Need Help Best software for shadow effect

[Derekpc]

Hi folks

I bought a cutter to add cut vinyl lettering to our drum heads and kits personalised at our customers request.

This will be like band name done in main colour with a shadow 3D effect outline.

The cutter is a cheap online purchase, pixmax as for all the use it will get a more professional one was a waste of money.

I have Corel draw x5 and flexistater on my pc. The Corel I can use ok with single colour but struggle to add shadow. The flexistarter I have just got which is totally basic but not sure if I can upgrade with a download.

Any advice be greatly received..

Ps.. totally inexperienced at vinyl design and cutting.

 

[myront]

Corel has a drop shadow tool and Photopaint has effects that would work.

 

[rjssigns]

For cut vinyl work upgrade your Flexi software. Stupid simple to add different shadows.

 

[unclebun]

If you're going to cut an extruded style shadow in vinyl, the Corel drop shadow tool won't work; it makes a shadow that can only be printed. But on the same tool button you can select the extrude tool, which will make an extruded shadow you can manipulate to have vanishing point, be a block shadow, change the color, have an offset, etc. But you cannot go to cutting directly from there. You have to Arrange > Break Extrude Group Apart. Then Arrange > Convert to Curves. Select the shadow and ungroup, then weld. The trim the letter from the shadow.

If you use wireframe view you can see the need for all those steps before you have something you can cut.

If you're making a simpler drop shadow, you just duplicate the letter/shape, place the duplicate under the original, move it around to where you want it, and then trim the letter from the shadow.

 

[Billct2]

One of the things I love about Gerber, it does signpainter shades(and outlines) not print shadows. Sounds like the flexi upgrade has it too.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If you are just trying to make a shadow effect with cut vinyl, why not just copy the vectors you want shadows on and then make the copy black and place it behind the original image and then just offset?

 

[Rick]

I did this in Illustrator... Corel can do it too, the problem with Corel and Illustrator is that slight distortions can happen when extruding your drop shadow, I deal with it by adding outlines to hide some of it.

If you are doing drop shadows on a daily basis, Flexi makes sense, as mentioned before, it rocks with drop shadow, if it's only occasionally (once every few weeks) then go with the few extra steps in Corel...

 

[Derekpc]

For cut vinyl work upgrade your Flexi software. Stupid simple to add different shadows.

Apologies for my stupidness but how do you do that. Iv no experience in this field so anything I do will be self taught with hopefully help from this forum

 

[Derekpc]

This is the graphic idea I would like to learn

 

[myront]

This is the graphic idea I would like to learn

In Corel I'd duplicate the text three times and distribute them offset accordingly then use the middle one to trim the bottom. Select the middle then shift select the bottom and choose trim on the top menu then go back and delete the middle one

 

[0igo]

Upgrade Flexi, like RJS said. stupid simple. lets you add different shadows too...way too easy

 

[Jburns]

So the shadow you are after is called Surround relief ( at least in Omega).

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I would be willing to pay for an add-on that can do an extruded shadow effect like in Omega. One that is vinyl friendly and can be cut. The blend tool, no matter how many repeats you use does not provide you with a clean extruded shadow. I wish Adobe would innovate more with the new features they add 1-2x per year. Instead of "effects" they need more production related features added on. Astute Graphics has come up with dozens of add-ons so there is plenty of room for improvement that Adobe could implement.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I wish Adobe would innovate more with the new features they add 1-2x per year. Instead of "effects" they need more production related features added on.

I think it's the bells and whistles that sell. Not so much the production features anymore. It seems to be that way no matter what program we are talking about.

Astute Graphics has come up with dozens of add-ons so there is plenty of room for improvement that Adobe could implement.

I use all the plugins that they have for CS6 and they are really a good investment (at least for me they are). Some of them are more about simplifying what Ai can already do, not all are about adding extra features. Dynamic Sketch is one of my favorite ones. Able to use the Wacom Airbrush pen (only natively supported with Ps at the time of CS6).

 

[Derekpc]

In Corel I'd duplicate the text three times and distribute them offset accordingly then use the middle one to trim the bottom. Select the middle then shift select the bottom and choose trim on the top menu then go back and delete the middle one

I tried this method and seems to work . Quick and easy. As I'm still trying to figure out the whole design thing (self teaching by just clicking buttons .) I'll use this way until I find a better or purpose tool to do it.. Thanks was great help