disable the live preview, disable the Preview check box.
Some special effects can affect the shape of the object they are applied to. You can retain an outline of the object’s original shape by enabling the Lock transparency button 
on the Objects docker. The areas that remain between the outline of the original shape and the new shape of the object are filled with black. If the Objects docker is not open, click Window Dockers Objects.
| To apply an effect non-destructively |
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| 1 . | Select an object. |
| 2 . | Click Window Dockers Effects. |
| 3 . | Click the Add effect button  , choose a special effect category, and click an effect. |
| 4 . | Adjust the settings of the special effect filter. |
You cannot apply a non-destructive effect to the background layer.
You cannot apply the same non-destructive effect twice to an object.
When you add a non-destructive effect, the Show/Hide Effects icon 
appears beside the object name in the Objects docker.
To apply an effect non-destructively to the background layer, convert the background layer to an object. For more information, see To create an object by using the entire image background.
You can also apply an effect non-destructively by clicking the Add Effect button in the Objects docker (Window Dockers Objects), choosing an effect category, and clicking an effect.
By default, as you modify the effect settings, the application shows a representation of the adjusted image in the image window. To disable the live preview, disable the Preview check box.
Some special effects can affect the shape of the object they are applied to. You can retain an outline of the object’s original shape by enabling the Lock object transparency button on the Objects docker. The areas that remain between the outline of the original shape and the new shape of the object are filled with black. If the Objects docker is not open, click Window Dockers Objects.
| To preview your design while adjusting the effect settings |
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| 1 . | Click the Preview button  in the special effect dialog box. |
| 2 . | Perform a task from the following table. |
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Using the Pan tool
 , drag the image until the area you want to see is visible. |
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Click the Zoom to fit
 button. |
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Click the Full preview button
 . |
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Click the Before and after full preview button
 . |
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Click the Before and after split preview button
 , and drag the split view divider in the center of the window to the left or right. |
| To work with non-destructive effects |
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| 1 . | Select an object that has a non-destructive effect applied. |
| 2 . | Open the Effects docker (Window Dockers Effects). |
| 3 . | Perform a task from the following table. |
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Click the Show/Hide icon
 for the effect you want to show or hide.Tip: To show or hide multiple effects, select the effects, and click the Show/Hide icon
. |
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Click the Add effect button
and choose an effect from the menu. |
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Select an effect and click the Edit icon
 . |
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Select an effect and click the Delete button
 . |
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Click the Flatten effects button
 .Note: When multiple objects with special effects are selected, clicking the button will flatten the effects only in the first selected object.
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Clicking the Show/Hide icon in the Effects docker changes the visibility of individual effects, whereas clicking the Show/Hide Effects icon in the Objects docker changes the visibility of all effects applied to an object and overrides the visibility settings for individual effects that you may have set in the Effects docker.
You can also hide and show effects by clicking the Show/Hide Effects toggle icon in the Objects docker (Window Dockers Objects). To hide or show the effects of multiple objects, select the objects, and click the Show/Hide Effects toggle icon . You can hide and show the effects for locked objects.
| To repeat the last applied destructive effect |
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| • | Click Effects Repeat, and click one of the following: |
| • | Repeat [last effect] — applies the last applied effect |
| • | [Last effect] to all visible — applies the last applied effect to all visible elements in an image |
| • | [Last effect] to all selected — applies the last applied effect to all selected objects in an image |
The features documented in the Help are available in the full version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2020. Some features may not be available in this version of the product.
or the Zoom out tool 
, click in the preview window.