Friday, January 30, 2009

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Article

By David Peters

What are the differences between adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator? Produced by the same company, there are some that say the difference between the two programs is small. In actuality, adobe illustrator takes some key elements of adobe photoshop to the next level and beyond.

Adobe photoshop is a very popular program used by digital photographers around the world. The abundance of photoshop tips and tutorials make this a very easy program to learn and to use. Photoshop can be used to take any existing image and give it a professional, polished looked. Borders can be added and pictures tweaked to look better than any digital camera could make possible. Almost anything you can imagine doing to a picture is capable when using adobe photoshop.

Adobe Illustrator is an entirely different program. Illustrator is a vector-based drawing program that enables you to create your own unique graphics from scratch. Adobe Illustrator graphics can be used in print, online, in video, and even on your cell phone.

Both programs are vastly talked about on the web. You will find a huge array of photoshop tutorials and illustrator tutorials, illustrator and photoshop tips. Forums, chat rooms, and discussion groups that focus on both programs are also abundant on the web. Once you start looking, you'll find more and more information on adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator.

Drawing and vector art tools can be found on Photoshop, but these tools and their capabilities are nothing in comparison to those on Adobe Illustrator. A wide variety of templates are offered to help you get a project started and a number of different drawing tools are at hand to help you create your own personal artworks and graphics with Illustrator. While you can create unique graphics with Photoshop, you must start with a base image and your tools to work with are limited in comparison to Adobe Illustrator. For those in the professional field such as graphic design, the best choice would be Adobe Illustrator. However, for those with smaller drawing needs, Photoshop will work just as well.

Photoshop tutorials do not extensively cover photoshop drawing, and you'll have to look for some photoshop drawing specific tutorials to find truly useful information. Photoshop tips pages mention little regarding photoshop drawing and vector art tools. However, to make your digital images look perfect adobe photoshop is the perfect tool for you. Once you learn how to use photoshop to make your images perfect, you won't be able to stop yourself from "fixing" every digital image that you use.

Adobe illustrator is a different program. Where photoshop helps you create a unique look using existing images, illustrator helps you create your own brand-new images. In graphic design, adobe illustrator may be one of the best and easier tools you can use. The software is user friendly and tutorials to help you use illustrator better are all over the Internet. Whatever you need to learn about adobe illustrator, there's a tutorial for that.

There's no reason you cannot work with both adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator to create brand new images or polish existing ones. The two programs have some basic, shared components, so by mastering one you will already have a working knowledge of using the other. To make your images as stunning as possible or to create graphics that no one else has seen before, you can use both adobe photoshop and illustrator. There is no reason to pick between the two and use only one program if you have uses for both. Because the two programs and their uses are so different, it's probably preferable to use both adobe programs for your digital photography and image creations.

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are sure to make great additions to your software collection. Both the graphic designer and the digital photographer will find many uses within these programs and no matter the project, both can deliver the most sophisticated images. Mastering these programs is easy thanks to all of the tips and tutorials found online for both Photoshop and Illustrator. The more you learn and experiment with these programs and their capabilities, the more you will expand on your own creativity. - 15437

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