Photoshop vs. Illustrator

[ChristianWeeks]

I am taking a class over the summer right now at an art college near my home. After reading and looking at all the community activities and arts that are created here, I seemed to notice that photoshop was the main tool used for digital art. However, in this class I am taking the professors and stressing illustrator over photoshop... they say they use it far more than photoshop.

The only major difference i know between the two is that photoshop uses rastors and illustrator uses vectors; does anybody know why one would choose illustrator over photoshop and vice versa? Here i always thought photoshop was a must have for digital art and they are stressing illustrator is better.

[Elwell]

Illustrator is used more than Photoshop overall because it is used far more in graphic design. If one is dealing with text, logos, etc, then Illustrator is a must. The use of Photoshop in the design world is smaller and more specialized. It's not a matter of one being better than the other, it's a matter of different tools for different jobs.

[Jason Rainville]

GENERALLY, photoshop is for the altering of images, the creation of digital art that used brushes, and is overall the best for doing anything with photographs or realistic art. Illustrator is the best for, as you know, vector images, clean and precise designs and also for some illustration (usually for more cartoony/stylized images since it does curves so well)

You need to know the difference and what each is good for, because more than likely if you're a somewhat versatile digital artist/designer, you'll probably be using both.

I went to college for graphic design but am a self taught amateur (actually, probably beginner) illustrator. If I want to make a logo, chart or any other clean design I'd use illustrator. If I needed to alter a picture/make a photo collage, I'd use photoshop. If I wanted to make a stylized person with very clean curves and solid fills, I'd use illustrator. If I wanted to create a more painterly ilustration with brushes, I'd use photoshop.

Neither is better than the other because it's of course apples to oranges, but your teachers would be wrong to dissuade you from using photoshop; I can't really think of any creative field where it's use could never be needed. Ask them what they do for a living and the types of art they create. Ask them why they don't use photoshop. Above all though, try it out. Try screwing around with some images or painting a little picture and see if you'd ever want to use it. In fact, do that for every program you come across, since they all can have something to give.

EDIT: Yeah, what my dad said.

[ChristianWeeks]

Yea my teachers are graphic designers so thats obviously why they use illustrator more. I dont really want to do that kind of stuff; id much rather do photoshop oriented things so im glad I started teaching myself the basics of photoshop a little while ago. But yeah i understand the difference; If i ever create logos or things of that nature id use illustrator but as i said i dont want to get into graphic design so ill stick to becoming more proficient at photoshop. Thanks for the feedback

[Elwell]

Taking a class focused on Illustrator is probably a good idea, as it is such a widely used program, and the mechanics are far less intuitive than PS (bezier curves! ACK!).

[Cookiedough]

You can use both, you know...Illustrator and Photoshop compliment eachother rather than make you choose between one. I like drawing in Photoshop, ink in Illustrator, it helps me create really clean lineart and then finish off in Photoshop again. It helps when it comes to quality and speed, so looking into it sometime is definitely a plus. And, graphic design skills are never a bad thing, especially when it comes to commercial stuff that often needs texts/logos in there.

[Mirana]

Taking a class focused on Illustrator is probably a good idea, as it is such a widely used program, and the mechanics are far less intuitive than PS (bezier curves! ACK!).

I didn't get any face-time with Illustrator when I took my required Computer in Art classes at uni. If you're tuned to Photoshop and like programs it can be tough to figure out vectors. I asked a graphic designer co-worker to show me the basis of creating art in Illustrator. It took about an hr for her to show me the tools and for me to create finished images. Once you have that down...it's a matter of patience and practice. :shrug:

[J Wilson]

If your instructors are good you'll probably still learn some things that you can apply to Photoshop. Don't be afraid to ask your teachers any questions you have about Photoshop too, as odds are they know both programs very well. Your education is in your hands, so seek out anyone who has the answers.

[Ilaekae]

Illustrator is the computer world's most powerful pen.

Photoshop (and Painter) are it's most powerful brushes.

Period.

Learn both. They complement each other in a way that a graphic arts drawing table and appropriate tools complement your easel and brushes.

[Jason Rainville]

If I may ask; if you're intent on doing photoshop/illustration-oriented work (though you didn't say if you wanted to do illustration or photo-manipulation) why are you in a course for graphic design? Or is it really a general digital art course?

I don't want to pry, but even though illustrator has its uses, if you really want to learn illustration and photoshop maybe you should see about transferring to a digital illustration course?

Just my 2 cents.

[ChristianWeeks]

If I may ask; if you're intent on doing photoshop/illustration-oriented work (though you didn't say if you wanted to do illustration or photo-manipulation) why are you in a course for graphic design? Or is it really a general digital art course?

I don't want to pry, but even though illustrator has its uses, if you really want to learn illustration and photoshop maybe you should see about transferring to a digital illustration course?

Just my 2 cents.

Hahaha, dont worry, you are 100% correct. I'm just in high school and i've sort've been getting involved with this site so i've been teaching myself to use photoshop - not very easy. A spokesperson from the college (The Art Institute of Charleston) came to my high school and I figured, ah, what the hell, i should take SOME class this summer and maybe itll help my photoshop skills. wrong, lol.

The closest thing they offered to what i was interested in was a Graphic Design class (pretty limited choices); I knew it wasnt exactly what I wanted, but again, I figured what the hell ill go ahead and take it. I thought that it would help teach me some fo the basics to photoshop but instead its been a pretty lame experience... I'm convinced the class is aimed at much less experienced artists. When we aren't in the computer lab learning the very basics of every adobe program EXCEPT photoshop (figures lol), they have us doing extremely basic stuff like art principles and shit that I learned 3 years ago. Several of the other students haven't taken a single art class before... I made a mistake in taking the course. Oh well.

Anyways, the ONE thing I have learned is how to use illustrator to trace my scanned images, which will undoubtedly be very helpful in transferring my sketches to photoshop. I like the way Ilaekae put it: illustrator is the pen, photoshop is the brush.

[Justice Von Brandt]

If you're doing anything artsy with your computer then it is a good idea to know both both programs in and out.

They both do different jobs and do them very well.
When I do graphic design I use both photoshop and Illustrator 99 percent of the time and when I'm going more artsy Illustrator usually can trace my traditional inking well so that my lines aren't rough.

[kingshaj]

experiment fearlessly ...you cant break em

[Jason Rainville]

Hahaha, dont worry, you are 100% correct. I'm just in high school and i've sort've been getting involved with this site so i've been teaching myself to use photoshop - not very easy. A spokesperson from the college (The Art Institute of Charleston) came to my high school and I figured, ah, what the hell, i should take SOME class this summer and maybe itll help my photoshop skills. wrong, lol.

The closest thing they offered to what i was interested in was a Graphic Design class (pretty limited choices); I knew it wasnt exactly what I wanted, but again, I figured what the hell ill go ahead and take it. I thought that it would help teach me some fo the basics to photoshop but instead its been a pretty lame experience... I'm convinced the class is aimed at much less experienced artists. When we aren't in the computer lab learning the very basics of every adobe program EXCEPT photoshop (figures lol), they have us doing extremely basic stuff like art principles and shit that I learned 3 years ago. Several of the other students haven't taken a single art class before... I made a mistake in taking the course. Oh well.

Anyways, the ONE thing I have learned is how to use illustrator to trace my scanned images, which will undoubtedly be very helpful in transferring my sketches to photoshop. I like the way Ilaekae put it: illustrator is the pen, photoshop is the brush.

Ah I see. Word to the wise though; those art principles, no matter how basic will become much more important than how to "make cool looking dragons" and anything really specific like that. Warm cool contrasts, hierarchy, emphasis etc.... art stands or falls on that stuff, and I learned a LOT about how pictures work from my time in graphic design (though I was in a 3 year highly rated course, could be very different things we're learning)

[ChristianWeeks]

Ah I see. Word to the wise though; those art principles, no matter how basic will become much more important than how to "make cool looking dragons" and anything really specific like that. Warm cool contrasts, hierarchy, emphasis etc.... art stands or falls on that stuff, and I learned a LOT about how pictures work from my time in graphic design (though I was in a 3 year highly rated course, could be very different things we're learning)

Oh dont worry, I know. I try to incorperate as many different qualities into my art as I can and I know that the importance of these principles will only grow as my skill grows. Its just... well, they were INTRODUCING the elements to an audience who had no experience with them before. It was frustrating.

And just for the record, I dont like drawing dragons :)

I'd much rather draw something that I can pull out of my own imagination rather thanfrom every fantasy book ever written :P

[J Wilson]

experiment fearlessly ...you cant break em

So true. There will probably be a lot of times where you'll think "there must be a way to do ______," and there probably is. I learned both Photoshop and Illustrator entirely through experimentation, and looking up answers as I stumbled across problems. Look up the answers to problems that you can't solve yourself. Once you get comfortable with the basics, just start poking around in the menus and see what else you can discover.

[Ilaekae]

The first two apps i learned were Illustrator 1.x and QuarkXPress 1.x, and the entire time I worked, at least one person looked over my shoulder every day and said, "You CAN'T do THAT in that program!" as I finished some project...