Recently, I wrote about why I prefer to use Adobe Illustrator over Photoshop for just about everything I do. If you have spent any time on my blog, you have probably noticed that I'm a strong proponent of Adobe Illustrator, which doesn't get the attention it deserves. Since that earlier blog, I've received many questions from clients and partners about what Photoshop is good for. The answer is "a million things!" You can love both of them for different reasons. As you know, anyone who is serious about being the best at their craft should take the time to investigate which tools make the most sense for which jobs. Below is a quick cheat sheet that you can turn to (and feel free to share) on the essential differences between the two and which jobs belong on which tool. Adobe IllustratorHere's a tweetable description: "A professional grade graphics creator for images that look awesome, are easy to edit & scale perfectly. Built for non-artists." I even left you room for a hashtag at the end. Best for: Wow, I could go on all day. Logos, branding, printed marketing materials, social media content, icons, infographics, webinar support, eBooks, etc. With an emphasis on the "etc." Cruise around my site for more ideas. I also have a link that lets you download some design templates and a get a free trial of Adobe Illustrator for 30 days. Not for: Editing photos or making changes to images created by others, which tend to be rasterized (meaning images that get pixelated as you enlarge them). Surprising fact: Adobe Illustrator has a ton of astounding functions that few people use, like the ability to turn any 2D object into a 3D object, or multiple transparent overlays. Adobe PhotoshopHere's the tweetable description: "The golden standard for reimagining photos, layered visual effects & recombining photos in creative ways. Made for graphic artists & extra-dedicated enthusiasts."
140 characters, on the dot. Best for: Photos. OK, that's a bit too simple, but you can see "photo" is right there in the title. This is where I go to editing photographs and raster-based art work. If you have a great photo and you want to apply a filter, adjust the colors, erase a piece of the image, enhance something or combine it smoothly with other photos, Photoshop is the place to go. Not for: Combining images with text or creating line-based/vector-based art. Surprising fact: Filters are all the rage, but you have to choose from presets. Not anymore. One of the top plugins for Photoshop is Filter Forge, letting you make your own preset visual effects and distortions with no programming. Can You Guess My Go-To Tool?The real question is why has "Photoshop" become a verb? You always hear people say things like, "Oh, that looks so photoshopped!" Admittedly, "Illustrator" is already a common word, so it would be hard to tell what you meant if you asked, "Are all of your web graphics Illustrated?" Adobe Photoshop is an excellent tool that is invaluable to me in many cases and I wouldn't use anything else for those projects. However, for just about everything else that I have to do on a daily basis, Adobe Illustrator is the way to go.
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Erin GipfordI am destined to help people save time and work smarter by using the best design software on the market, Adobe Creative Cloud. I have over 21 years as a professional graphic designer. I'm excited to share my wealth of knowledge! Categories
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