CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2023 Updates (Windows and Mac) Release notes

New and enhanced features

CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite 2023 Update 2 delivers enhancements to several areas within the applications:

Enhanced! Export options

A range of enhancements to the Export docker (Windows) or Export inspector (macOS) make it easier than ever to output objects and pages to even more file formats, now including CDR, WEBP, CGM, PSD, and BMP.

Enhanced! Assets docker (Windows) or Assets inspector (macOS)

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2023 Update 2 introduces a range of features and enhancements to the Assets docker (Windows) or Assets inspector (macOS) to improve your workflow. In response to user feedback, the redesigned docker/inspector incorporates a tree folder structure, providing a familiar and intuitive method for browsing files. It allows you to view folder hierarchy, navigate through folders, and locate content within the broader context of your files.

We have streamlined the user interface to enhance accessibility and convenience. Sorting options are now located in a drop-down list at your fingertips. Plus, progress bars appear during the loading and synchronization of content, providing visual feedback on the status of these tasks while you work uninterrupted in the app. Performance improvements deliver faster syncing, filtering, and searching of content.

Enhanced! Print Merge

Introducing a range of user-inspired enhancements, the Print Merge feature offers increased versatility and ease of use.

Expanding the range of compatible file types, CorelDRAW now provides support for Excel Workbook (XLSX) data source files.

Another essential feature is the ability to synchronize a linked file with its source and incorporate the latest changes. Furthermore, alongside importing a data source file, you can now selectively import data from columns, which makes it easier to combine data from diverse sources, expanding your possibilities.

Enhanced! PDF Import

Enhanced PDF import capabilities, such as improved text flow, enhanced text editability, accurate recognition of language order, retention of OpenType features and stylistic sets, and preservation of formatting and column layout, ensure a fast and seamless transition of your PDF content into CorelDRAW. Paragraphs are intelligently converted into Artistic and Paragraph text objects based on line length and spacial proximity, ensuring an accurate representation of the original text structure and organization. Paragraph alignment, line spacing, drop caps, superscript and subscript characters, bulleted and numbered lists, and other formatting elements are precisely identified and maintained, preserving the intended visual appeal and integrity of your document. Optimized paragraph handling, accurate recognition of formatting details, and smoother transitions for multi-column layouts streamline your editing workflow, making it easier and more efficient to work with imported PDF content.

Ghostscript 10.01.2

The update removes the previously installed GPL Ghostscript 8.64 included with the CorelDRAW product and offers the latest version 10.01.2 as an optional module.

Note: If the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2023 Update 2 has not been applied, it is recommended that you verify the Ghostscript version installed on your system, uninstall any outdated versions of the module, and install version 10.01.2 to address vulnerabilities in Ghostscript 10.01.1 and earlier.
For detailed instructions on updating Ghostscript, see Corel Knowledgebase article: How to uninstall Ghostscript (8.64) or exclude it from the installation of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite/Technical Suite.

Performance and Stability

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2023 Update 2 (v24.5) also includes performance and stability fixes for several customer-reported issues.

  • The color mode setting for new documents in CorelDRAW (Primary color mode option on the Document Settings tab of the Create a New Document dialog box) is now retained from one session to another.
  • You can save the units of measurement for the outline width as the defaults for new documents in CorelDRAW on Windows by clicking Tools > Save Settings as Default, and enabling the General check box.
  • Removing hyperlinks from objects and paragraph text now works as expected.
  • Various compatibility issues when opening or importing PDFs in CorelDRAW have been resolved.
  • PDF files with fountain or gradient fills now import and open with the correct angles.
  • Compatibility with CGM files in CorelDRAW on Windows has been improved, enabling you to open them without any issues.
  • CorelDRAW now functions as expected when switching between the Color viewers and Color Palettes options in the Edit fill dialog box while editing a color style.
  • Cropping an image in CorelDRAW that has been corrected using the Image Adjustment Lab (Effects > Adjust > Image Adjustment Lab) now works as expected.
  • In CorelDRAW on Windows, the Flatten Effects command is now available in the Options dialog box (Tools > Options > Customization), and adding the Flatten Effects command (Effects > Flatten Effects) to the toolbox by holding down Ctrl+Alt and dragging now works as expected.
  • Editing a bitmap in Corel PHOTO-PAINT and then saving it no longer causes a size change in the original image in CorelDRAW.
  • When you crop a single-color border around an image in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, the selection of background, foreground, and other color options works as intended.
  • The user interface strings in German, Japanese, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese have undergone review and improvement to ensure they are clear, accurate, and culturally appropriate for users in these language communities.
  • Drawing insights from error log data and user reports, we have implemented a series of stability fixes to enhance the overall performance of the product.

New and enhanced features

Update 1 for CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite 2023 delivers enhancements to several areas within the applications:

New! Onyx Graphics color palettes

With the latest update, the Onyx Graphics color palettes are now integrated into CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, allowing you to incorporate these color palettes into your production workflows with ease.

Enhanced! Import files with object styles 

In CorelDRAW, when you import files that have object styles with identical names to those in your drawing, you can now choose from the following options:

  • Import and rename the styles.
  • Replace the imported styles with the styles in the active document.
  • Replace the styles in the active document with the imported styles.
  • Import the content without the styles.

If the object styles do not exist in the active drawing, you can discard the styles or add them to the style list. If you often import documents with object styles, enabling the Remember and don’t ask again check box during import can help speed up your workflow and eliminate unnecessary steps.

Performance and Stability

Update 1 for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2023 (v24.4) also includes performance and stability fixes for several customer-reported issues.

  • When importing or opening a PDF file in CorelDRAW, fountain fills display with the expected gradient settings.
  • When opening a document with over 3000 object styles, you now have the option to remove the unused styles if 100 or more of them are not in use.
  • Italicized text is no longer cut off for fonts that have a bold or thick appearance.
  • When modifying the width and height settings and enabling the Crop to page on export option in the Export for Web dialog box accessed from the Export docker (Windows) or Export inspector (macOS), the changes are now retained for future access.
  • Drop shadows, block shadows, or contours applied to print merge fields function as expected when previewing and printing a merge document in CorelDRAW or saving it to a new document.
  • You can now quickly save CorelDRAW documents that contain nested symbols and export them to the CMX format. Additionally, you can open the exported CMX files in CorelDRAW without any issues.
  • When a color applied to an object contains a tab character in its name, and the CorelDRAW document is exported to the PDF format, the resulting PDF no longer generates an 'Unrecognized object name' error when opened in Adobe Acrobat.
  • Continuous curves in shapes are smooth and retain the correct number of nodes when a CorelDRAW document is exported to the DWG or DXF format by using the Export curves as splines option.
  • Now when you export a CorelDRAW document that contains text using an OCR font to the DWG format, and then import the DWG file back into CorelDRAW, the OCR fonts are preserved.
  • Adding folders with high activity to the list of monitored folders no longer causes Corel Font Manager to hang and freeze at 'Analyzing 0%'.
  • Alpha channels in raster images are now retained and are no longer inserted in PowerClip frames when you export a CorelDRAW document to the SVG format.
  • When exporting sliced images in Corel PHOTO-PAINT™ (File > Export to Web), the exported image filenames now include the original filename and a distinct identifier assigned to each slice.
  • The Welcome Screen displays as expected when resizing the CorelDRAW or Corel PHOTO-PAINT application window.
  • Issues with auto-backup when closing documents or quitting CorelDRAW on Windows have been resolved.
  • CorelDRAW on Windows no longer becomes unresponsive when auto-backup is triggered during the process of adjusting and applying settings in the Print dialog box, previewing your work in the Print Preview dialog box, and then closing Print Preview.
  • Stability issues related to closing, saving, or exporting CDR files containing bulleted text have been resolved.
  • CorelDRAW no longer stops responding after you apply a fountain fill with one or more transparent nodes to a vector object or import PDF content with object transparency into a drawing, and then export the drawing to a bitmap format by choosing the Grayscale (8-bit) color mode.
  • Applying a custom media stroke when using the Sprayer mode of the Artistic Media tool and then choosing another custom media stroke or changing to Brush mode no longer causes CorelDRAW to stop responding.
  • Converting objects to grayscale bitmaps in CorelDRAW (Bitmaps > Convert to Bitmap > Grayscale (8-bit)) no longer causes the application to stop responding.
  • CorelDRAW on Windows no longer stops responding after you enter Chinese text by using a third-party Input Method Editor (specifically, "中文(简体) - 万能五笔输入法," a Chinese Simplified Universal five-stroke input method) and quit the application.
  • Several issues that caused applications to stop responding have been addressed.