Working with text

1. In CorelDRAW 8 there's a feature of automatic node tracking. When it is on, a pointer turns into the Shape tool whenever you move it over a curve node. However if you press "Z" you enable a node tracking for text objects. Hold down "Z" key and move over a character node. The pointer turns into the Shape tool and you can drag separate characters by their nodes.
2. To change text kerning using the keyboard, select two or more characters of Paragraph or Artistic text with the Text tool, then hold down Ctrl+Shift, and press ">" or "<" to either increase or decrease the space between characters.
3. By Pressing Ctrl key while you drag a character with the Shape tool you can constrain it to the text baseline.
4. While in text editing mode, you can use Ctrl+B to apply bold to selected text, Ctrl+I for italic, Ctrl+U for underline. You can also set text justification by pressing Ctrl+N to apply no justification, Ctrl+L – justify left, Ctrl+E – center, Ctrl+R – justify right, Ctrl+J – full justify, Ctrl+Shift+A – All Caps, Ctrl+Shift+K – Small Caps. Pressing Shift+F3 brings up Change Case dialog and Ctrl+Shift+C toggles display of non-printable characters. Alt-F3 invokes Find Text dialog.
5. If you press Ctrl+M with Paragraph text object selected you can add/remove bullets to/from text.
6. You can interactively change the point size of selected text (object) if you press Ctrl and 2, 4, 6 or
7. on the numeric keypad. Ctrl+8/2 increases/decreases the text size in steps of 1 point. Ctrl+6/8 increases/decreases the text size in steps specified in text size drop-down list. These steps are 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 24, 36, 48, 72 and so on.
8. Pressing Ctrl+F8 converts artistic text object to paragraph text object and vice versa.

Selecting and transforming objects

1. You can select an object that is a part of a group by clicking it while holding down the Ctrl key.
2. If you marquee-select objects with the Alt key down, then you select objects that are not only surrounded with the marquee completely but also only "touched" with it.
3. To select an object completely obscured by another object, just click where the underlying object should be with the Alt key down.
4. To stretch an object from its center hold down Shift, and drag one of the side selection handles. To stretch an object in increments of 100%, hold down Ctrl as you drag a selection handle. To stretch an object vertically and horizontally at the same time, hold down Alt as you drag one of the corner selection handles.
5. You can rotate and skew an object freely if you hold down Alt key while transforming it.