CorelDRAW’s cloud-based collaboration workflow enables you to collaborate and comment on designs, seamlessly and in real-time, with clients and colleagues. The Corel Cloud dashboard can be accessed in both CorelDRAW 2021 and CorelDRAW.app, and the Live Comments feature enables stakeholders and designers to see all feedback in real time.
Note: Collaboration features are available exclusively with a CorelDRAW Graphics Suite subscription, licensing with maintenance, or an additional purchase plan for perpetual license customers.
CorelDRAW’s cloud-based collaboration workflow enables you to collaborate and comment on designs, seamlessly and in real-time, with clients and colleagues. The Corel Cloud dashboard can be accessed in both CorelDRAW 2021 and CorelDRAW.app, and the Live Comments feature enables stakeholders and designers to see all feedback in real time.
In this example, this 3-page document is open in CorelDRAW desktop and the designer is ready to get client feedback.
The collaboration hub is the Comments docker, which you can open in the Window > Dockers menu, or by clicking the plus sign along the list of open dockers.
If you’re not already signed in, you can do so through a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account, or you can sign in as a guest, which means that your comments won’t be authenticated, and you’ll need to be notified via email when comments are addressed. If you’re already signed in, click Return to Comments.
As an example, we’ll leave a note on the first page to request that reviewers let us know which option is their favorite.
To share this file with others, click the Save and Share icon at the top of the docker.
This brings up the Corel CLOUD dashboard, where at the bottom you can set the name you want for the cloud file, then click Save.
The URL in the Share File window is what you can give to clients and collaborators, and the Copy icon stores the URL in the copy buffer. For those who receive this link, you can set permissions as Viewer, which is view-only; Reviewer, who can comment and annotate, and Approver. We’ll choose Reviewer for this link.
With Private Sharing, you can have an email invitation to this Cloud document sent automatically to collaborators. Enter the email address here, choose the permission level, and click Add. Then close the Share File window.
This file, and all other files already uploaded to Corel CLOUD, appear here in your dashboard, in card view or list view. You can also sort file order by most recent, name, etc.
Folders can be added to organize cloud files. Click New Folder, assign a folder name, and drag in the files you want.
A folder can be renamed, copied, etc. Note that if you delete a folder, its contents will also be deleted from your Cloud account. So before deleting, be sure to move any files you want to keep back to the My Cloud folder.
Cloud files themselves can be opened, renamed, downloaded, etc.
To set sharing options for any Cloud file, click the file, then click the Shared icon.
After closing your Cloud window, the file tab in CorelDRAW desktop will have a cloud icon, indicating that this file now exists in your Cloud account.
If you’re away from your desktop, you can still manage your Cloud account. From any browser, go to CorelDRAW.app, and sign in with your Corel credentials. To share a file you’ve already uploaded, click Open from Corel CLOUD.
You could also open a CorelDRAW file from the local computer, then choose File > Sync File to Corel Cloud. To share a file opened this way, use the Share link.
Now say you’re the reviewer, who either received the automatic invitation to the Cloud file or opened the file’s URL. If you have a CorelDRAW login, you can enter your credentials, or you can sign in as a guest, which means that reviewers don’t need a Corel license for access.
As a guest, just enter your name and email, and request the link. The email you receive from CorelDRAW.app will have a link to access the file.
Because the sharing status of this file was set as Reviewer, you’ll have access to the Comments docker, with all of its annotation tools. The current file status is In Review, and the comment by the designer appears at the top of the list.
You can switch pages with the menu at the top left. As an example, we’ll leave a note on the second page that the green option is our favorite.
You can also go back to the first page and reply to the designer’s comment.
Back in the designer’s file on CorelDRAW desktop, each comment added by reviewers appears in real time, on the relevant page in the document.
The search field can be used to find comments on all pages, either by a specific reviewer, or containing specific text strings.
Each comment is also emailed to the designer, as well as to other collaborators, with a link back to the file in Corel CLOUD.
Now say you’re a second reviewer, accessing the Cloud file via the URL. You can see all comments by the designer and all other reviewers. As an example, we’ll add a comment marked by an ellipse, requesting a color change on one of the options.
As the designer, you can see the request in your desktop version. Make the requested change and leave a comment for the reviewer who requested the change, noting that refreshing the browser will bring up the most recent version.
When you save the file, the cloud version is updated.
All reviewers will now see the updated file, and the reviewer who requested the change can mark the comment as resolved.
Resolved comments are removed from the Comments docker by default, both for the designer and reviewers. But you can show resolved comments by clicking the Settings icon in CorelDRAW.app or the Options icon in CorelDRAW desktop.
Now let’s say you have a design in which all comments have been addressed, and you’re ready for the final stage of approval. In CorelDRAW.app, as soon as you invite a reviewer with Approver permission, you can also change the design status to Request Approval. Then the reviewer can mark it as approved.
