Illustrator or Photoshop?

[Encryptor]

Which one is better (easier) for the novice to use to try and make CP overlay?


Encryptor

[patrickl]

I'd say Illustrator, but it probably depends on what you want to do. Actually I prefer CorelDraw since it's much easier to work with and thus more efficient. Since printers all use Illustrator (or bitmap images like from Photoshop) and they don't convert well, i'm pretty much stuck.

Illustrator would work best for a CPO that has line drawings on it. If you are looking for a CPO like SNAAKE tends to make with all the pictures of fighting characters on it, then Illustrator won't do you much good.

[facesmiths]

YES!!! I was going to pop in here and blatantly shout Corel Draw but I see some one already mentioned it.;-)

images I would go with photochop but really come one. adobe is king of raster but corel is king of vector and that is just how it is. I really wish people would double up on vector stuff and output it in both .ai and .cdr ... (I am working on a few things that I have not found in vecortization and I will offer it in both AND in the oldest format that supports all the stuff so that as many as can will be able to use it. Unless you are running crack city these programs are really expensive. I know from experience. only free copy I ever got was corel 5 from a job I worked at years ago cause they gave it to me to practice at home and told me it was mine to keep. since then it has cost me though since I keep updating when I can (up to corel 11 now that I had to get a fresh copy for some reason as it would not let me buy the update a few versions back)

by the way anyone know what the newest version of corel is now? I guess I need to go and have a look heh heh.

[patrickl]

Adobe has 30 day trials. If you only need to do a single CPO, that might be enough. Corel has 15 day trials. That doesn't seem enough to actualy get something finished.

[Spaced Ace]

If you can obtain photoshop 5.0 or 5.5, which comes with illustrator also, 5.5 is way easier to use than the CS3 stuff....

Generic Artwork: Photoshop 5.5/Illustrator.
Detailed Artwork: Photoshop CS3/Illustrator CS3.

I have all of them, but I can't do anything with the Illustrator CS3.  But Photoshop CS3, I can tell a huge difference in detail.  But the learning curve is far greater than the older versions.

Photoshop 5.5:


Photoshop CS3:

[waveryder]

It has nothing to do with ease of use. Illustrator and Photoshop are different types of software. If you want simple shapes, gradients etc then illustrator is your first port of call. If you require high colour character design or artwork you need Photoshop. This is a simple case of "vector or raster". Both pieces of software are easy enough to get into. Mastering them is extremelley hard but can be done with a little patience. Personally I would begin by sketching out your idea and then looking at making it within the appropriate piece of software, rather than playing with software and hopeing you'll create something that will be suitable. You dont want to end up with one of those CP's made out of gradient filled boxes or other peoples 72dpi clipart!

[Blanka]

If I look at Asteroids' magnificent CPO I would say Vector all the way.

I ended up going Pong style: