Applying pattern fills

You can fill objects with vector or bitmap pattern fills, as well as two-color fills.

Examples of vector pattern fills

Examples of bitmap pattern fills

Examples of two-color pattern fills

A two-color pattern fill is composed only of the two colors that you choose. A vector pattern fill is a more complex vector graphic composed of lines and fills. A vector fill can have color or transparent background. A bitmap pattern fill is a bitmap image whose complexity is determined by its size, image resolution, and bit depth.

CorelDRAW provides a collection of vector and bitmap patterns that you can access. You can browse the available patterns, search patterns by keyword, mark patterns as favorites, vote for patterns that you like, or copy patterns from the Content Exchange to your personal library. For more information, see Managing fills and transparencies.

You can also create your own patterns. For example, you can create patterns from areas of the workspace or images that you import. Vector and bitmap patterns are made up of smaller units called tiles. Depending on the size of the object, the fill may consist of one or more tiles. The pattern is created by repeating the tile to fill up the object. You can create a new pattern by selecting an area of the workspace to use as a tile, or by using an imported image as a tile source.

After you create a new pattern, you can save it for future use or share it with other users on the Content Exchange. For more information, see Saving and sharing fills and transparencies.

You can modify pattern fills to suit your needs. For example, you can change the size of the pattern fill, or specify exactly where the fill begins by setting the tile origin. CorelDRAW also lets you offset tiles in a fill. Adjusting the horizontal or vertical position of the first tile, relative to the top of the object, affects the rest of the fill.

You can mirror the fill so that alternating tiles are reflections of each other. If you want a pattern fill to change according to actions you perform on the filled object, you can set the fill to transform with the object. For example, if you enlarge the object, the pattern becomes larger while the number of tiles remains the same.

Bitmap patterns created in Patterns, an iOS application that turns photos into bitmap patterns, can be opened in CorelDRAW. The bitmap pattern effects available in both Patterns and CorelDRAW let you create seamless patterns and adjust the pattern parameters, such as the pixel configuration along the edge of the tile and the brightness, luminance, and color contrast of the pattern.

To apply a two-color pattern fill

2 .	Click Object Object properties.

3 .	In the Object properties docker, click the Two-color pattern fill button .

You can also mix colors in a two-color pattern fill by pressing Ctrl and clicking a color on the color palette.

You can also apply a fill by clicking the Interactive fill tool in the toolbox and clicking the Two-color pattern fill button on the property bar. You can drag colors from the color palette to the interactive handles to change the colors of the fill. You can mix colors by holding down Ctrl while dragging a color to the interactive handles.

To edit the attributes of the two-color fill, in the Object properties docker, click the arrow button at the bottom of the Fill section to display more fill options, and specify the attributes you want.

To apply a vector or bitmap pattern fill

2 .	Click Object Object properties.

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Vector pattern fill

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Bitmap pattern fill

5 .	Click the Apply button in the pop-up window that appears.

You can also apply a vector or a bitmap pattern fill by clicking the Interactive fill tool in the toolbox, clicking the Vector pattern fill or Bitmap pattern fill button on the property bar, and choosing a fill from the Fill picker.

To create a vector or bitmap pattern from the workspace

2 .	Click Object Object properties.

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Vector pattern fill

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Bitmap pattern fill

4 .	Click the New from document button .

6 .	Click the Accept pattern button displayed below the selection, and click OK in the dialog box that appears.

Vector patterns can have transparent or color background.

You can also click the New source from workspace button and select an area of the document to use as a tile source. In this case, the current settings in the Transformations area of the Object properties docker will apply to the new pattern.

To create a vector or bitmap pattern from an imported image

2 .	Click Object Object properties.

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Vector pattern fill

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Bitmap pattern fill

4 .	Click the New source from file button .

To modify a vector or bitmap pattern fill

2 .	Click Object Object properties.

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Vector pattern fill

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Bitmap pattern fill

To	Do the following
Arrange the tiles so that alternating tiles are reflections of each other	Click the Mirror tiles horizontally or the Mirror tiles vertically button.
Create a radial or linear seamless blend	In the Seamless area, click the Radial button , or click the Linear button and move the slider. This setting applies only to bitmap pattern fills.
Smooth the color transition of the pattern tile edges with their opposite edge	Enable the Edge match check box, and move the slider. This setting applies only to bitmap pattern fills.
Increase or decrease the brightness of the pattern	Enable the Brightness check box, and move the slider. This setting applies only to bitmap pattern fills.
Increase or decrease the grayscale contrast of the pattern	Enable the Luminance check box, and move the slider. This setting applies only to bitmap pattern fills.
Increase or decrease the color contrast of the pattern	Enable the Color check box, and move the slider. This setting applies only to bitmap pattern fills.
Set the width and height of the pattern as a percentage of the object’s width and height	Type values in the Fill width and Fill height boxes.
Move the center of the pattern fill up, down, left, or right	Type values in the X and Y boxes.
Rotate the pattern at a specified angle	Type a value in the Rotate box.
Slant the pattern at a specified angle	Type a value in the Skew box.
Specify row or column offset as a percentage of the tile’s height or width	Click the Row offset or the Column offset button , and type a value in the % of tile box.
Apply object changes to the pattern fill	Enable the Transform with object check box.
Apply the selected fill to the intersecting area of combined objects	Enable the Fill winding check box. For more information, see Combining objects.

You can also click the Interactive fill tool in the toolbox and use the controls on the property bar.

You can also skew or rotate tiles by clicking the Interactive fill tool in the toolbox, selecting an object, and dragging the skewing or rotation handles to change the appearance of the pattern.

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