How to Apply Artistic Bitmap Filters in CorelDRAW

This guide demonstrates how to apply artistic bitmap filters, such as the impressionist effect, to artwork in CorelDRAW. You will learn how to prepare your objects, locate the artistic effects menu, customize filter parameters to achieve a painterly aesthetic, and use non-destructive workflows to fine-tune your results at any time.

Step 1: Select or Convert Your Artwork

Before applying a filter, determine whether you are working with an existing raster image or a vector design.

  1. For Bitmaps: Simply click on the image using the Pick tool to select it.
  2. For Vectors: Modern versions of CorelDRAW allow you to apply bitmap effects directly to vector objects non-destructively. However, if you are using an older version, select the vector object, go to the menu bar, choose Bitmaps > Convert to Bitmap, select your preferred resolution (typically 300 DPI for print or 72–96 DPI for web), and click OK.

Step 2: Open the Artistic Strokes Menu

With your object selected, access CorelDRAW's library of artistic effects:

  1. Go to the top menu and click Effects (or Bitmaps in legacy versions).
  2. Hover over Artistic Strokes.
  3. Select Impressionist from the submenu. A dialog box will appear displaying a real-time preview along with customizable sliders.

Step 3: Configure the Impressionist Effect

The Impressionist filter breaks the image into painterly, dabbed brushstrokes characteristic of the 19th-century art style. Adjust the parameters to fit the scale and detail of your image:

  • Style: Choose the specific stroke method (such as dab, stroke, or pointillist variations).
  • Brush Size: Controls the size of the individual brush strokes. Larger values create broad, abstract marks, while smaller values preserve fine details.
  • Smear / Relief: Determines the blending level between adjacent colors and adds texture depth to simulate thick paint.
  • Preview: Keep the Preview button enabled (or toggle the preview lock) to monitor changes in real time before finalizing.

Once satisfied with the texture and coverage, click OK to apply the effect.

Step 4: Manage Effects Non-Destructively

If you are working in modern CorelDRAW, the applied filter functions as a live effect:

  1. Open the Properties docker (Window > Dockers > Properties) or the FX / Object Effects tab.
  2. You will see the Impressionist filter listed under the object’s active effects.
  3. Toggle the eye icon to hide or reveal the effect, double-click the filter name to reopen settings and tweak the sliders, or click the trash icon to remove the filter without altering the original artwork.