ArtCone Art Community

7 Responses to “Photoshop or Illustrator?”

1. JazzyCat
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   I love Photoshop, but haven’t used it for comics. You could create some great stuff with it. If you have some comics already drawn up I’d suggest it. But look into Illustrator, it might be better for what you’re working on.

2. PinkBellyCat
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   I like both, but haven’t used Illustrator in a long time so it’s hard to say how it is now…but I do have Photoshop and is the one I’ve used for the past several years. Photoshop can easily handle illustration, etc as well.

3. RecordBreakingNews
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   I think that Photoshop is better for just about anything.

   But why not download the student version? It’s less expensive.

4. VanGoghsEar
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   Photoshop is probably your best bet, but it depends on how you plan on using the software. If you are going to draw the comics by hand, scan them in, and then edit them digitally I would say definitely get Photoshop. If you plan to do the entire creation and drawing process digitally you might find it easier to draw the initial characters in Illustrator, but, with some patience and creativity you can draw in Photoshop too. Also, Photoshop will allow you a greater variety of effects and greater ease of color manipulation once you’ve got the basic character rendered, whether it be by manually drawing it and scanning it in or by drawing it on the computer.

   When you say you can only get one of the programs I am assuming you mean because of the price of the software. I don’t know if you’re a student or not, but be aware that there are student software packages (which are just as powerful as the professional versions) that are priced MUCH lower than the professional versions. Last month I purchased the entire student version of the Adobe CS2 Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, plus Acrobat 7 and Dreamweaver at my college’s bookstore for $400. Seperate versions of each individual program were also available, but I didn’t check the prices on those. You can buy from a college bookstore even if you’re not a student, but if you’re not near a college bookstore look around on the internet, as there are PLENTY of sites that sell educational versions of Adobe and other design software for dirt cheap, but many of them require some sort of proof of being an active student to get the special discounted rates.

   Whatever you do, avoid buying the software directly from Adobe’s website. I’ve done a lot of price comarison lately and that is absolutely the most expensive price I found! (Sometimes upwards of $2,000 for the EXACT same thing I just purchased for $400.)

   Good luck!

5. CrawlingChaos
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   I would suggest Illustrator, if you do not intend to do alot of shading, although you can get subtle shading to a degree in Ill. But, PS is a very robust program with alot of possiblities.

6. FMyth
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   This is so ironic! I was asking this same question about the same time you posted it. A friend just gave me Photoshop Elements. I have used Illustrator for years. I use it mainly for freehand drawing. I really like the drawing tools in Ill. I can see there is a lot in Photoshop but I just feel I can express myself more fully with the Illustrator tools. Then again I could draw in Ill and pump it up in Photoshop. Best of both worlds.
   Listen to the lady who spoke of student copies.
   Then again, my first couple of editions of Illustrator came from friends who had outgrown them.

7. RollTheStones
   September 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm

   Well, Illustrator will give you vector images, and I would reccomend you get this one, but it takes some mastery. I would also reccomend you get a COUPLE of help books ( I like visual quickstart). Photoshop gives you pixle-based art. It’s good for regular work, but when it comes to comic books, you want vector images (where it NEVER pixilates, no matter how big you blow it up). I have seen photoshop comics, and they have been decent but not high-caliber. If you’re a student, there are programs that let you buy at a discount, and Adobe does offer a bundle package that includes photoshop and illustrator.

   Bottom line, you’d get better-quality work from Illustrator and as a designer have a more-firm background in important software, but it does have a higher learning curve. Thus I would highly reccomend studying several help books from different publishers before you buy.