In Corel, sometimes I import a graphic file (.jpg) that has a white background behind the actual graphic. How do I get rid of the white background?
I know how to do it in Quark, and I seem to vaguely recall doing so in Corel, but that was years ago and I can’t remember how.
Which Corel program? DRAW or Photo-Paint? Also, which version?
Either one. I can’t seem to figure it out in either one. And version 11.
I use Photo-Paint the most, so here’s how I’d handle it in that program:
[ol]
[li]Load the graphic in a separate window[/li][li]Choose the “Magic Wand Mask” tool from your Mask toolbar[/li][li]Using the wand, click on the white background (your white background should now be inside the mask)[/li][li]Click on the “Mask” menu option on the toolbar at the top of the screen[/li][li]Choose “Invert” (your white background should now be outside the mask)[/li][li]Choose “Edit | Copy” from the toolbar at top[/li][li]Go to your other document and paste the now white background-less item in as a new object.[/ol][/li]There might be other, better ways, but that’s how I do it most of the time.
I tried something very similar, and it masked half my graphic in there, too. Do I need to adjust my tool settings, and if so, which way?
Curses, PhotoPaint is no PhotoShop.
The only options I have for adjusting the wand is the tolerance and anti-aliasing. If your background isn’t defined very well from the rest of the graphic (if the white background bleeds into a white portion of the rest of the graphic, for example), the wand will accidentally mask too much. In a case like that, I tend to use the Freehand Mask tool and cautiously carve out the mask I want. If your graphic isn’t too big, this shouldn’t take too much time.
Oh! I had forgotten about the Color Transparency Tool. (I can’t recall if version 11 has this or not). Use that tool (in Version 12, it’s in the same toolset as the Interactive Drop Shadow tool) to choose a color and it’ll make the white completely transparent. You might run into bleeding problems again, but give it a whirl and see what happens. (One more thing: to use it, your picture has to be an object, so it can’t be combined with the background.)
I use Corel’s programs daily. Paint is quite different from Draw, however. In Paint, to get an irregular graphic, basically you have to make an “object”. Once you have that, you can move it around without the background. See if you can create an object from a masked outline. And if it doesn’t seem to work, try inverting the mask, then creating the object.
SkipMagic has the basic idea, but there may be version differences.
And I’ve no problem conceding to anyone who has more experience in Corel programs than I do. I think, though, the tools aren’t much different between version 11 and 12. The wand was there in 11, of course, but I’m not sure about the Color Transparency Tool.
What does making it an “object” do? And how do I do that? (I don’t have the app on my home computer.) And what is anti-aliasing? (And could you just explain every single thing about Corel… 
Sorry for the stupid questions, but Corel’s help is next to worthless, and I’m supposed to be the department expert.)
And while I have you here, what are the advantages of upgrading to version 12? (I’m not paying, but my employer will if I say so.) I’m a heavy-duty user of Corel right now because that’s what they have (and I’ve worked with Corel since version 3). I prefer Quark/PhotoShop/Illustrator, but that might be a difficult pitch to the big boss.
Sure. How much time you got? 
Stick with me, kid, and you will be.
An object can be of any shape. It can be manipulated independently of other objects, backgrounds, etc., even without going to multiple layers.
To make an object, mask off the desired area using whatever mask tooks are appropriate to the particular graphic. “Mask->Paint on mask” can be used to tweak a magic wand selection. Once your selection has been made, Object->create from mask is the option to use (this may be on diff menus depending on version). Once you have an object, it can be selected (click on it), rotated, stretched, copied, and otherwise manipulated independently of the rest of the graphic.
I’m not sure this works for all versions, but a single click selects, a second click on the same object allows for rotate and single-dimension skew functions, a third click shows 2-dimension skew/distort functions, a fourth click, back to simple selection. (These clicks are not time-dependent like Windows double-clicks, but state-dependent.)
If the object appears to be “negative,” or not what you expected, try mask->invert before creating it. I often find it difficult to tell which section of the image is IN the mask and which is OUT of it.
Anti-Aliasing: Have you ever seen the “stair-steps” on the edge of graphics, especially slanted lines or curves when blown up? These are digital artifacts, and can be eliminated by increasing the resolution to reduce the size of the steps. But if that is not an option, there is an optical trick that can produce an apparently smoother line from a jagged one. Anti-aliasing functions will blend the stairsteps into the background by blurring the edges, and the eye is often fooled. There is considerable art to this process, so I can’t begin to show the total range of options in the time we have left. I suggest experimenting with anti-aliasing on/off controls when they appear, and trying various settings until you get the hang of it. Just remember, it doesn’t work for all cases all the time.
Good luck!
Hey, it worked! Thanks for all the helpful advice!