Extracting Clipping Paths From Corel PHOTO-PAINT

There is one drawback with the way Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 handles clipping paths. Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 saves a path in a separate file in a proprietary format which cannot be read by either CorelDRAW® or any other application except for Corel PHOTO-PAINT. This prevents their being opened and edited directly by any other application (CorelDRAW, Deneba Canvas™, Adobe® Illustrator® or Macromedia® FreeHand®). An image can be exported as an EPS file with its clipping path. By opening this EPS file in Adobe Illustrator, the clipping path can be separated and extracted from the bitmap portion of the image.

Note: Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 now saves the path in the same file as the image.

Extracting a clipping path from Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 involves first saving the path in Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8, then exporting the image as an EPS file (the EPS format is the only format where the clipping path can be exported). Adobe Illustrator is used as a "go-between" application which will read the EPS file and allow the clipping path to be extracted and saved in a format which can be used by other applications. The following chart illustrates the method:

Once the image with its clipping path has been loaded into Adobe Illustrator, the path can be extracted and saved as a separate vector file which can then be edited in CorelDRAW, Deneba Canvas, Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia FreeHand. The path also can be copied into memory within Adobe Illustrator and pasted into an Adobe Photoshop® file as a path.

Below are the step-by-step tutorials which outline exactly how this is done:

Moving Clipping Paths Between Photoshop and Corel® PHOTO-PAINT

Adobe® Photoshop and Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 are two image editors with the capacity for incorporating vector paths. You may want to use both applications on a single image (Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 creates an excellent path from a selection mask [alpha channel] with a single click).
Exporting an image and its clipping path from Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 to Photoshop involves first saving the path in Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8, then exporting the image as an EPS file (the EPS format is the only format where the clipping path can be exported). Adobe Illustrator® is used as a "go-between" application which will read the EPS file and allow the clipping path to be copied and pasted into Photoshop via memory. The following chart illustrates the method:

Moving an image with its clipping path from Photoshop to Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 requires no special steps. Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 will open a native Photoshop .PSD file directly and any embedded paths are accessible from within Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8.

Below are the step-by-step tutorials which outline exactly how this is done:


Moving a clipping path from Photoshop to Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8:

1. Within Corel PHOTO-PAINT, click File > Open. Load the Photoshop .PSD file with the embedded clipping path.



2. Click the pull down next to the "WorkPath" on the tool bar or double-click the Path Node Edit Tool to bring up the Tool Settings and Click the pull down next to the "WorkPath" on it. You will see the path name of the embedded path. Click it.



3. The path will load and it is available for editing.