i actually own illustrator, and NEVER ever use it. photoshop, on the other hand, i use allllll the time. (both CS)
so this leads me to what i'm sure is a stuuupid broad question, but: what's the point of illustrator? what specific thing(s) can it do that photoshop can't? they seem to be fairly similar. except that i find illustrator much more difficult to use.
so this leads me to what i'm sure is a stuuupid broad question, but: what's the point of illustrator? what specific thing(s) can it do that photoshop can't? they seem to be fairly similar. except that i find illustrator much more difficult to use.
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Wed, May 4, 2005 - 2:10 PMBasically it's vector vs. raster.
"raster" being artwork files based on a defined amount of pixels.
"vector" being totally scaleable and based on lines and points and stuff - kinda like a 2d CAD kind of file.
Illustrator is great for:
-resizing text/artwork with no loss of resolution.... You could resize it to
-vector EPS files are great for when you need to have something plotted on a machine like a vinyl plotter... for making vinyl graphics and signs... Also great for color separations when doing spot printing.
- defining precise measurements to create mechanical artwork ( I use this a lot) Basically, if you need a shape to be exactly 33.5 mm x 63.4 mm - you can resize it easily, and accurately.
- Drawing is a bit easier and intuitive... You can always change the fill and stroke color (or effects) at any point. I draw all the logos I do in Illustrator.
I find Illustrator works well in conjunction with PS. I couldn't see myself using only one. They both are so different to me. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Wed, May 4, 2005 - 2:19 PMbut you can save things in photoshop as an eps, soo...essentially the same, no? -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Wed, May 4, 2005 - 3:59 PMNot really muse.
As M@яTY says it's the whole raster (or bitmap) versus vector.
You know how each time you create a new document in photoshop you have to decide on the resolution of the image (dpi) well in illustrator you don't have to as there is no such thing.
For instance I've created an A4 poster for my work and they then got the printers to print it out at A2 (four times the size [if I seem patronising then I apologise, not sure if the same paper sizes are used both sides of the pond]) and there was no lose of clarity in the image.
As for what I use illustrator for then primarily it's artwork I know is going to end up presented in print rather then on screen. Although I am looking, in the near future, to work further with illustrator and flash.
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Wed, May 4, 2005 - 7:43 PMIt causes me to swear like I have Tourettes Syndrome. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, May 6, 2005 - 9:35 PMIm interested in becoming more pricise/detailed with vector image/art. I haven't purchased any NEW software as of yet, but looking at the different software options we have today.
Out of the programs that are offered... Macromedia Flash, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw/Trace.
What are your opinions of each, what would you suggest as the best and why? -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Tue, October 11, 2005 - 7:38 PMSlur, you should definitely get Illustrator. Its much more widely used that Corel Draw (Corel is a little outdated IMHO) and I find it much easier to use, especially if you're already familiar with Adobe and its shortcuts.
Also you can use anything you've created in Illustrator in Macromedia Flash as well as Director.
As for me, and the topic at hand, there are HUGE differences between Illustrator and Photoshop. But they have already been mentioned here. I use it for work because we do a lot of simple bold designs for a very large client list. And for my own personal projects too, because you can start with a small image and make it as large as you want.
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Wed, October 12, 2005 - 1:49 PMI have both Illustrator and Photoshop and use them together on some projects. Some things you can do in Ill and move them to photoshop, to extend your art possibilities. Of course, it sometimes is just a matter of preference. It works for me. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Thu, October 13, 2005 - 8:12 AMI use Illustrator to do Pin-Up art! (You can check it out on my web site www.nakedcomix.com.)
I also found that illustrator is far easier in adding spot colors and making seperations than Photoshop. I worked for two different t-shirt shops, one working mostly in Illustrator and the other mostly with Photoshop for their art. I found that it was far easier to convert a piece into spot colors in Illustrator than Photoshop. I Illustrator it was simply a matter of using "select all" for a color and converting it into a spot color in the swatch pallet. In Photoshop, you have to first convert the whole file into multi-channel document first.
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Thu, October 13, 2005 - 5:11 PMI too was once a lad who only used Photoshop...but now I have seen the light and Illustrator has expanded the horizon for me!
I use Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign together on many projects...
cheers~
Jamaican Steve
THINK BIG, live small...Dissent! -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Sat, October 15, 2005 - 10:48 AMI started using Illustrator because I do a lot of animations in Flash. I can create my characters in illustrator (making a new layer for each body part) and then import the file into flash and each body part has its own layer in the Flash timeline.
I have a drawing tablet and draw directly into my PC. When I would do this with photoshop, it recorded all the vibrations of my hand. (thus making it a sloppy image) Illustrator converts my strokes to nice perfect curves. Looks more professional.
Also, when using Illustrator files in Flash, I can scale them up and down, skew them, etc and they are always crystal clear. (no pixelation or jagged edges) Here is a cartoon I made in Flash. The character was a multl layered illustrator file and the background was a reeeeeeeeeally big illustrator file. Check it out:
www.enterjakesworld.com/video/...ep.html -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, October 21, 2005 - 2:37 PMnice work.....
i use illustrator for most my graphic design.... logos etc... While I studied Graphic design, I worked at a silkscreen printing place where we had to do a lot of separations-
i've got some work posted here....
tribes.tribe.net/astrogirl
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, October 21, 2005 - 2:53 PMI don't use any OS X programs. When a client calls for it, I boot up the ole G3 and use Illustrator 9 or Photoshop 6. I think UNIX sucks, and refuse to use it. But, as for Illustrator, pretty much anything you can think of doing freehand, you can use Illustrator for, but then why? True artists, represent. *huuuh* -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, October 21, 2005 - 3:12 PMThe biggest advantage Illustrator has over Photoshop is output. You can output a vector based file any size without lost of image quality or concerns about file size. You can use the same image for a poster or a postcard. In Photoshop, to do a poster you'd have to generate a poster size file. If you have limited amount of RAM, a slow processor or need to send it to anyone (a vendor or a client maybe) over the internet. This becomes a big issue. Not so much so if the work is done in Illustrator. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, October 21, 2005 - 9:05 PMIt sounds as if this topic has changed from Illustrator vs. Photoshop to Vector vs. Bitmap. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Sun, October 23, 2005 - 5:18 PMWell its pretty much the same thing! They're very different programs.
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Wed, May 3, 2006 - 9:22 PMDefinitely anything that utilizes small text or may need to be scaled up in size, Illustrator is the way to go. I design images in Photoshop, and then pull them into Illustrator for addition of logos, Text etc. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Mon, June 12, 2006 - 4:05 AMoh. this could solve my resolution problems of blurry text when i resize comics. i'll add the text in illustrator! eureka! thanks!
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Mon, June 12, 2006 - 12:51 PMVector = Complete Scalability
Raster = Image Limitations
If I am designing and it is not going to be or start off as a Raster I normally start off in Illustrator. Anything "photo" is photoshop.
Some things you can do in one app and others you cant.
BOTH = GREAT -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, August 11, 2006 - 12:21 AM"but you can save things in photoshop as an eps, soo...essentially the same, no?"
I asked the same question 15 years ago and I've laughed at myself ever since. One way to learn is to ask so your on the right track.
Good Luck -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, August 11, 2006 - 8:44 AMDo not use EPS files . Illustrator's native file format is actually PDF keep it that way !! EPS have shitloads of things wrong with them and have any of you tried to preview them with your content management software ?? No preview of what you have . The Adobe crew are pushing to remove EPS as much as they can . Anyways just my two bits. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Fri, August 11, 2006 - 6:41 PM<Do not use EPS files . Illustrator's native file format is actually PDF keep it that way !!>
Unless you need to print seperations, then you need to have a EPS file since most RIPS don't handle PDFs. I do pre-press for a wine label printer in Livermore. No matter what files come to us, they all get turned into EPS formated files to go through our image processor to be turned into film. EPS is the only format it will handle. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Sun, November 12, 2006 - 3:20 PMwhy does acrobat distiller use .eps files to output .pdf files and not .ai files?? Distiller always produces the best compression and highest resolution for press artwork.To me it is strange that Adobe would phase .eps out. -
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Re: what do you use illustrator for?
Mon, November 13, 2006 - 5:18 AM<To me it is strange that Adobe would phase .eps out.>
The reason I believe is transparency issues and seperations. Many RIps still have trouble converting EPS files into seperation to film if the image has transparency in it. Since many designers are using transparency in their art, this is becoming a bigger and bigger problem for the pre-press departments handling their work. I believe that since PDFs handle transparency already, they just need to make them able to be RIPed for printing on press. On the other hand, it may be impractical to try and add better transparency support to EPS format.
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One way I use Ill.
Sat, December 23, 2006 - 4:10 AMI use Ill. to design and share my visions for client presentations, size of materials, and also the vector data for the actual fabrication and construction to bring forth into a reality which I will share with you-
see my two photos of Saint-Gobain`s illuminated wall mural I just posted.
I will post more data sets of start and finished projects that I have created.
respect
xenovision
