Adobe Illustrator CC Review
When creating icons for use in a website under development, we were able to save a considerable amount of man-hours because we were able …
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What is Adobe Illustrator?
Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector-based graphic design software.
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Yearly - Billed Monthly
$20.99
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per month
Monthly
$31.49
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per month
Yearly - Billed Upfront
$239.88
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per year
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Product Demos
PACMAN ARCADE SPEEDART | ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CC | GRAPHIC DESIGN CHARACTER ILLUSTRATION TUTORIAL DEMO
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How To Enable Pressure Sensitivity In Adobe Illustrator CC
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Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 Curvature and Pen Tools Demo
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Adobe Illustrator CC - Color Models/Wheel Demo
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HOW TO DISTORT VECTORS | ADOBE CC ILLUSTRATOR | 2017 | QUICK TUTORIAL EASY TEXTURE EDGES DEMO
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Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
What is Adobe Illustrator?
Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector-based graphic design software.
Adobe Illustrator Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows, Mac |
| Mobile Application | No |
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November 12, 2021
Illustrator is easy to implement in the industrial world
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Killer vector design abilities.Excellent Touch Type feature.Simplified Free Transform tool. The powerful Puppet Warp feature allows the transformation of select portions of illustrations. Many improvements to existing features. Adobe Illustrator CC is being used for nearly 80% of all design-related work for clients. It's one of the best parts of the Adobe Creative Suite considering it's vector-based and being that we have a variety of clients who need both digital and print related assets, vector-based is the best so that resolution doesn't get lost.AI is well suited for designers and illustrators who need to create scalable artwork or assets and don't want to lose resolution. Clean and beautiful work can be created with AI. However, the learning curve is not the quickest so it is better suited for those who either already have some knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite or for those who are willing to spend the time and money to learn from a course or on their own.AI is well suited for originators and artists who ought to make adaptable craftsmanship work or resources and do not need to lose determination. Clean and excellent work can be made with AI. In any case, the learning bend isn't the fastest so it is way better suited for those who either as of now have a [little] information of the Adobe Creative Suite or for those who are willing to spend the time and cash to memorize from a course or on their claim.
- very good for vector design with color variation and sharpness that is really amazing
- the smart guide doesn't appear until now I haven't found a solution. adobe creative suite cc 18
July 01, 2021
Adobe Illustrator: THE vector solution
Adobe Illustrator is being utilized in many capacities in our creative processes. Marketing emails, catalog and presentation graphics, and website assets. Illustrator is often the first step in many of these tasks because of the powerful and fast graphics generation process. It is also beneficial to be able to work in a scalable image format that can be seamlessly translated into different applications.
- Industry-standard vector creation. If it can be done, Illustrator does it.
- Decades of development and user expertise.
- Seamlessly works with other Adobe Creative Suite applications.
- As part of Adobe's Creative Suite, there is the cost to consider. There are open and free alternatives if you are willing to make trade-offs.
- There is quite a learning curve for new users.
- All of the Creative Suite have similar but slightly different interfaces. It can be a bit jarring at times looking for a tool when you are used to it in a different spot.
We currently use Adobe Illustrator CC in our Design department. Whenever a need arises to create a vector illustration or detailed graph, Illustrator is our go-to. There have been times we've used it even as our main graphic design program for events and programs that need printed materials, but mainly we use it to create intricate illustrations to insert into other files. Our department currently uses it, and I believe other graphic designers on-campus use it frequently as well.
- Vector Illustration. There are a lot of tools present in Adobe Illustrator that give you the freedom to create whatever you're thinking of.
- Detailed Graph creation. When we need something with more options than Excel to create graphs, Adobe Illustrator has many more options to play with.
- Pasteboard freedom. When working on a project that has multiple sizes and iterations that are needed, it's possible to create all the different pasteboard sizes in one file. There's no need to create 15 separate files for 15 differently-sized web graphics, simply duplicate, resize, and export all within one file.
- Huge Learning Curve. I've been using Adobe Illustrator for over 10 years and there are still things I don't know how to do and need to look up tutorials for. The information you need is all out there, but you definitely have to take the initiative to learn those intricacies yourself.
- Doesn't always give the desired result. Sometimes I'll try to create something, and I implement my plan, but some shape wasn't fully closed, or there was a clipping mask somewhere I wasn't aware of, and suddenly it won't do what I want. It can be frustrating when trying to create something quickly and coming up on a brick wall like that.
- Keyboard commands don't line up with other Adobe programs. Since I alternate between InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop quite frequently, I tend to have different keyboard commands memorized. But there are certain commands that InDesign has, that Illustrator uses for a completely different tool. It can be frustrating and I feel like I always have to relearn what I had memorized.
May 23, 2021
A fantastic way to enhance your documents to generate higher engagement and ROI internally and externally.
Currently, we mostly use Adobe Illustrator in our marketing and HR/Operations department. The main items we use it for is to create engaging marketing materials and manuals/documents for staff. a current example would be our learning component for staff. We used Illustrator to create a detailed and vibrant document that provides all of our options available for staff learning and development as we introduced new learning programs for the team to continue to build their skills. Illustrator takes this from being your standard text heavy document to something that can be eye-catching with relevant graphics, infographics, and the like to generate further interest. In short, it makes something that could be boring a lot more interesting to keep interest high.
- Creation of vibrant engaging documents to generate interest.
- Illustrator is tough to master, but fun to learn with some fantastic results.
- Creative Cloud platform provides regular updates to keep everything running smoothly versus the yearly updates previously offered.
- It's tough to master. If you haven't used Adobe products like Photoshop or Illustrator before, there is a lot to take in.
- It would be great to have some better options to preview the final product if you're creating a multiple page document.
- Better integration and pricing points with Adobe Stock for the useful stock images to complete your projects.
Adobe Illustrator CC is being used for nearly 80% of all design-related work for clients. It's one of the best parts of the Adobe Creative Suite considering it's vector-based and being that we have a variety of clients who need both digital and print related assets, vector-based is the best so that resolution doesn't get lost.
- Vector scaling.
- Clean beautiful art work.
- Easier to learn if you're familiar with Adobe PhotoShop or InDesign.
- General shortcuts should be the same as other parts of the Adobe Creative Suite.
- Pen tool anchor points don't always move into the exact place, even when all "snap options" are off.
- Colors don't seem consistent across Adobe Creative Suite even when both files are RGB or CMYK.
May 19, 2021
Worth the Investment
We use Adobe Illustrator CC to creative graphics for marketing collateral for the college. A lot of those graphics are used on our social media channels, imported into InDesign for printed pieces and for animations created in Adobe After Effects. Illustrator helps us create vector-based graphics that are easily scalable and can be used in other various programs. We also use Illustrator a lot to create logos for different departments.
- Vectors
- Easily create for desktop or moblie
- Illustrations
- Scalable graphics
- Usability
- Software updates reset workspace
- Learning Curve
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use Adobe Illustrator CC to design illustrations, logos, and other graphics with ease in my business. I also use Illustrator to manipulate fonts by creating outlines. I like how Adobe Illustrator integrates seamlessly with the other Adobe Creative Cloud software. You can easily add elements to Adobe InDesign, which is very quick and easy to do. I like how the controls sort of mimic other Adobe software, so if you are familiar with InDesign or Photoshop, you could get the hang of Illustrator a little easier. I like that it deals solely with vector art which offers unlimited scaling. Updates are regular with this software, much like other Adobe Creative Cloud software.
- Integrates with other Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Easy to add created elements to Adobe InDesign
- Vector art with unlimited scaling
- Regular updates so you always have up-to-date software
- Steep learning curve
- Would require class, online tutorials or other training to use to full capabilities
- High cost
- Large software which uses a lot of space and memory on your computer
Adobe Illustrator is used to make Logo designs, Banner designs, Flyer designs for our clients. The software is used by the whole organisation.
Adobe Illustrator is the top software to use as graphic designers, because it contains all the tools and features to create the best we can for our clients.
We were using an open-source software which lacked some of the tools that Adobe Illustrator had, so we made the investment to purchase the license and now our work has improved greatly.
Adobe Illustrator is the top software to use as graphic designers, because it contains all the tools and features to create the best we can for our clients.
We were using an open-source software which lacked some of the tools that Adobe Illustrator had, so we made the investment to purchase the license and now our work has improved greatly.
- Adobe Illustrator supports multiple page outputs/exports.
- It integrates very well with the other Adobe products, to create an efficient workflow.
- It works with all systems; Mac, Windows, Linux...
- There is infinite resolution with the vectors in Adobe Illustrator.
- You can have great precision in your work with its intuitive tools to scope/zoom.
- It has a very steep learning curve and beginners will take a decent amount of time getting used to the software.
- Photo editing is limited in Adobe Illustrator.
- Adobe Illustrator doesn't handle pixel art.
- It is an expensive investment, especially if you are just starting graphic design.
- The files can sometimes be difficult to share due to file size.
Adobe Illustrator CC is used almost daily in the publishing department of my company to access color information from our catalogue of EPS files, although it is also used frequently across the company. [Adobe Illustrator CC] is a reliable vector editor, useful to prepare client files for printing/press preflight, as well as create our own images to be used in digital and printed publications.
- Create resizable images (vector images)
- Export files into image files at multiple sizes
- Color management: remove spot colors before printing; gather CMYK or RGB values to ensure consistent color use across all projects — this is something that Adobe CC Libraries also assists with greatly.
- Create files for web use
- Access to colors or selecting an area of an image can take a few more clicks than expected.
- The trace tools have come a long way since older versions of Illustrator but still do not reliably transform every image into usable vectors, i.e., you cannot easily transform a photo into line art by merely using a trace tool.
- I would like to see more free-hand vector pen tools
Quickest and most robust prototyping tool for logos, light print design such as invitations, iconography, and presentation backgrounds. Adobe Illustrator Creative Cloud is a constant tool, always open on my PC, and is used through 35-50% of my design process from concept creation to execution. New techniques and methods are shared well throughout the web and can be quickly picked up and executed. Shortcuts make the design process quicker and allow for more billable time.
- Creating vector graphics for line art icons that can then be exported to Google Slides, or Microsoft Powerpoint, allows for custom graphics versus typical Word Art.
- The only proper way to execute on a full logo set, the vector elements have been an industry standard, and tools such as shape builder have made the process even faster.
- Exporting backgrounds to be used in presentations has allowed me to create larger branding options for my client, creating elements to more robustly fulfill their needs.
- Illustrator is a powerful program, and that makes it a memory hog, so it makes a powerful computer necessary.
- Recently made available on the IPAD, the tools are nice, but the Illustrator app doesn't have all of the tools the computer-based program has.
- Might like to see more integration into photoshop and InDesign, at some level, these could almost all be united into one tool.
April 15, 2021
Adobe Illustrator
[Adobe Illustrator CC] is not used widely across the company. There are a number of us in the Training and Development department who use it to create graphics that are incorporated into eLearning lessons and videos that we produce. I have used it to create 2d graphics, icons, and logos.
- It allows you to create vector graphics that can be manipulated as you need.
- It provides the ability to create professional looking graphics.
- You can manipulate fonts in many ways.
- The pen tool takes practice, and is not intuitive for some people.
- There are MANY features that may be overwhelming for a beginner.
- You need to also use Photoshop to create gifs, versus only using Illustrator.
April 14, 2021
Adobe Illustrator CC: Half the battle when it comes to making high-end explainer videos!
Adobe Illustrator CC is the tool for creating clean-looking, infinitely resizable/enlargeable illustrations and graphical elements. It is additionally 50% of my business's workflow for creating animated explainer videos for our corporate clients, which is a sizable portion of our annual work. The tight integration between Adobe Illustrator CC and Adobe After Effects allows for an efficient, simple workflow that we have used time and time again to produce excellent results that pleased the client.
- Fast, easy-to-understand vector drawing and modification tools
- Tight integration with After Effects for an efficient animation workflow
- Industry-standard support for decades-old vector formats all the way through the present
- Toolset is sometimes confusing for Photoshop users attempting to migrate
- Vector drawing is more similar to 3D modeling than traditional drawing, and awareness of this seems limited/could use more marketing dollars being thrown at it
- Boolean operations using the pathfinder tools are absolutely essential to my own workflow but kind of buried as a feature. I think they deserve a higher-level integration into the toolset.
October 27, 2020
Adobe Illustrator Review
I use Illustrator almost every day. I am primarily an animator, but many of the project files I am sent are Illustrator files or can be easily manipulated within Illustrator. It allows me to work with files and prepare them for animation, as well as creating new art files when needed.
- Illustrator has tons of options for creation. I feel confident in saying that if you can dream up any sort of 2d design, it can be recreated within Illustrator.
- Illustrator can handle .pdf files and other types of image files. I find this helpful when I'm working on a number of different file types, so compatibility isn't usually an issue for me with Illustrator.
- Illustrator has many tools that are easy to use once you've learned some basic understanding of how they can be used. The software is incredibly complex and offers many ways to accomplish whatever design tasks you are interested in.
- Illustrator offers pretty good compatibility between itself and other Adobe programs, so I've found that to be a great thing when working within the Adobe Suite.
- It feels as if Adobe products are all created individually, and as if all of the developers work in different parts of the world. Even though there are great advantages to using these applications in tandem. They don't share keyboard shortcuts, and there are other things that work one way in one program, but work differently in Illustrator.
- Illustrator is complex and has an incredibly steep learning curve. I've been using it for the last 6 years or so, and I feel I've only scratched the surface. Adobe does an OK job of providing tutorials, but you have to look for them online, and even then, you might find better tutorials on YouTube.
February 20, 2020
Adobe Illustrator CC in a school
We use Adobe Illustrator CC at our school mainly in our computer lab. We purchased the entire creative cloud for use in this lab so that our students can get some graphic design experience. They have mainly used Adobe Illustrator to create simple graphics, but myself and another teacher use it for creating more advanced graphics to be used around the school. We have sometimes used it to create fliers to be put around the school, on the website, and to be given to students to take home.
- Creating graphics.
- Can be very fast.
- It is a large program which means it can take up a lot of space.
- It can be a little difficult to learn if you haven't ever used it before.
December 13, 2019
The 'Standard' for Digital Artwork and Design
Our graphic designers and marketing professionals use Adobe Illustrator frequently for vector-based artwork and conversion to prepare and produce artwork for our needs. As the industry standard, it is easiest to implement and train with.
- Industry standard for vector design
- A wide variety of tools to use
- Learning curve can be steep
- Faster implementation of updates to match new operating systems
October 28, 2019
A must-have software for professional designers
We have access to educational priced Adobe Creative Cloud licensing. We use Adobe Illustrator in a variety of ways from teaching to professional graphic design. Students use Adobe Illustrator in Architecture, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, and Communications courses. Example professional uses include signage, printed publications, logos, web graphics, presentations, and infographics.
- You can create multi-layered illustrations or graphics.
- You can use the layers and styles to create many versions of a document from the same file.
- You can export your art in a variety of formats that suite high-resolution print and 4K screens as well as images tailored to small screens or the web.
- Vector art files can scale endlessly with no loss of detail.
- The drawing tool is not as intuitive as the much older and no longer available tool in Freehand.
- Make it easier or more intuitive to add points to a shape.
- Make it easier or more intuitive to edit a shape by moving a point or changing it from curve to straight.
August 12, 2019
Still the best around
We use Illustrator for designing vector graphics and branding materials in conjunction with other programs in Adobe's creative suite. It is used mostly by our designers and helps us produce large format graphics for marketing materials. We use it for both internal and external projects and we consider it a core app we use to conduct business.
- Managing vector formats is made pretty easy.
- Pro tools for creating digital illustrations.
- Robust features for complete control over your projects.
- You can jump in as a beginner, but it takes a long time to master some of the more advanced tools.
- It's a resource hog. If you're running multiple programs, make sure you have enough resources.
- Artboards can be confusing at first.
April 27, 2019
The best vector tool in the market
Adobe Illustrator is one of the important software products that I use on a regular basis due to the nature of my job in the marketing field. I consider this tool as the best in creating and editing vectors in the market by far. It has an almost unlimited number of features that allows me to make design materials for anything we needed in our department for marketing purposes like print or social media ads.
- A flexible tool that allows me to design anything I need.
- High vectors quality for logo designs and for printing materials.
- Amazing iPad Pro application with apple pencil.
- There is a learning curve for this tool (not for beginners or casual users).
- Requires a lot of training and practice to get the best of this tool.
January 25, 2019
Powerful Software for Vector Design
I am a full-time professional freelance photographer, so I use Adobe Illustrator heavily for design projects, which is an important part of my business. Illustrator allows me to easily work with vectors text, and it contains many tools that Photoshop does not have (Photoshop is the other software I primarily use in my business).
- Adobe Illustrator is probably the most powerful software for creating and editing vector-based graphics.
- It integrates seamlessly with other Adobe systems, so in my case, bouncing back and forth between Illustrator and Photoshop is a breeze.
- Projects that require precision and unlimited resolution are perfect for Adobe Illustrator.
- Adobe Illustrator is not limited to one operating system; it works with both Mac and Windows.
- This isn't a fault of the software, but a downside is that there is a steep learning curve with Illustrator. Be prepared to learn the extensive set of tools and features.
- Illustrator doesn't do as great a job when it comes to working with images. I bounce between Illustrator and Photoshop when I need to incorporate an image into my project.
- Illustrator will eat up most of your computer's resources so it will require a powerful desktop/laptop.
December 18, 2018
Adobe Illustrator CC Review
Adobe Illustrator is being used by our creative department in various of ways; from creating large display graphics, elevations of exhibit spaces and vector graphics (logo's, etc).
- Adobe Illustrator renders vector based graphics well. It is a superior program for building logos, icons, etc.
- This program is also great for creating large scale graphics; such as billboards, exhibits, and wall graphics.
- This program also is very proficient with creating any web based layouts; like websites, eBlasts or eNewsletters.
- Program tends to crash a bit when working with extremely large graphics.
- Steep learning curve for the average beginner.
- Depending on your level of use, the cost of this program can be high.
November 29, 2018
A great tool for serious (or burgeoning) graphics artists.
We use Illustrator for various projects that involve creating and manipulating graphics. I am new in my position, but so far this has included included logos and social media content. It has been useful in creating and editing these types of graphics and making them exportable for use on other platforms. Vector graphics are vital in good logo creation. I expect our use of Illustrator to evolve and expand in the future.
- I used Illustrator to fix an intricate logo that had a typo. It was the kind fix that benefited from more robust tools.
- Altering and repurposing a logo for a custom t-shirt design.
- Creating different versions of the same graphic with different backgrounds (also, removing backgrounds entirely).
- Illustrator has so many features and can feel like learning a new language if you're a beginner (thankfully, tutorial videos are everywhere).
- With such a high level of sophistication, it can sometimes be tempting to use a simpler program (such as Paint) when the full suite feels like overkill.
- The sheer scale of Illustrator's offerings can be daunting, so it requires some stick-to-it-iveness to not feel mired in it.
As a UI/UX designer and visual designer, I basically use Adobe Illustrator CC every day. It is definitely one of my most used software to create digital and print graphics. The best thing about illustrator is the ability of integration with other design applications. For most of the designers, Illustrator is one of the fundamental tools to learn about vector based graphics.
- Create everything in vector
- Ability to integrate with other design tools
- Easy to export files in multiple formats
- A high learning curve for beginners
- Lack of ability to collaborate with another designer on the same file
- Gradient function needs to be improved
We use Adobe Illustrator CC in our Marketing department. We use it to create infographics, icons, and original illustrations. Our business uses a lot of concepts that are hard to find stock graphics of online, so Illustrator gives us the flexibility and advanced tools required to create our own assets.
- Ability to easily create vector graphics from scratch
- Tons of customization
- Ability to import and export from other Adobe products like Photoshop and InDesign
- High learning curve
- Occasional bugs during saving
- Can be demanding on computer system resources
May 03, 2018
Must have tool for all designs
As the media and communications director, I use Adobe Illustrator CC for all of our graphical needs. Everything from logos to branding to design of printed material to promotional banners and screens. I am the only one at our organization that uses the software. I love that I can make one graphic that can be used for so many applications. Since it is a vector based software, that means I can save a graphic to be small is resolution to be used on screens or web but also high resolution to be used for printed materials.
- I love to Illustrator when it comes to branding our specific events. It allows me to set up multiple Artboards so I can create different versions of the same branded graphics but export and use them differently for different applications. This is crucial when it comes to working with a team and different ways of communicating to different groups. In one place I might need a graphic set up in landscape to work on a web page and another I might need a portrait that will also work with a white background instead of black. Illustrator allows you to easily organize and make those changes needed.
- Being a Vector based design program. This gives me the ability to make whatever graphic I create either as small as the size of a dime or as large as a billboard. Doing this only takes minor adjustments. This has helped me when Branding needs to span over everything from web to print to mobile.
- I love the plug in abilities that Illustrator has. There are options for everything from a plug in to help me keep track of my freelance work hours to being able to search color themes and sync my account directly up to Illustrator.
- It is hard to find something to not like about the software so I will say this, there is a pretty big learning curve when first starting the software. It can be quit intimidating for someone who has never used a design software although adobe is good at offering tutorials on how to get going.
- There are times when the software will not let me do things that I want to do and an error will pop up. For example, when it comes to the path finder tool and compound paths. I with the error message was more helpful or offered help on how to remedy the situation of why it won't let me do what I want to do. Instead of just trial and error.
November 30, 2017
Adobe Illustrator CC - The Best of the Best
Adobe Illustrator is one of the most important tools our students use and that our print team uses. It is being used across the entire school and is installed on over 200 computers throughout the school. The main purpose of having access to the program is that it makes teaching students graphic design software much easier. We established a program specifically to teach students graphic design and business development. Using Adobe Illustrator they can create their entire marketing scheme and company branding. The problem it addresses is the relevance of industry knowledge we give to students. This software prepares them for industry careers.
- Adobe Illustrator CC allows for colors to be accessed across the Adobe Suite if you are logged into your account. This makes it much easier for all designers and students to access their files and their color schemes easily. This creates a great workflow and saves time.
- Adobe Illustrator CC has an amazing user interface. The interface is easily reset and customizable. Being able to navigate the program faster with your own custom layout for the toolbars really makes designing more fun and efficient.
- Something that is done very well is the live trace tool. The live trace tool is a great asset to turn images or screenshots into vector designs. When you need to trace something, this is the fastest way to do it. The options it gives you to do so really allows you to create the best vector design without much work.
- Adobe Illustrator doesn't come with enough default fonts. Having more fonts would really improve the experience instead of needing to download free fonts on my own and install them for more unique designs.
- Adobe Illustrator has a perspective tool which is accessible in the toolbar and when it is clicked and turned on it is extremely annoying. To close this once it pops up is very difficult to click the very small "x" in the corner. This does not happen often but if you're a new user and this happens you can spend hours trying to find out how to remove it.
- One function that I would like to see is avoiding isolation mode. When you double click into groups of objects or items, it will turn your screen into isolation mode and if you don't realize it, you could be designing and adding things to a group that you wanted to be separate.