Review: Zoner Callisto 3
March 7, 2001
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To those who have been around the graphic business for a few
years, the image below will have a familiar look, even though
many may never have seen it before.
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The reason is because the image of Zoner Callisto 3's interface
has a strong resemblance to
Corel Draw
from a few versions ago, and it works quite similarly, too. Come
to think of it, the price is more reminiscent of Corel several
versions back. Way, way, way back.
However, this product of the Czech Republic has many of its own
strengths and features, including many that were not available in
earlier versions of Corel Draw. Here is a look at the various aspects
that make up Callisto 3.
General Graphics
Callisto 3 has the usual drawing tools and shapes, but it offers
more presets for making corners something other than square, and
provides stars and polygons. Applying color to a portion of a
drawing is as simple as clicking in the color choices and
dragging to the item you wish to have colored.
Changing the order of items in the drawing is done by selecting
an object, then choosing to move it forward, back, or to the
active layer. And, yes, the program does offer support for
layers.
Callisto 3 has a number of "roll-ups" that allow users to
determine the various settings they wish to apply to a drawn
object, text, or photo. Roll-ups exist for fills, pens,
transformations, shadows, symbols, colors, and views. The options
are many and make the program even easier to use.
The program has a rich text editor, and can apply text to curves,
and enable users to save and apply text styles. In addition it
also has an integrated table tool. Click on that tool, and a
dialog box appears asking for the number of rows and columns
desired. It then creates the table and allows user to input data
immediately.
Larger graphics can also be handled, with the program allowing
users to break them into multiple pages and then printed. Users
can also take advantage of the program's ability to handle multi-
page documents, even basing them on master pages if so desired.
Callisto offers a number of bitmap editing functions, object
blending, support for Adobe plugins, anti-aliasing and can
import about 20 graphic types and export 14 types. Users can
also take advantage of the program's integrated scanning tool to
import graphics.
Perhaps the most user-friendly feature of the program is that it
refreshes the screen in the background, increasing its display
and operation speed dramatically.
Internet Graphics
Among the types of files Callisto can import and export are the
Internet basics of .GIF (including transparencies), .JPG, and
.PNG. Any vector clipart can be exported.
Images can be precisely rotated and cyclically resized, making
animations easy to create. A graphic's surface and course of
motion can be numerically applied, and the values for each axis
can be altered to vary rotations and other motions. The program
can apply up to seven graphics effects, such as shadow, glow, and
blur, to a single vector image.
Any type of image can be saved from within Callisto to SGC
(structured graphic control) norms, using a wizard to do so with
relative ease.
While building Web sites, the program helps by having a graphics
viewer that allows the user to see the graphic before importing
it, another time saver.
The Bottom Line
No, it doesn't offer everything that Corel Draw does, but it
doesn't have the bloat, either. The program runs quickly and
offers more than enough features for most Web builders. The
program is available for a 60-day free trial, and for those who
want graphics without having to sell stock to raise the money,
its $49-$69 price tag sounds pretty good.
What is it called again?
Callisto 3
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Where can I get it? http://www.zoner.com
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How much does it cost? $49 by
internet download; $69 in a box
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How much space does it require? 4.6 MB (need 12 MB
disk space)
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Do I recommend it? For the
price, it's a good buy.
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