Illustrator is a vector graphics program that allows you to create beautiful artwork without worrying about pixelation or resolution issues.
On the other hand, Photoshop is a raster graphics program that lets you manipulate images and add text and other elements. Which one should you choose?
Photoshop has long dominated the graphic design field. Its powerful tools allow designers to edit photos and create stunning visual effects.
Illustrator, however, was designed specifically for creating vector art.
Both programs offer similar features, but Illustrator is better suited for beginners who want to create simple designs. If you’re looking to create complex illustrations, then Photoshop is the way to go.
If you’re just starting out in graphic design and photo editing, it’s best to learn both programs so you can master them later on. You don’t need to be an expert at either tool to get work done.
However, in this comparison guide, we’ll be taking a look at the unique benefits of each program to help you make an informed decision about which one you want to use for your graphic design needs.
Advantages Of Adobe Photoshop:
Adobe Photoshop comes with many useful tools that make your life easier when designing.
For example, you can easily change the size of any object by simply dragging its edges. This makes it easy to resize objects such as logos, buttons, and icons.
You can also apply filters to your image, giving it a cool effect. The most popular filter is the blur filter, which blurs the background while leaving the subject untouched.
Other filters include grainy, emboss, posterize, and more.
You can even combine multiple layers into one file using the merge feature. This means you can keep all your different elements separate from one another.
Then, if you decide to make changes to one layer, you won’t have to worry about accidentally changing something else.
Another great advantage of Photoshop is that it offers tons of tutorials online. These tutorials will teach you how to do various things like crop photos, convert files, remove blemishes, and much more.
Advantages Of Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based drawing program. This means that every element within the illustration is created using lines instead of pixels.
Because of this, there are no quality loss issues when scaling up or down.
The biggest benefit of vector graphics is that they’re scalable. That means you can zoom in and out without losing quality.
As a result, you can create high-resolution images without having to worry about running out of space.
The downside is that you can only scale up to 200% in Illustrator. However, this isn’t really a problem because you can always save your project as a PDF file before resizing.
One of the main reasons why people love Illustrator is because it’s compatible with almost every major operating system. It works well on Mac OS X, Windows 7, and 8, iOS, Android, and Linux.
This compatibility makes it very easy to share your projects with others. Once you’ve completed your design, you can email it to clients or send it via social media sites.
Other than being compatible, Illustrator also has some other advantages over Photoshop. For instance, you can add text directly onto your artwork.
This saves time because you don’t have to go through the process of creating a new document and adding text separately.
Also, you can import 3D models right into Illustrator. This lets you create realistic designs that would otherwise be impossible.
In addition, you can create custom shapes and symbols. You can then use these shapes anywhere in your work.
When Should You Use Adobe Photoshop?
As we’ve already established, Photoshop and Illustrator have completely different sets of advantages and disadvantages when it comes to using them for graphic design purposes.
So, what sorts of tasks should you employ Photoshop for, instead of Illustrator?
When You Want To Create Better Textures
If you want to create textures for website backgrounds, logos, and icons, Adobe Photoshop is the way to go.
There are many ways to create textures in Photoshop, including using the noise filter. With this tool, you’ll be able to get rid of any unwanted details in an image.
You can also apply filters such as blur and emboss. The latter creates a three-dimensional look, which is perfect for making texture effects.
You can even use the liquify filter to distort objects. This gives you complete control over the final appearance of your textures.
With these tools at your disposal, you can easily turn ordinary pictures into professional-looking textures.
When You Want To Create Some Of The Finer Details
As we said before, Photoshop uses raster graphics which, unlike vector images, are pixel-based. This means that if you try to increase the size of an object, you will lose quality.
However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use Photoshop for anything. In fact, you can still achieve good results by carefully selecting the right settings.
For example, if you want to make something look more detailed, you should reduce the resolution. If you want to keep things simple, you should set the resolution to 300 dpi.
Another thing you need to consider is how much detail you want to include in your design. If you’re going for a minimalist style, you might not need to add too many pixels.
On the other hand, if you want to create something that looks like it came straight out of a comic book, you’ll probably want to crank up the resolution.
The best way to find out whether you need to increase or decrease the resolution is to play around with the settings until you find something that works for you.
When Should You Use Adobe Illustrator?
When You Want To Use More Versatile Platforms
The main issue with Adobe Illustrator is that it is used to create vector images, which will maintain their overall quality when scaled up or down to different sizes.
This makes it the perfect tool to use for marketing campaigns where images might be used on a flyer, a billboard, or a business card.
It’s also great for creating logos, illustrations, and web banners. However, if you want to do anything else, you’ll need to switch to another program.
Adobe Illustrator is also limited when it comes to text editing. It offers only basic features, so you won’t be able to edit fonts or create complex layouts.
In addition, the software isn’t very intuitive. There are lots of steps involved in most actions, and they aren’t always obvious.
So, if you’re looking for a versatile platform that allows you to work quickly and easily, you might want to give InDesign a shot instead.
When You Want To Design By Hand
Adobe Illustrator has fantastic compatibility with a variety of digital drawing tools like styluses. This means artists can get a more natural feel as they design using Illustrator.
The downside is that you have to pay for each additional pen you buy.
If you don’t mind spending money, then you can go ahead and purchase all the pens you’d like. But if you’re on a budget, you may want to stick with the basic functions of the software.
Conclusion
While both programs offer plenty of options, there are some key differences between them. So, you’ll need to decide what kind of designer you are. S
omeone who likes to draw everything from scratch or someone who wants to create high-quality designs without having to spend hours tweaking every aspect of an image.
If you fall into the first category, then you should definitely try Adobe Illustrator. On the other hand, if your goal is to create professional-looking graphics, you’ll probably want InDesign.
However, no matter which one you choose, you’ll still need to know how to use the software properly, so make sure you do your research to make the most out of your investment!
If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy our post on ‘Inkscape Vs GIMP‘.