I'm curious to find out who uses what?
Adobe Illustrator vs. Corel Draw or Other Freehand etc. etc.

and why you prefer one over the other.
Features that one has that the other doesn't.

My choice. Corel Draw. learned with it and stuck with it.. Never attempted to use AI.
Can i be coninced to learn the other program.
Or does it really matter in the end are they the same?

thanks for sharing your answers.

Hi Spiro,

I'm one of the very rare Freehand users, but I use Illustrator for all my stationery,
I find freehand faster for logos for myself, but I like both,
and Adobe owns Freehand now and will slowly let it die,
so I'm going to use it for as long as I can.

I use Freehand MX.
+ Simple, light, compatible with PS, InDesign (you can simply copy+paste the vector) and other Adobe software perfectly.
- No gradient Mesh, limited page dimensions.

CorelDRAW:
+ Easy to use, complete features, unlimited page dimensions (you can even make 5 x 10 meters page dimensions and more...).
- Complex setting on output file, the color doesn't really fit to my 'eyes calibration' ;P
(Note: Beware of using the artistic text, because it's easily transformed and potentially broke the typography rules). :)

Adobe Illustrator:
+ Smooth vector, the king of gradient mesh, master of opacity and layers.
- no automatic transforms tools (copying 3 object to the left or rotating objects with some duplicates/copies like you can do it in Freehand or CorelDRAW).
=====================================
But the most important is "The man behind the gun". :)

sunardipw wrote:

I use Freehand MX. + Simple, light, compatible with PS, InDesign (you can simply copy+paste the vector) and other Adobe software perfectly. - No gradient Mesh, limited page dimensions. CorelDRAW: + Easy to use, complete features, unlimited page dimensions (you can even make 5 x 10 meters page dimensions and more...). - Complex setting on output file, the color doesn't really fit to my 'eyes calibration' ;P (Note: Beware of using the artistic text, because it's easily transformed and potentially broke the typography rules). :) Adobe Illustrator: + Smooth vector, the king of gradient mesh, master of opacity and layers. - no automatic transforms tools (copying 3 object to the left or rotating objects with some duplicates/copies like you can do it in Freehand or CorelDRAW). ===================================== But the most important is "The man behind the gun". :)

well said, this was a geat feedback in brief. Thanks

I totally agree with "The man behind the gun" it's true..

Another vote for AI :)

Corel. Trying out Xara too.

AI CS3 and Freehand MX :-)

I started off in Corel moved onto Freehand but I am now totally sold out to Illustrator. I think Corel is still a fine programme, unfortunately it has been given unfair press because every Tom Dick and Harry would-be-graphic designer, goes out and buys a computer and Coreldraw, and tantatararahh they are designers.

Some of the top designers on LC are working on Corel and the proof is in the pudding. It is a quality product software able to produce amazing graphics.

However one of the best reasons to work in Illustrator is the integration between All the Adobe products, there are some wicked time saving features when you integrate all the products especially Adobe Bridge.

The only negative I have found with Corel is when I send a hi res PDF off to print. Things go wrong when the production company print the job out from Corel. Hence I avoid printers who cant handle pdfs ie dont have Illustrator or Acrobat proffesional. But I guess this is understandable Adobe invented the pdf.

illy user....first learned freehand......then illy.....prefer illy:)

AI ... becouse was the first and with a 5 years old baby, one wife (for now ;)) and a new child on the road i do not have any time

;)

Illustrator CS3

Brendan, thanks for that feedback... i think the co relation of all the adobe products would make sense productivily and graphically....

corel is easier to use... and thus has that capability to be manipluated... but as sun said.. it's the person behind the software..

but seems AI is the choice of software...

As with all software once you get the hang of it it all seems easy, the best shorcut to learning Illustrator is through www.lynda.com great tutorials at a very reasonable price.

On a scale from 1 to 5
corel - 6 :D
illo - 4
photoshop - 5

In a corel vs. Illo i would say:
Corel looses most of the time, but illustrator completely lacks of some very good points that corel has and illo doesn't.

ulahts wrote:

Corel looses most of the time, but illustrator completely lacks of some very good points that corel has and illo doesn't.

Which points are you referring to?

1 easy curve editability
2 contour tool
3 outline tool
4 perspective tool
5 font work
6 easy shape manipulation
and a few others ...

I use Freehand MX and CS3 i don't like Corel at all, besides Corel for mac sucks and i won't change mi mac for a pc.

Wow. Makes me buy Corel.

ulahts wrote:

1 easy curve editability 2 contour tool 3 outline tool 4 perspective tool 5 font work 6 easy shape manipulation and a few others ...

nVidia GeForce GTX 285, 2048MB
Intel® CoreTM2 Quad Q9550S
HDD Fujitsu MBA3300NP, 300GB, 15000 rpm x 2

I can give a mac for these :D

Well i have learn both Corel and Illustrator, first at university i learned Corel, than Illustrator, than for my first job i had to work in corel (i just got used to Illustrator) and switch from one to another a couple of more times and now i work in Illustrator. And i can say that Illustrator is more creative and Corel is more accurate and easier to use. But for Illustrator you can find more tutorials and a lot of free scripts that can help you out :)

GASHE, that's interesting, because i did find illustrator had more options for free flowing but as mentioned above corel has some of those great highlights as ulahts mentioned....

Thanks brendan for the heads up o the tutorial....

ulahts wrote:

1 easy curve editability — agree not easy at first but once you understand it you can edit very easily also AI has a curve smoothing tool which makes great smooth looking curves. 2 contour tool – Ai just calls It something else offset path you can create negative or positive offset paths and then if you want multiple countours between them you can just blend them and you can even change the spacing of the blend even or not even 3 outline tool – Not true, when you use the power of the appearance panel you will be totally amazed this has to be the main reason I love illustrator because all changes and affect you apply through the appearance panel are live. ie I can apply multiple affects to a piece of text, eg threediffernt backrounds all a different size with a drop shadow only between the second and third. plus a box with curved corners that automatically scales with the text etc etc etc and if I want to change the word all my effects remain. 4 perspective tool – Yes would love it if ai had this, but it does have a very powerfull 3d rendering capability and you can also map your artwork onto your 3d designs. 5 font work – Not sure why you say this, you can tweak your fonts any way you like, 6 easy shape manipulation – Very powerful but takes some getting used to. and a few others ...

other reasons I love Illustrator
1. just the way the design looks somehow freehand and corel just dont render the on screen look as well as ai
2. As mentioned the interaction between photoshop, flash, indesign, bridge etc
3. The revolve tool
4. the envelope distort tool how often have you tried to get text to fit in say a ribbon that say is thin gets thicker then tapers off. Well with the envolope distort tool it is so easy and the best part the text stays live I you dont have to convert it to curves and spend hours tweaking nodes only to have the client come with a name change and undo all your hard work.
5. the mesh tool you can have a blend going in any direction with multiple colours great if you love illustrating like I do
6. the Live trace, often I design first on paper and then bring it into ai and the live trace goes a long way to remove te drudge of redrawing especially cartoons or illustrations.
7. and the live paint the ability to colour an object in minutesand still have the interactivity ie if I move three overlapping objects that I have colourd different colours it has the common sence to automatically adjust the shape as you move them.

And so much more. I am touching the tip of the iceberg here. And the scary thing is SC4 has made it even better, and the even scaryier thing, I DONT HAVE IT YET!!

If anyone is stuck with something in AI I am happy to help.

I use Illustrator CS2, owns a copy of CS4 but waiting to get Windows 7 before I install it.

Last touched Freehand 7 years ago. Never used Corel.

AI, gotta love it, you think you know everything and then find out another cool trick you can do with it!

Corel Draw X3 and finishing with Adobe Illustrator CS3.
:D

I'm using CorelDraw X4. Likes Ulahts said, easy tools and familiar.

so which one the most user, corel or AI?? :D

I use Freehand MX and Illustrator CS3

tamhitam wrote:

I'm using CorelDraw X4. Likes Ulahts said, easy tools and familiar. so which one the most user, corel or AI?? :D

seems freehand is being used more then corel so far from the reponses given...
i like corel too for it's simplicity.. but i may just be saying that because i don't know AI...

but AI looks like to be the new trend of choice for itls compatibility with all adobe products..

csIII

Adobe suit CS3... I like to make my illustrations on... Illustrator haha, some kind of it I work in photoshop, something like comic art. I preffer the color palette of adobe, thats my personal feeling.

Now get this - I was a Corel user for over 10 years on a PC. Basically learned it on my own. Very fun, easy program to learn, but I always felt that it wasn't a program that a professional designer would use. I felt that it was a program that a beginner or someone "thinking that they are a designer" would use. - that was mainly because 9 out of 10 printers would run when I told them that I used Corel. It was always something that bothered me. I have always done real well with Photoshop and I hated to have to convert things from Corel to fit Photoshop or what the printers needed. For the last two years I have struggled to learn Illustrator. I am now using it daily and loving it. I haven't used Corel ever since. Yes, Illustrator has it's problems, but I'm learning to work with them. I love doing my illustrations with AI. Just like Tez mentioned - the color palette is great with Adobe.
Plus - I'm on a Mac now - geez... gotta love the Mac! If Mac made a car, I'd buy it!

Fatkid your absolutely right about the options with illustrator when it comes to some design thinking...
for me, i am like you, i started playing with corel draw ten years ago as a hobby, and i learned the basics and then went on from there....
never took the chance to learn illustrator, i'm resisting the trial and tribulations...hahaha

but corel is "good enough" for designing enough so to do what needs to be done based on who creates it.

maybe on my off time i'll learn AI....

If you know Corel and Photoshop - the transfer over to Illustrator isn't as hard as you think. Yes, it cost me a lot of headaches, but man am I glad I did it! You'll just have to stick with it.

I use etch-a-sketch pro.
The advantages-
1. nice crisp lines
2. only 2 controls you need to know
3. it is portable
4. it was inexpensive. $12.99
5. has never needed an upgrade
6. so easy a child could do it
7. no need for control Z... just shake it

I also use Corel and AI, but mainly Corel;)

glendon wrote:

I use etch-a-sketch pro. The advantages- 1. nice crisp lines 2. only 2 controls you need to know 3. it is portable 4. it was inexpensive. $12.99 5. has never needed an upgrade 6. so easy a child could do it 7. no need for control Z... just shake it I also use Corel and AI, but mainly Corel;)

funny guy....

wrote:

wrote: funny guy....

... no a "wise ass" ;-)

Adobe all the way

Ok heres my secret but if you read this please let me know so can kill you. Corel make a great programme, and it called Corel Painter, as mentioned nothing beats drawing first with a pencil on paper, well I do this first in Corel painter then I bring it over into AI especially caricatures.

glendon wrote:

I use etch-a-sketch pro. The advantages- 1. nice crisp lines 2. only 2 controls you need to know 3. it is portable 4. it was inexpensive. $12.99 5. has never needed an upgrade 6. so easy a child could do it 7. no need for control Z... just shake it Witty! I also use Corel and AI, but mainly Corel;)

AI - moved from Corel because of its more easier tools to use and final color producement
Owya, shortcuts. I used photoshop a lot on my other job, so similiar shortcuts between them helps me work faster :)

I used Freehand on a Mac back in the early 90's.
Now I use Illustrator on a PC.
I also do some work using Gerber Omega software (signmaking software)
but that is only when I am at work, I wish I could use it at home, It's
super user-friendly but also super expensive.

Looks so far AI is the choice of software, and some freehand users... i had a copy of freehand early 2000 and never bothered...Corel seems so simple to use.. but lots of benefits from AI, that might be good.

have an old copy of AI, migh play around with it to see the functions...

Corel for me all the time

yep, corel...and illy only when i have to.

LOVE COREL

Adobe, without doubt. :)

Xara Extreme Pro for me :)

no inkscape here?

Another AI fan. MACs rule!

Started with Freehand also but switched over a long time ago. Actually still have the box with AI 88 on the shelf just to remind me how long I have been working to learn this program and I keep on finding new things it can do.

thanks to some of you for helping to show me new tricks!