I have had the program for about four years now, and have only opened it up twice. I have NO idea how it works differently than my CS6. I am sort of frozen in time and for some reason hesitant to explore. Tutorials would be cool. I like how people are able to make vectors, swirly flourishes in it. Does Illustrator give sharper edges than photoshop. or is it basically the same requirements to get a clean, crisp edge on an element?
Sunny and I are floating in the same boat! I've had it for quite awhile but I've opened it only a handful of times. I'd love to know how to use it but CS6 is just so much easier because I know it. I've watched so many youtube tutorials and read so many blogs attempting to understand and follow my way through Illustrator, I've even had people from this site offer great sites to visit and such but no luck!
I'd love to know how to use the pattern maker although I've become quite efficient in CS6 now.. lol
Really any of the getting started - basics type stuff would be lovely!
It gives vector-based output, which is kind of like working with custom shapes or the pen tool in Photoshop...but it has a FANTASTIC pattern-making/editing ability which far outstrips Photoshop's and makes scalable and easily recolorable seamless patterns that get off the rectangular grid, and making 3D text/items is the work of a few seconds with Extrude, and it's really phenomenal how you can put multiple outlines on the same shape (for example, a double-line border on a tag with one of them dotted). The Pathfinder tool makes it really simple to create tag shapes, and flower shapes are super-easy if you draw a petal and use the Rotate function. You can draw in it with a tablet, making your own doodles, and they'll have crisp line edges without blurring, or take the Blob Brush and basically paint a shape out freehand, then clean up the edges into a few smooth points.
What it's NOT so good at: using a brush at a low opacity with the Eraser tool to grunge things up like in PS; shadowing always seems to look weird; making edges that blend really subtly isn't really possible without a lot of finagling... and remember that sublayers will all import into PS as a single layer, not as a layer group; only the top-level layers count as layers as far as PS is concerned!
Like anything else, it's a tool that has its pros and cons, and if you use it for its strengths, it's a huge help. When you run into its weaknesses, Photoshop is MUCH faster at things like adding realistic layer styles, blended edges, and partial transparency.
I'd love to be as good at using Illustrator as I am at using Photoshop. In a professional design studio they are used for very different things. I personally would like to be able to make patterns (as Holly describes) and draw vectors.
Currently I'm using it only to open vector files that I already have so that I can copy various things and paste them into Photoshop, which is quite cool if you want a shape (single color) or a smart object (full original color)...because they remain vectors once you paste them into Photoshop (unless you paste it in as pixels). Vectors are great because you can make them as big as you want, without them getting blurry or jaggy.
Yes, especially for how to create and save SVG files with multiple parts for traditional scrapbooking or cardmaking! I have learned on the fly with Illustrator and have created some elements for blog trains (layered flowers mostly), but I just got a Cricut EA II for Christmas, and I want to create files of my own to upload -- will keep me from having to hook up for long periods to their online design software.
@Julie: So far I've only done SVG files with just one layer. I know you can save them easily enough in Illustrator with more, but I guess I'm not sure with how they then work with a cutting program. I will have to look into it!
I would love to be able to use Illustrator but too often I find myself falling back to Photoshop because it's quicker and I know how to use it. Sometimes it would be nice to get crisp vector images from Illustrator though.
I almost never fully complete a project in Illustrator, Sharon. It just doesn't have the capabilities as far as texturing goes, unless I just want to pull in an overlay for a paper. That said, it does an amazing job on patterns and 3D extrusions, and pattern brushes are amazing for drawing a doodled frame quickly...
AI and I have a love hate relationship but I know that I could do amazing things in that program if I would take the time to better understand it and actually USE it.
I have had the program for about four years now, and have only opened it up twice. I have NO idea how it works differently than my CS6. I am sort of frozen in time and for some reason hesitant to explore. Tutorials would be cool. I like how people are able to make vectors, swirly flourishes in it. Does Illustrator give sharper edges than photoshop. or is it basically the same requirements to get a clean, crisp edge on an element?
Sunny and I are floating in the same boat! I've had it for quite awhile but I've opened it only a handful of times. I'd love to know how to use it but CS6 is just so much easier because I know it. I've watched so many youtube tutorials and read so many blogs attempting to understand and follow my way through Illustrator, I've even had people from this site offer great sites to visit and such but no luck!
I'd love to know how to use the pattern maker although I've become quite efficient in CS6 now.. lol
Really any of the getting started - basics type stuff would be lovely!
It gives vector-based output, which is kind of like working with custom shapes or the pen tool in Photoshop...but it has a FANTASTIC pattern-making/editing ability which far outstrips Photoshop's and makes scalable and easily recolorable seamless patterns that get off the rectangular grid, and making 3D text/items is the work of a few seconds with Extrude, and it's really phenomenal how you can put multiple outlines on the same shape (for example, a double-line border on a tag with one of them dotted). The Pathfinder tool makes it really simple to create tag shapes, and flower shapes are super-easy if you draw a petal and use the Rotate function. You can draw in it with a tablet, making your own doodles, and they'll have crisp line edges without blurring, or take the Blob Brush and basically paint a shape out freehand, then clean up the edges into a few smooth points.
What it's NOT so good at: using a brush at a low opacity with the Eraser tool to grunge things up like in PS; shadowing always seems to look weird; making edges that blend really subtly isn't really possible without a lot of finagling... and remember that sublayers will all import into PS as a single layer, not as a layer group; only the top-level layers count as layers as far as PS is concerned!
Like anything else, it's a tool that has its pros and cons, and if you use it for its strengths, it's a huge help. When you run into its weaknesses, Photoshop is MUCH faster at things like adding realistic layer styles, blended edges, and partial transparency.
I'd love to be as good at using Illustrator as I am at using Photoshop. In a professional design studio they are used for very different things. I personally would like to be able to make patterns (as Holly describes) and draw vectors.
Currently I'm using it only to open vector files that I already have so that I can copy various things and paste them into Photoshop, which is quite cool if you want a shape (single color) or a smart object (full original color)...because they remain vectors once you paste them into Photoshop (unless you paste it in as pixels). Vectors are great because you can make them as big as you want, without them getting blurry or jaggy.
I voted Yes, although I don't have the program myself, because I'm sure that a lot of people would be thrilled to have tutorials.
Yes, especially for how to create and save SVG files with multiple parts for traditional scrapbooking or cardmaking! I have learned on the fly with Illustrator and have created some elements for blog trains (layered flowers mostly), but I just got a Cricut EA II for Christmas, and I want to create files of my own to upload -- will keep me from having to hook up for long periods to their online design software.
@Julie: So far I've only done SVG files with just one layer. I know you can save them easily enough in Illustrator with more, but I guess I'm not sure with how they then work with a cutting program. I will have to look into it!
My goal is to offer up a cutting file from time to time to go along with the blog trains as well.
I've had it for a couple of years and have to keep forcing myself to learn it (especially since I pay $21/mo for it!) Steep steep learning curve.
I can draw in illustrator but am much more comfortable in photoshop so I add details there. I'd love to be able to finish a project in illustrator.
I would love to be able to use Illustrator but too often I find myself falling back to Photoshop because it's quicker and I know how to use it. Sometimes it would be nice to get crisp vector images from Illustrator though.
I almost never fully complete a project in Illustrator, Sharon. It just doesn't have the capabilities as far as texturing goes, unless I just want to pull in an overlay for a paper. That said, it does an amazing job on patterns and 3D extrusions, and pattern brushes are amazing for drawing a doodled frame quickly...
AI and I have a love hate relationship but I know that I could do amazing things in that program if I would take the time to better understand it and actually USE it.
I just found this fascinating Illustrator tutorial on how to create low-poly illustrations. Here is the LINK