Which program is best and why?

[SMalier]

So I'm wondering which program to use for illustrating items. My style is a bit "cartoon-ish" and I tend to illustrate things in Illustrator and then bring them into Photoshop for minor editing.

What does the majority use for cartoons, etc? I'm not the greatest at Photoshop and using the tablet (yet), but if that is the better program then I will definitely practice more using it. If Illustrator is where I need to be to hone my cartoons/graphic skills, then I'll stick with that one.

My main concern at the moment is trying to find a program that fills all of my needs, rather than bouncing back and forth. Maybe I'm just not educated enough with Illustrator's abilities, or maybe I've been scared off from using Photoshop because of what I was taught in college for Graphic Design.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. And incase someone is wondering, I am currently doing advertising for a company (full-time) so that is where the layout design and illustrations come together. Thanks.

[Amber Alexander]

I can't answer your question directly but do a search for jobs that you want to do, 2D Artist jobs for example and you'll find some job openings that list exactly what programs you should know. Find several and make a list because not every job will be the same, after a few you'll see which programs are used most for your field.

[SMalier]

Well, when you're talking about 2D Art, then usually Photoshop is used. However, in my situation, I could potentially use that for illustrations, but I was taught to use illustrator for text, which still poses the back and forth issue. I was also taught to use illustrator for logos, however there is some sort of vector graphics in photoshop, but I do not fully understand them. Hence the dilemma of choosing programs for certain projects.

If I could have a few people chime in with what type of work they do and which program(s) they use for those pieces, that could work too, because then I could see what is possible within each program. I need to know which program is best suited for the type of illustration. I've seen cartoons drawn in photoshop, but also in illustrator and since illustrator is all vector art, I tend to stick with it. I'm no pro when it comes to knowing these programs inside and out, so perhaps I've missed something.

[SMalier]

Can anyone else help me out here?
Would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Meloncov]

They both have their place. Learn both.


That being said, Photoshop is the more versatile of the two, so if for some weird reason you can only learn one, I'd go with that.

[Ariel9]

I wouldn't know exactly what to say, I have a graphics course right now in which the teacher says illustrations should be done in illustrator only, but that's kind of stupid of course, as like, everybody on this message board can confirm.

I think your approach of switching is right (I've used it myself some times), there are just things you can't do in Photoshop, and that you'll ace with Illustrator, and vice versa. The vector tool in PS sucks and the only kind of shading you'll get in Illustrator will be very wooden (although if done well, very realistic) and not ideal for a warm, cartoony illustration, flats or cell shading are pretty much as far as it goes.
Keep practicing in both is what I say, maybe try and do something in PS alone without vectors to expand on what you're able to do :)

[Arshes Nei]

Most artists I know will use a number of programs to complete the work. Their concern is about getting the job done so they can get the paycheck.

[D.aligh]

My main concern at the moment is trying to find a program that fills all of my needs, rather than bouncing back and forth.

I'm not sure If you will ever find a program that will fit 100% of your need all the time. With that being said, I think you should find the program and process that works best for you.

Personally I find Photoshop to be a lot easier to use than illustrator. I've only used it primarily to design logos and packages since the program seems to be the best at it. If I want to paint or design characters, Photoshop is the way to go for me since my characters are more realistic. Alias Sketchbook Pro may also be another option to explore since its designed to imitate mechanical pencil and pen strokes far better than Photoshop's brushes. There is a free trial (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=6848332) on their website.

At the end of the day I think it will take time to effort to really learn a program and use it well. Just do what comes naturally to you and hope that the program is industry standard.

Good luck :)

[SMalier]

Much appreciated everyone. I guess that answers my question by about 90%.
I'm used to designing logos in Illustrator, as well as layouts, InDesign mainly for stationery and Photoshop for image editing and concept art. My teachers never really combined programs in order to do assignments, so I guess that's why I'm having such a hard time going from one to another to finish jobs now. It's a decent system, don't get me wrong, but it just makes me feel like I'm not using Illustrator to it's full capabilities.

Thanks again for the help and I will look into Sketchbook, as it seems like a neat program. :)

[jt4470]

It's whatever gets the job done.
I know artists who use Sketchup pro, Google sketchup, Artrage, Corel Painter, Painter Sai, photoshop, Open Canvas, Illustrator, Flash.
The list goes on.

If you like a program and it suits your style, stick with it.

The majority of companies however, due require you to know a bit of photoshop (not just for illustration, but for editing and meshing as well).

But really depends on the type of job you're going after.

Hope that helps.

[SMalier]

Well, at this moment in time I am doing advertising for a newspaper, however my job description includes stationery, newsletters, posters, etc... so I tend to concept stuff in pen or pencil and then lay things out in Illustrator. If the job is looking a bit flat I take it into Photoshop where I add the finishing touches and I'm done. I have yet to use programs other than Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign at work. Also, seeing as I am in an office, I am limited to what they have available to get the jobs done. Downloading programs is out of the question and bringing my own software is a waste if I need it at home.

I'm satisfied with the responses I received, so thank you. :)

[Senira]

Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign are exactly what I use at my job. I design forms, newsletters, mailings, etc, and I find that Illustrator is great for graphics, and Photoshop is great for retouching and for adding effects to an Illustrator graphic that Illustrator alone may not be able to achieve. Once I've finished making all the graphics, I open up InDesign, place the files I want to use, and layout whatever it is I'm making in there. I never use Illustrator for print layouts because the options for text are so much richer in InDesign, and since it's meant to be a publishing program, it has more options for working with printed formats than Illustrator does.

Art-wise, I've started using Illustrator for inking pencils, and, depending on the style of the finished work, coloring the result in Photoshop. Or Painter, if I'm feeling very experimental. Really, you should never limit yourself to learning just one piece of software, because if something happens-- say it loses favor in the industry, or the comapny that makes it goes under-- you'll be stuck.

[LuckyDevil]

Photoshop - retouching photos, digital painting, rought concepts.
Illustrator- Inking, Vectors (able to resize to any size needed so its good for logos, and any graphic that needs to be processed into the real world that is not printed ie: laser engravings and metal engravings.)
Indesign - Books, catalogs and multiple page things.

Those are the 3 i use at work as a graphic designer, but really they are just tools you can always use different programs to achieve the same thing. I would say learning the basics and traditional skills (lighting, drawing, design, composition.. ect) is the best thing to do, and learn the programs needed at your job are a secondary thing that you can pick up quite easily as you go.