adobe illustrator usage?

[Schneider]

Hi

Does anyone here uses illustrator to make graphics? Some people have suggested it to me, but I don't know what the difference is. Most "Advantage" I could find about illustrator over PS is that it's used for making large or vector style graphics. Does it really make a difference if you upgrade from PS to illustrator? Is it better? If so, in which way? Could you please tell me some advantages?


Thank you for answering.

[Wasabi2001]

Hi

Does anyone here uses illustrator to make graphics? Some people have suggested it to me, but I don't know what the difference is. Most "Advantage" I could find about illustrator over PS is that it's used for making large or vector style graphics. Does it really make a difference if you upgrade from PS to illustrator? Is it better? If so, in which way? Could you please tell me some advantages?


Thank you for answering.

I use Illustrator for work sometimes.
It's quite different than the Ps. It is very good if you tend to use it for making advertising banners and large graphics that contain large amount of text. If you want to use it for photo manipulation, gfx and sigs I don't recommend it, since it doesn't have a large range of free style to it, so to say. you can download the trial and check it out> https://creative.adobe.com/products/illustrator<
Let me know if it was somewhat helpful and if you need any more details.

[Schneider]

I don't make large graphics, maybe a wallpaper once in blue moon but mostly inquiring for signatures. So it's not anything different/better for those?

[daniyagami]

Photoshop and Illustrator are completely different programs. Adobe Photoshop, that you know very well, is pixel based, meaning, it works and delivers the final product in pixels, image like JPG or PNG or GIF. Adobe Illustrator is a vector based program, it works with mathematical curves and delivers encapsulated postcript files.
Illustrator is completely different than photoshop. While Photoshop is very instinctive to learn and works like a painting canvas, Illustrator is more complex and less instinctive because you need to draw everything in vectors to make your images and the final product must be converted/exported to photoshop format in case that you want to produce images (but they are compatible and work integrated since both are from the same developer).
Illustrator is great to work with projects that need to be printed because the vector images can be printed in high resolution and the colors are not made in pixels but in solid shades (so there isn't "pixalization" like in photoshop images). This also means that if you want to make something full of shades and grey tones you will probably have a lot of work but a great result in a small file.

You can take a look at this link to have a better idea about what I'm talking about.
Adobe Illustrator Tutorials - Best Of | Smashing Magazine

Feel free to ask anything, I worked for several years with both softwares diagramming magazines.

[Wasabi2001]

I don't make large graphics, maybe a wallpaper once in blue moon but mostly inquiring for signatures. So it's not anything different/better for those?

No. I won't recommend it for sigs. Illustrator uses a lot paths and vectors. And the only difference that makes it on your work is when you actually take it to print. For example, works done on Ps tend to come out blurry on print, while works done on Illustrator keep the crisp, clear image on print.

[daniyagami]

No. I won't recommend it for sigs. Illustrator uses a lot paths and vectors. And the only difference that makes it on your work is when you actually take it to print. For example, works done on Ps tend to come out blurry on print, while works done on Illustrator keep the crisp, clear image on print.

I would not recommend Illustrator to make the whole set but it can be useful to make some elements of the sets like borders and backgrounds.

I'll give some examples:
Retro Blue Background - Vector Graphic by DryIcons
Blue Abstract Background - Vector Graphic by DryIcons
http://media.smashingmagazine.com/im...hics/2_big.jpg
http://dezignus.com/wp-content/uploa...e_graphics.jpg

So I would say that you can use Illustrator to produce elements that you can use to design a set but the final product would be more effective and easy to made if finished in Photoshop.

Some examples made by me, using vector images mixed with regular pixel images:





Khoakung uses a lot of vector images in his signatures (and he does that much better than me )
I use images from stock sites, I download them in vector format and export to photoshop but if you feel like, you can design your own vector images to make set borders and backgrounds.