Any "Bi" artists on here?

[larryk]

And by "Bi" I mean using both Corel and Adobe..... I am a long time, like 20 year, user of Corel and now that I have it mastered (just kiddin') it is only natural to progress to the next level. It is not a must but just something that I think can help me seperate myself from the ink slingers in this town.. So my question is this..... can I get by with the CC and the monthly subscription for Illustrator only or would I be better off getting the whole package and further confuse myself?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[tpitman]

If I were reduced to only one program, it would be Photoshop, although since CS5 you can't output specify halftone parameters.
That said, if you're only looking to enhance your vector skills, a subscription to Illustrator would be good. Buying CS6 Design Standard (which I did as an upgrade from CS5 Design Premium, so it was "relatively" cheap at around $600) might be okay, but unless you need the additional programs, and if you're paying full price, I'd be inclined to just subscribe to Illustrator.

[Homer]

Larry, instead of learning a new program, have you looked into advanced artist stuff for corel?




http://advancedtshirts.com/


I think this may help separate you from the others more than just changing a program...you can do some amazing things in corel

[mk162]

the advanced artist stuff is great...my artist doesn't use a lot of the effects and things like that, but we use the heck out of color changing macros and his sep macros...both raster and vector.

I really don't think there is anything Illustrator can do that Corel can't.  That being said, there is so much more available with Photoshop than Photopaint...the community is much larger and there are more actions and tutorials than PP.

[3Deep]

The only reason I can see in knowing a little about the other program if your a corel guy or Illy guy is art sent to you in those formats by other artist or customers, helps to be able to get your art from one program into the one your strongest on, I'm pretty much all Illy but can use corel when needed, sometimes they don't like to play well together as we all know.

Darryl

[larryk]

Lots of great comments and food for thought from everyone. Thanks to all, it is good to hear from both sides.

[royster13]

I am not a screen printer so these comments are based on my use of the programs......I am current in both Creative Cloud and Corel Draw, however, Creative Cloud are my programs of choice....I only keep current in Corel Draw for the few files a year my clients send me....I do not want to make it their problem that I cannot handle their files.....

[Sbrem]

100% of our work is Illy and PS, no Corel at all. To answer your question about the cloud version, I'm under the belief that it is the whole package, it's just not on your computer, it's on theirs... there are about a billion Illustrator tuts out there for free, not to mention the good things I've heard about Lynda.com.


Steve

[Boldline]

I'm an illustrator user but I loathe the idea of "renting" my software perpetuity. So I've been using the Adobe CS4 suite since it came out! I've debated upgrading to CS6 because it's 64 bit and has many tools I'd like to utilize like line width. Adobe actually released version CS2 for free and extended the serial numbers for it. Later on they discontinued the need for a serial for it. Here is the link:
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/3689-adobe-photoshop-cs2.html



Mat Woodworth
www.boldlinedesign.com

[Sbrem]

I run both Illy and PS CS6, and will until I can no longer open files with them. I started with PS 2.0 and Illustrator 88, and have used the upgrade pricing forever, but that option is pretty much gone. When it doesn't work anymore, renting will be the only options for those programs.

Steve

[Boldline]

There are some options that look promising to free us from the adobe monopoly. For example, Affinity released a pretty solid vector editing program that handles much like Illustrator but without the lag and cost. It was free in beta and is now 50 dollars to outright own the license! It handles all types of vector files from Corel to Illustrator to EPS, etc. It also handles raster effects though I've not dug into it further. Updates will be free for a couple years... Its received rave reviews so far... only limitation is being Mac only. But hey, between Corel being windows based and Affinity Designer Mac based, we have options aside from Adobe! Here is the link: https://affinity.serif.com/

[Command-Z]

I'm "bi" and proud!

I wouldn't say Illustrator is the "next level" from Corel Draw. They're basically the same thing, same tools and features. I've used both and I can go down the list and tell you what I like better in each app, but at the end of the day, I use Illustrator because I'm more comfortable in the Adobe/Mac environment. That's just personal choice and reflective of my needs as a primarily Photoshop artist... I need to export the AI files to PS and keep my layer order intact.

Unless you plan on getting a career in a graphic design studio, ad agency or just want to be able to work with whatever gets handed to you, getting Illy won't gain you anything as far as getting your jobs done outside of being able to open any file that comes your way. No harm in learning all you can about all the software you can, but it's not a graduation or level-up, it's just a matter of finding where the tools and functions you're used to using are in the strange new environment.

As far as how Creative Cloud works, you do download the software to your hard drive. It resides there just like the old versions, it just updates automatically and can be disabled if you stop paying, somehow, I think. I've been on it over a year and haven't had any major issues. The CC version of Illustrator is worth it... it's a huge upgrade from anything you can get on the disks.

Why is Illustrator CC so much better than CS? Because its interface keeps getting more and more like Corel Draw's. True story.

[Sbrem]

There are some options that look promising to free us from the adobe monopoly. For example, Affinity released a pretty solid vector editing program that handles much like Illustrator but without the lag and cost. It was free in beta and is now 50 dollars to outright own the license! It handles all types of vector files from Corel to Illustrator to EPS, etc. It also handles raster effects though I've not dug into it further. Updates will be free for a couple years... Its received rave reviews so far... only limitation is being Mac only. But hey, between Corel being windows based and Affinity Designer Mac based, we have options aside from Adobe! Here is the link: https://affinity.serif.com/

I'll have to look that up. I personally have no real issues with Adobe, they make what I like so I'll pay for it when necessary. My wife however, absolutely loved the old Freehand, it stopped working because of OS X upgrades, and only uses Photoshop now. But if I could find her a free vector program, she might like it (I don't why FREE would be an issue since I'm the one who has to pay for it; good thing I like her)

Steve

Whoops, it's $50.00 at the App Store, still, that's dirt cheap...

[royster13]

I am a "subscriber" and love it.....30.00 right now is a great deal......Not sure where my limit is, but I would have no problem paying 100.00+ a month.....It makes me money and I really like all the other programs that are part of the package....

Anyone here to digital printing (DTG) with variable data?....InDesign works wonders for this.....It is a "value added" service that can make you enough money to more that pay the whole price....