Adobe Illustrator

Vector Graphics

Signage

Medical Models

Support

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.

Ability to create high end vector graphics.

Ability to edit purchased graphics and tailor them to your specific needs.

Ability to import non-vector images or graphics and convert them to vector.

The biggest challenge with Adobe Illustrator CC is that it does take time to learn. There is so much you can do that it can be overwhelming without proper training.

For my use, Adobe Illustrator CC has all I need.

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.

Vectors

Easily create for desktop or moblie

Illustrations

Scalable graphics

Usability

Software updates reset workspace

Learning Curve

Creates graphic assets which are scalable to any size with out loss of resolution

Managing simple 1-4 page layouts/brochures

Creating layered assets for animation projects

Logo creation

Fine Arts/Illustration/Drawing

Illustrator Files can get large/cumbersome when you begin to incorporate high resolution photography, especially if you 'place' the photo instead of linking to it's source file

Typography can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you working on different machines that may not always have the font you need installed or sending the file to a commercial printer

OLDER versions of Illustrator can be a bit temperamental about being backward compatible though this issue has been greatly reduced with Adobe's move the Cloud Based subscription model

Not great for large print layouts (books, magazine etc) you're better off to move the project to Adobe InDesign in that case.

Vector art.

Typography.

Packaging.

Dielines.

Large format artwork.

Cross functionality with video.

Image linking.

Exporting for different file types.

Creation and manipulation of vector-based artwork

Managing artwork resources

Quick editing across compatible programs in the Cloud Suite

More text customization options

Color books should be able to be saved in Workspaces

Live tracing needs further improvements

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 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.

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

Vector graphics for scaling to large sizes

Filling an object with a texture

Easily adjusting and expanding an artboard to fit the size of the content (especially for infographics)

Compatibility with other Adobe CC programs, but also exporting for PPT graphics

There needs to be a quicker way to ungroup layers of grouped objects (like Ungroup > Ungroup All) so that you can quickly cut through grouped objects to edit what you need

The latest version of Illustrator CC has been slow to sync or activate fonts

I wish the export versions would integrate with Google Slides like SVGs integrate as objects for PPT

Illustrator is exceptionally straightforward to operate.

A wide variety of drawing tools will delight most users.

Easily switch between palettes for printing and web. Full access to various Pantone catalogs.

Quickly convert elements from overprint to knockout, and back.

A huge work area with multiple modifiable

Export [workspaces], artboards, or individual elements in a variety of formats.

Quickly add bleed areas -- including asymmetrical ones.

Artwork is easily imported into both InDesign and Photoshop.

Decently imports PDF files for editing.

Separations preview and overprint preview are quite useful for commercial printing.

Does not always import fonts with PDF files, resulting in gibberish text.

[The] default palette can be annoying. It's a pain to delete swatches.

Software updates don't always transfer custom workspaces from previous versions.

Opacity maps need some love from Adobe.

Illustrator has a wealth of different tools which allow you to work quickly and easily, once you get the hang of the interface.

Illustrator also works seamlessly with Photoshop which is a big deal for me. I switch back and forth between programs very often. Opening a file from illustrator poses no issues when opened in photoshop

Illustrator has the capacity to work on very large files or within many files at once. Other similar programs I've used tend to crash when overloaded with large files.

I don't know if it's a glitch or what but when I zoom in really close there tend to be little shadows of lines I've drawn. You can't actually interact with said lines, they're just there on the screen as a ghost of the line which I was zooming in to.

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.

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.

Uniformity and fluidity with other Adobe software

very easy to layout publications

easy to export and prepare for printing

Easy to manage multiple pages documents

Great assortment of brushes, templates, swatches available anywhere on the web

Stable software. Almost never had an issue with handling large files.

Placing images in it is still very rudimentary

Integration with 3D Models

Adobe reduced the custom scripts capabilities in the latest versions of Illustrator.

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.

Adobe Illustrator CC is the best software to create corporate identity designs because of its use of vector. Users can create a design and then scale it to any size without loosing image quality. This is especially important for designs that would have multiple uses like a logo.

Adobe Illustrator CC has a variety of tools that allow the user to manipulate lines and shapes into great design creations. These tools all complement each other and help the user create their vision efficiently.

Adobe Illustrator CC is the best software to create designs that are scalable. This is possible because it is a vector-based software.

Adobe Illustrator CC's interface can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming. A redesign of this interface to have a more inviting user experience is needed.

I would like to see a downloadable version of Adobe Illustrator again. Ever since Adobe decided to switch to a subscription-based model, some customers have decided to use alternatives.

Adobe Illustrator CC does not intergrade with images fluently. It would be nice to see an improvement where vector and raster images can work more efficiently together.

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.

Edit and create vector images.

Connects with other adobe products.

Useful for changing existing images.

Backward compatibility of file formats.

Save directly to creative cloud.

Simplify panels.

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.

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

Integration with other Adobe products is seamless.

The image trace feature has been enhanced over the years, and in this version it is able to create vector art easily ands with much more accuracy.

Working with artboards makes creating multiple versions a breeze.

The free distort/transform feature is still difficult to use.

The color libraries function is difficult to navigate.

Some of the tools that ares supposed to be "just like Photoshop" are not just like Photoshop.

Illustrator is a very robust toolset with tons of ways of accomplishing the same things - you can take the path that makes you most comfortable (most of the time).

Illustrator is an industry standard - many people make videos on YouTube to show how to accomplish things so you can learn from them without reinventing the wheel (so to speak).

Illustrator does a good job of pretending to make organic shapes using the variable tools to tweak your lines. It allows the seasoned user to create truly stunning images that encompass their imagination.

Complicated and dense - Illustrator has so many ways of doing the same thing, it's easy to get lost. Much like Photoshop, you can use it for years and never even notice tons of tools that might make your life easier if you could only tell how they worked.

Hotkeys are sometimes weird (compared to Photoshop).

Pen tool separates the newbs from the pros. If you can't use the pen tool and you want to work with Illustrator every day you will have difficulty. I'm only halfway decent after taking a Masters class and I could definitely improve.