PowerClip objects

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CorelDRAW lets you place vector objects and bitmaps, such as photos, inside other objects, or frames. A frame can be any object, for example artistic text or a rectangle. When the object is larger than the frame, the object, called the contents, is cropped to fit the form of the frame. This creates a PowerClip object.

Objects before becoming a PowerClip object: artistic text and a bitmap

In the PowerClip object, the artistic text is the frame, and the bitmap forms the contents. The bitmap is shaped to the letters of the artistic text.

The rectangle is used as a frame, and the tree is placed inside to create a PowerClip object.

You can create more complex PowerClip objects by placing one PowerClip object inside another PowerClip object to produce a nested PowerClip object. You can also copy the contents of one PowerClip object to another PowerClip object.

You can create an empty PowerClip frame from an object, or convert a PowerClip frame back to an object. Creating empty PowerClip frames or text frames is useful when you want to define the layout of your document before adding the content. For more information about text frames, see Paragraph text. After you create an empty PowerClip frame, you can add contents to it. You can also add contents to a PowerClip frame that already contains another object.

Creating empty PowerClip frames and text frames is useful when you want to visualize your page layout before adding the contents.

After you create a PowerClip object, you can select or edit its contents, or reposition the contents inside the frame. Whenever a PowerClip object is selected, a floating toolbar appears.

The PowerClip toolbar lets you edit, select, extract, lock, or reposition the contents inside the frame. The toolbar appears whenever a PowerClip object is selected.

You can lock the PowerClip contents, so that when you move the frame, the content moves with it. If you want to delete the contents of a PowerClip object or modify it without affecting the frame, you can extract the contents.

You can set the default behavior for dragging content to PowerClip frames, centering new content, and marking empty PowerClip frames.

To create a PowerClip object

You can also right-click an object or a group of objects, click PowerClip inside, and then click the object that you want to use as a container.

If the content is placed so that it falls outside the frame in its current position, it is automatically centered inside the frame to make it visible. To change this setting, click Tools Options CorelDRAW, choose PowerClip in the left pane, and set the options you want in the Auto-center new content area.

To create an empty PowerClip frame

You can also right-click the object, choose Frame type, and click Create empty PowerClip frame.

You can also click the PowerClip frame button on the Layout toolbar. To open the Layout toolbar, click Window Toolbars Layout.

To add content to a PowerClip frame

You can also drag content to the PowerClip frame directly from the Corel CONNECT docker.

If the content is placed so that it falls outside the frame in its current position, it is automatically centered inside the frame to make it visible. To change this setting, click Tools Options CorelDRAW, choose PowerClip in the left pane, and set the options you want in the Auto-center new content area.

To convert a PowerClip frame back to an object

If the frame contains content, the content is deleted when the frame reverts to a regular object. To avoid losing the content, you can first extract it from the PowerClip object.

You can also click the No frame button on the Layout toolbar. To open the Layout toolbar, click Window Toolbars Layout.

To select the contents of a PowerClip object

To position the contents inside a PowerClip frame

 

To	Do the following
Center the contents inside the PowerClip frame	Click Object PowerClip Center.
Fit the contents proportionally inside the PowerClip frame	Click Object PowerClip Fit Proportionally. The content is resized so that its longest dimension fits inside the frame. The content is not distorted, and its aspect ratio is preserved. The whole content is visible, but there may be empty areas in the frame.
Fill the PowerClip frame proportionally	Click Object PowerClip Fill Proportionally. The content is resized so that it fills the frame without being distorted. The content’s aspect ratio is preserved. The frame is full, but there may be parts of the content that fall outside the frame and are not visible.
Fill the PowerClip frame by stretching the contents	Click Object PowerClip Stretch to Fill. The content is resized and distorted so that it fills the frame. The content’s aspect ratio is not preserved. The frame is full, and all of the content is visible.

The Fit Proportionally, Fill Proportionally, and the Stretch to Fill commands modify the PowerClip contents. The content remains modified even if you extract it from the frame.

You can also position the contents by clicking the arrow button on the PowerClip toolbar and clicking a command.

Examples of PowerClip contents positioned by using the following commands: Center contents (top left), Fit contents proportionally (top right), Fill frame proportionally (bottom left), and Stretch contents to fill frame (bottom right).

To copy the contents of a PowerClip object

To edit the contents of a PowerClip object

While you edit the contents, the frame appears in Wireframe mode and cannot be selected or edited.

You can also double-click the PowerClip object to enable it for editing, or select the PowerClip object and click the Edit button on the PowerClip toolbar. When you have finished editing the contents, click the Finish button.

To lock or unlock the contents of a PowerClip object

If you move the frame while the content is unlocked, the content remains stationary and is not visible until you move the frame over it.

You can also right-click a PowerClip object and click Lock Contents to PowerClip, or you can select the PowerClip object and click the Lock Contents button on the PowerClip toolbar.

To extract the contents of a PowerClip object

You must extract the contents of each level in a nested PowerClip separately.

You can also select the PowerClip object and click the Extract Contents button on the PowerClip toolbar.

To set default options for PowerClip frames

 

To	Do the following
Set the default behavior for dragging content to a PowerClip frame	From the Drag content inside PowerClip list box, choose PowerClip with content or Empty PowerClip, and then choose one of the following options: • Ignore PowerClip frame — places the content on top of the PowerClip frame instead of inside • Add content to PowerClip frame • Replace existing content (available only for PowerClip frames with content)
Set the default behavior for centering new content in a PowerClip frame	In the Auto-center new content area, choose one of the following options: • When content is completely outside frame — centers content only if it is beyond the boundaries of the PowerClip frame and will not be visible otherwise • Always — always centers new content • Never— turns off auto-centering
Mark empty PowerClip frames	Enable the Show lines in empty PowerClip frames check box, and choose one of the following options: • Always (including print and export) — displays lines in empty PowerClip frames on screen and in printed or exported documents • On screen only — displays lines in empty PowerClip frames only on screen

The features documented in the Help are available in the full version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021. Some features may not be available in this version of the product.