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Photoshop vs? Illustrator


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I'm just wondering the differences between them both? I've done a quick google and checked on the site. From what i can see Illustrator is for creating vector images, but can't that be done in photoshop?

I've used PS for years and have been very happy with it so have never looked at anything else. I design websites, flyers and logos for a living, so how can it help me? i've looked at some tutorials and it looks like Ai can produce some amazing stuff. I'm going to download a demo over the weekend. Do i need it if i use Photoshop on a daily basis?

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The simple way to put it is Photoshop specializes in raster image editing. Modifying hard pixels across any number of layers. Photo manipulation, painting, special effects, and so on are Photoshop's specialty. It does have vector tools, but they aren't the primary focus and you only get basic usage out of them.

Illustrator on the other hand specializes in vector. There's very little in raster editing, but many tools are designed to manipulate mathematical shapes with different outlines, fills, and other properties. Illustrator focuses on, well, illustrations. Designing a cartoon figure? A comic strip? Stylish clipart for your company's presentation, a logo for your product? Illustrator is key for these things. Vector designs typically cannot create a realistic, highly detailed and shaded picture like Photoshop, but it can create stylish designs that is scalable even larger than originally created while remaining completely crisp.

You only need to use Illustrator if you want full control over a vector workspace. Outside of flash and silverlight, vector has very little support in HTML or on web browsers (except for browsers that support the SVG format, IE certainly does not and thus SVG is not viable outside of linux-oriented websites). Web design typically uses rasterized pngs and jpgs to handle the layout.

Flyers and logos? You can rely on Illustrator easily for these things. The flexibility of being able to scale the vector to any size really helps here, when you have varying locations you need to fit something. However, when it comes to assembling flyers, you might want to check out a program in the Adobe suite called "InDesign".

In the end the choice comes down to this:

Focusing heavily on a vector design? Illustrator

Focusing heavily on .. well any other image editing? Photoshop

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They are two different programs. Like Lazure posted, one is a raster based program the other a vector based program. Yeah you can do vectors in Photoshop but not like Illustrator. Illustrator is better to create and manipulate shapes. It could be a little difficult at first if you are a Photoshop user.

Probably for logos and flyers Illustrator is a better program. For Web design Photoshop is better. I think it's a good idea to learn how to use both programs. I'm not an expert in Illustrator. I pretty much use Photoshop for everything, UI, icons, web design etc. but lately I've been using Illustrator to draw a more complex shapes then export them and finish them in Photoshop.

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Thanks that helped a lot.

I take it i can use all these programs together, i can do better vector work in Illustrator, move it over to PS and then finish up in inDesign?

I'm all for improving my work flow so will be downloading demos over the weekend

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I take it i can use all these programs together, i can do better vector work in Illustrator, move it over to PS and then finish up in inDesign?

Yes, every program in the Adobe suite integrates very well with all the others.

You can use the Adobe Dynamic Link to import and export or you can simply copy and paste.

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... Vector designs typically cannot create a realistic, highly detailed and shaded picture like Photoshop, ...

There is the Gradient Mesh tool.

rawlings-ol.jpg

rawlings-l.jpg

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