The resource hog: Adobe Illustrator drains your RAM and your wallet.
October 25, 2017
The resource hog: Adobe Illustrator drains your RAM and your wallet.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Adobe Illustrator CC
I am writing this review to express my personal opinions which do not represent the opinions of my current or former employers.
I use Adobe Illustrator to create or edit vector graphics. In developing training materials, I use it most often to create and/or edit icons. These icons make instructor notes and facilitator guides easier to follow. They also provide visual cues to the learner. The business problem Illustrator solves is a lack of clarity or other sub-optimal learning and training solutions. No one wants to sit in front of a computer screen and read huge blocks of text. Using icon and other graphic elements provides a visual stimulus which increases learner retention.
I use Adobe Illustrator to create or edit vector graphics. In developing training materials, I use it most often to create and/or edit icons. These icons make instructor notes and facilitator guides easier to follow. They also provide visual cues to the learner. The business problem Illustrator solves is a lack of clarity or other sub-optimal learning and training solutions. No one wants to sit in front of a computer screen and read huge blocks of text. Using icon and other graphic elements provides a visual stimulus which increases learner retention.
- Adobe Illustrator is the gold standard when it comes to creating and editing vector graphics. It is a comprehensive tool.
- Illustrator also does a great job converting raster images to vector images. In my free time, I've imported artwork into Illustrator and then edited the image by converting it to more abstract concepts, such as tracing graphic element, re-coloring, re-sizing, etc.
- While there are more lightweight tools, Illustrator does a great job of cropping and re-sizing photos.
- If you are enmeshed into the larger Adobe platform of products, it integrates with applications such as Acrobat, PhotoShop, and InDesign seamlessly.
- The biggest drawback is cost. It simply isn't worth the price.
- I would guess that I've probably used 5% of Illustrator's functions. It is that comprehensive. In fact, it is probably too big. It is a resource hog--you have to have a powerful computer to run it. The newest versions recommend that you use gaming-quality GPUs for the best user experience.
- While PhotoShop is primarily a tool for raster images and Illustrator is a tool for vector graphics, practically speaking, a person can get by with one or the other. It isn't as if Illustrator can't open rasters and vice versa. But the UI for the two are radically different. Take text editing, for example. The two tools take a completely different approach with adding text, and it is difficult to switch between tools, even though they are part of the same suite of products.
- It has had a powerful impact on the learning that I create by allowing me to enhance text with images, infographics, charts, and other illustrations.
- I've never been the person actually writing the the checks, but when I have priced it out for myself, it would have been a huge financial drain on my business.
- Better training directly improves employee performance. The better the training, the better the worker. Illustrator allows me to create better training. Thus, it allows me to empower employees to perform at their full potential.
I use Illustrator more than PhotoShop simply because I learned how to use it first. Many colleagues use PhotoShop for the same reason--familiarity. I actually prefer Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Fireworks. Fireworks could do many of the same tasks as Illustrator, but it was much more lightweight and responsive. Using Illustrator can be overkill sometimes. I wish that Adobe had not killed off Fireworks, even if they had re-branded it as Illustrator Lite.
I've also experimented with Inkscape. I must admit that there is a steep learning curve, but the research I did suggests that it can do much--perhaps everything--that Illustrator can IF you can figure out how to do it. I didn't have the time. But, you can't beat Inkscape's cost--free.
I've also experimented with Inkscape. I must admit that there is a steep learning curve, but the research I did suggests that it can do much--perhaps everything--that Illustrator can IF you can figure out how to do it. I didn't have the time. But, you can't beat Inkscape's cost--free.