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The Adobe Creative Suite comprises of many different pieces of software, the big three for all Designers is Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign but actually what are they all used for?
The most commonly used is Photoshop, this is rastor based which means each image is made up of tiny dots or pixels, Photoshop is used purely for editing your pixel based images.
Adobe Illustrator and InDesign however do have a few blurred lines between them so some people find it hard to see what the difference is and which one to use when…
What is Adobe Illustrator used for?
Illustrator is a vector based program, this means that unlike photoshop which is rastor based and uses pixels, Illustrator uses a mathmatical grid to map the artwork that is created, therefore all artwork created in Illustrator is scaleable, you can resize as small or as large as you like and you will never loose any quality. Every company should have a vector version of their logo so it can be applied consistently to the side of buildings and also to letterheads. If you only have a Jpeg version of your logo from Photoshop you will always be limited to how large you can print this without it becoming pixelated.
Adobe Illustrator can be used to create logos and paint with brushes, it also has a lot of very powerful type tools for creating dynamic layouts, in recent versions of Illustrator it has been possible to work on more than one Artboard or page, so you could design a double sided A4 leaflet without having to use two documents, Illustrator however is not very powerful with multiple pages or spreads, for this you need InDesign…
What is Adobe InDesign used for?
InDesign is also a vector based program much the same as Illustrator, however InDesigns strengths really lie in its ability to handle multiple pages and create master pages, you can easily create book or magazine layouts with automatic page numbering and consistent templates on each page all linked to an editable master page.
InDesign is purely a page layout program, you can bring together all your artwork from Illustrator and Photoshop to create multiple page spreads and layouts. In recent versions of InDesign there are a lot more interactive output options, you can generate e-books for devices like a Kindle, you can also create layouts for viewing on tablets like the iPad, you can even add in video and export interactive PDF files. Overall for a Graphic Designer Adobe InDesign is better than Adobe Illustrator although you need to be using them all to their strengths if you are a well rounded designer.
UPDATE – Please see my new blog ‘When to use Adobe Photoshop Vs Adobe Illustrator Vs Adobe InDesign’
New for 2022 the Photoshop and Illustrator Apps!
Since writing this article back in 2014 a lot has happened! As you know there are Adobe Apps for everything these days and that does not stop with InDesign and Illustrator. The Adobe apps have really come on a lot in recent years, there was a time when it was quite restrictive what you could produce on the Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator App but now the Apps are fully working and used by professionals everyday. For those of you who are already familiar with Adobe InDesign and Illustrator you wont have any problems navigating the workspace app and for those who are new to this the Apps can be a much gentler entry point. I’m writing some new posts about Adobe Apps, I’ll post the link here when its complete!
Summary..
Ultimately if you want to be a well rounded designer you need to be using all three pieces of software to their full potential. However if you are just designing small leaflets and newsletters, Illustrator is great, there are loads of art brushes and type tools to create some great artwork. If you are making larger multiple page documents then its time to learn InDesign.
Mark Williams is the Director of Creative Studios Derby LTD, the East Midlands largest and most experienced Adobe training centre. If you need help learning any software from the Adobe Creative Suite, then contact us.
We regularly run Adobe InDesign Training Courses and Adobe Illustrator Training Courses from our state of the art studio in Derby.
Great insight there, Well said no dilemma neither confusion
Thanks I’m glad you liked it!
just want to know that. if I want to be a well rounded designer I need to be using all three pieces of software to their full potential…. what are these three software? Just name three software.
or any other software is also required?
The articles reference the programs already (Photoshop,Illustrator and InDesign).
Yes thats right its the main 3 programes from Adobe
Hi Sajjad the main three are Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Indesign
HI, Its InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop…
Start with Photoshop its the most usefull!
Thanks for the summary.
By the way – it should be raster, not rastor.
Thanks I have amended 😉
I am new to learning any type of graphic works. I usually try to work in WORD but is very limited in what I can do. I wonder where or which software I should start with so that I eventually become proficient in all aspects of ADOBE. I work for a company and want to educate myself so I can do ads, flyers, using company logos and also a rather large 25 page newsletter. So just wondering where I should start.
Thanks
My first program was GIMP, which was free. GIMP helped me to get touch to world of graphic design.
I used it around 3-4 years and then stepped up to Photoshop, that i use now weekly.
Now my job has a demand to learn more vector based software and i started using illustrator.
Illustrator have been in use around 3 months, still learning more everyday, even basic things.
Indesign is still unknown to me.
Gimp is ok for home use but Adobe really is the industry standard, I would recommend trying to use InDesign its a very useful tool.
Illustrator is the industry standard, Im sure you will reap the benefits if you keep practicing
Hi Pauline, I would start with InDesign I think this will be perfect for the kind of projects you are describing.
Hi there I would start with Adobe InDesign as this is the best for large newsletters.
Hi I would start with Adobe InDesign as its the best for multipage newsetters
Thanks for the explanation. It’s really helpful and informative.
Its good to get an idea of what each software is used for and when to use it.
Really helpful
Thankyou Tosin I’m glad it helped
very helpful,
Thankyou I’m glad you found it useful.
I am a textile Artist who paints large designs on Canvas.Im looking to attend an evening course where I can play around with images of my paintings to create other designs/images from my work to get printed up on canvas.I need advice on what course i should be doing,is it Adobe design? I am a complete beginner who needs advice,
Many Thanks
I would say illustrator is the best course for you, drop me an email mark@creativestudiosderby.co.uk and I can give you more information 🙂
Hi I would say Photoshop would be the program for you it has a huge range of brushes and you can even make your own!
I think the compression in InDesign is superior to Illustrator. I like to create vectors in Illustrator and import to InDesign, then add the text in InDesign because it is superior in that regard. Rarely do I use just one. I like a high-quality (but small as possible) pdf file to send to customers.
Its best to use the software to its individual strengths
מורו טוב, הגעת לסף שלך
I am new to design software. I will be creating newsletters, business cards, and sell sheets. Is Illustrator or InDesign best for me?
InDesign is the best for that