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Adobe Illustrator Reviews

4.8 (8,633) Write a Review!

About Adobe Illustrator

Graphic design solution that helps businesses design logos, icons, billboards, book illustrations, and more.

Learn more about Adobe Illustrator

Pros:

If you are interested in design at all and curious to dive deeper into the world — this is the perfect tool for you.

Cons:

Occasional updates in the software can be a little frustrating as adjusting to new features can cause disruption in my work.

Adobe Illustrator ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.0
Customer Service
4.3
Features
4.7
Value for Money
4.3

Likelihood to recommend

8.8/10

Adobe Illustrator has an overall rating of 4.8 out 5 stars based on 8,633 user reviews on Capterra.

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Jeffrey
Jeffrey
Founder in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Retail, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Illustrator - the standard for graphic design

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Overall my experience has been great. I definitely recommend AI if you are serious about design. It can handle any area of design and is a workhorse of a program - it is very flexible. But with great flexibility, comes great complexity. So, therefore, even though I have a pretty good understanding of how to use Illustrator, there's still more for me to learn after many years. Not to mention they always add new features. And I still have to take some time to creatively express exactly what I envision. For this reason, I also use Affinity Designer on my Mac, alongside illustrator. The reason is, Affinity Designer is much more simple and certain tasks are quicker with Affinity. However, anytime I need to do more complex stuff, such

Pros:

The nice thing about Adobe Illustrator is you can do anything you want, as far as manipulating graphics and creating any digital artwork or illustration imaginable. It's so versatile in what you can do, that it also can seem very complex to the novice. But if you stick with it and use it consistently or take some tutorials, once you learn the ins and outs of Adobe Illustrator, you begin to realize what it's capable of. I have used Inkscape and affinity designer and though I use affinity designer (due to the simplicity and quickness at some tasks), I always turn to Adobe Illustrator when I need to do more complex tasks. I am old school, and typically like drawing by hand. The great thing about digital design is you can still get a tablet and draw by hand if you like. This is obvious to many people but some may not be aware or haven't made the jump over to trying a drawing tablet yet. If you haven't tried one and you love drawing with traditional media, you are going to love working with a tablet in Illustrator.

Cons:

The biggest con I can think of is the learning curve. When first starting to use Adobe Illustrator is it can seem very complex. So when you're new, is a pretty big learning curve. With that said, I still am learning after 5+ years. For this reason, I recommend taking some tutorials or classes to understand what illustrator is capable of and for learning what every tool does. Taking tutorials also gives you an insight into how to creatively use tools for different purposes. I know when I first learned Illustrator. I had a good idea of what most tools did. But I just wasn't aware of the different use cases on how to creatively construct my artwork, actually using the tools. It was something that slowed me down, compared to just grabbing a pencil and paper and sketching out my vision. But once you learn to use the different tools together, you start to get a flow going and you get quicker with time.

Samuel
Samuel
Founder and CEO in UK
Verified LinkedIn User
Internet, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Adobe Illustrator a Vector based designing software

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: Generally Illustrator is the best photo editing software after photoshop. Adobe Illustrator has a large market and you can easily find designers.

Pros:

The ease of use. The free trial. The AI features. Vector images. Collaboration. Syncing projects into Adobe Creative Cloud. Can open multiple files. Animation. Gif making. Open mulitple image files. Export into many formats.

Cons:

May be Heavyweight on a small pc. You need Adobe CC license to do more.

Caroline
Head of Communication in Kenya
Government Administration, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Review of Adobe Illustrator

4.0 last month New

Comments: My overall experience with Adobe Illustrator has been great. However, I notice that my levels of creativity are average, which means I take longer than necessary to produce a great graphic design project.

Pros:

Adobe Illustrator is very powerful for producing vector graphics like logos that can be scaled without losing quality. Its tools are awesome, especially for a professional graphic designer.

Cons:

Learning Adobe Illustrator can be steep for non-graphic designers. Those new to graphic design can be quickly discouraged when starting out. You need a lot of creativity to use the tools and produce awesome graphics. Few people have very high creativity.

Chibuike
Chibuike
Head of IT and Support in Nigeria
Verified LinkedIn User
Professional Training & Coaching, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

My Adobe Illustrator Review

3.0 2 years ago

Comments: Adobe Illustrator has given me a platform to express my creativity and progress it. I have designed mind-blowing logos, branded businesses, and designed presentations, and vector icons. it is the best vector design in the market.

Pros:

Each version of Adobe Illustrator keeps getting better than the previous. I have been using it for more than 1o year and it keeps getting better. I love the Image Tracing feature than can vectorize and raster images. It even has more features. You can also stay organise by creating and customizing layers and artboards.

Cons:

I hate it when it crashes when I'm working. I've been in a situation when I was designing a presentation. I saved the file properly and tried opening it afterward but it refuses to open. It said something that my file was corrupt. If the file is corrupt, why should it still be having a .ai extension

Mohammed Sajid
Graphic Designer in Canada
Design, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Pricey, but best out there

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: My experience has been not just satisfactory, but I'd say Illustrator has exceeded my expectations. I learnt graphic designing long back with Coreldraw, and later my job required me to travel a lot, and I came to realize that the industry prefers Illustrator to Coreldraw, and I was forced to learn it. The interesting thing was that it did not really take me a lot of time to get the grasp of it, so it's user friendly as well. Now I can't think of any other software when it comes to vector designing. Illustrator is my go-to software for the majority of my designing needs.

Pros:

There are quite a few aspects of Illustrator that I'm fond of, but what I like the most is its integration capability with other Adobe Products, and since I use multiple Adobe products like InDesign & Photoshop, I can affirm with complete confidence that it works seamlessly with these other applications, facilitating a smooth workflow across different design and media projects.

Cons:

I'd expect it to be a one time purchase product than a subscription service. Yes, it is powerful, intuitive, and can get the job done like no other software in the designing fraternity, but it's expensive. Since it is available through a subscription model, it requires a monthly or annual fee, and I'm sure a vast majority of people like me would prefer a one-time purchase option for this software.

James
creative desiner in Kenya
Design, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Adobe Illustrator The Swiss army Knife in my Graphic design Toolkit

5.0 4 weeks ago New

Comments: I greatly enjoy using Adobe illustrator and I have been using it for the past 15 years. I would also say that the program integrates seamlessly with other Adobe Products and this makes my work as a graphic designer quite easy.

Pros:

I like the fact that i can now be able t use AI directly inside adobe Illustrator.It also good that I can also be able to pick fonts directly from Images. I also enjoy the fact that I can now create 3D vectors easily

Cons:

I think that the only thing that i do not like about Illustrator is the lack of a multi page editor, where i can easily edit test on one page and it will update on other pages in the same documents Artboards

Bryan
Marketing Director in US
Hospitality, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The premiere tool for illustration and design

5.0 3 weeks ago New

Comments: I use it daily for help with creating content.

Pros:

It's a near-perfect tool that gets used daily.

Cons:

The subscription pricing is annoying but that's the way of the world now.

Ana
Administrative Assistant in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Great editing tool

5.0 4 weeks ago New

Comments: Rough start but very usefull took. I love it and use it all the time.

Pros:

I like that we can edit our marketing pieces such a flyers, cards and brochures.

Cons:

You need training to be able to use it. You will be lost if you don't, it took me s while to learn how to use and now I love it!

Maysa
Graphic Designer in Canada
Design, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

the top choice for graphic designer

5.0 3 weeks ago New

Pros:

Intuitive interface, powerful tools, seamless Adobe integration.

Cons:

Pricey subscription, can slow down your computer on larger projects.

Devon
Training Manager in US
Consumer Goods, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

A gold standard tool for designers

5.0 4 weeks ago New

Comments: We've used this program to design flyers, Posters, Interactive forms, and other types of media.

Pros:

This is a very powerful tool for editing documents and creating designs.

Cons:

There is a fairly steep learning curve that perfect myself and my team had struggle adjusting to in the beginning.

Jonathan
Executive Director in US
Marketing & Advertising, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

The Pro Graphic Designer's Toolkit

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: I use Illustrator for everything from creating logos and UI graphics to simple online posts for small businesses. The vector format is fantastic for being easily resizable without losing quality or the fine nuance of the artwork. While a bit difficult to learn, the toolset allows you do create anything you can imagine if you take the time to learn. Now, there's a growing army of competition, but in my experience, Illustrator is still the gold standard in the industry.

Pros:

Adobe Illustrator is pro software with a tremendous set of tools for vector graphics creation. Personally, I've been using Illustrator since I first started studying graphic design almost a decade ago. Each new version brings us a useful set of performance and tool improvements, but my favorite in the most recent version is the freeform gradient tool. I've always wanted for a way to place gradient points wherever I wanted, and now that's possible. I use it every day and it's speedy, highly customizable (as you'd expect from pro software), and so useful! It seems like such a simple thing, I'm surprised the feature wasn't available before.

Cons:

Like all pro software, there's a learning curve, and Illustrator is no exception. On one hand, I understand that it will take time to learn and implement new features. On the other, I wish it was easier to learn and keep up with the changing tide of graphic design.

Asfak
UX Designer in Bangladesh
Consumer Goods, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Endless possibilities for vector design

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: For designing Industry standard Vector graphics & working in the design world it's my go-to choice. For my client projects, I prefer Illustrator the best.

Pros:

Illustrator is the most feature-rich vector design software I've ever used. It is the industry standard & the learning curve was not that hard for me.

Cons:

The subscription model is not good enough & the price is a bit high for 3rd world countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan etc. Illsutrator requires a lot of resource to perform smoothly so my 3yrs old laptop couldn't run this well.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Design, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Scaleable results

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: I have been using Illustrator for approximately three years now as a student and freelance graphic designer. I still learn new tips and tricks today that allow me to advance my skillset. Whatever issues I had or commands I couldn't figure out on my own, a simple search online has always resulted in numerous answers to the same question that others already had. Problem solving has always been easy with the software as it has become my go-to tool for graphics.

Pros:

Easy to use after some practice. The commands are approachable for a firsttime user and varied enough to fulfill the needs of a very experienced user. It is quite practically a blank canvas for vectors with which you can do anything you might need in static graphics and manipulate to your desire with a drag to copy command. After mastering the pen tool, you might find illustrator to be an alluring alternative to sketching or prototyping by hand because of how quickly things can be drawn out while still be very precise with aid of snapping/ grids. The combination of the shape tool with pathfinder allow the user to reach complexity of forms in few simple steps. It grants any user a higher level of craft without much effort. The more you use it, the more you discover. It becomes an essential tool for anyone who learns how to use it. Essentially anyone can find a reason to use Illustrator and pretty much anyone can get a hold of it within half an hour. Since it uses the same language and ecosystem, the Illustrator environment will be very familiar for anyone who has had the pleasure of playing around with Photoshop. An illustrator document also communicates well across other software for example, motion graphic, 3D modeling & printing, laser cutting, etc. It's a standard that will afford a user plenty of flexibility. If I had to choose only one design tool to depend on for the rest of my career, I would choose Illustrator.

Cons:

Some commands / tools are hard to discover until you are in dire need of them and are forced to do an online search for a solution. There are a few commands that do not match up with other software in the Adobe ecosystem which can get confusing. (i.e Indesign / Photoshop / XD). Based on your computer's GPU performance, you may get strange glitches in the rendering of a graphic when the file gets large which can make working with that file a hassle- this however does not happen very often and there still are many workarounds. Adding effects can make the file sluggish as well. Managing groups and different appearances within a group can become cumbersome as things become nested within the layers. To some degree, the user has to learn the Adobe way of doing things which may not be entirely intuitive at first but makes a lot of sense once you figure it out. For those who are new to Adobe they will have to learn to organize their filling system as assets such as a linked image can otherwise disappear from a file and must be retrieved. Unfortunately, you cannot make sweeping changes across multiple artboards, but instead must individually edit each item.

Steve
Steve
Web Developer & Graphic Designer in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Internet, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Illustrator is a Professional Program and the Learning Curve and Cost Will Reflect That

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: When working with vectors, I go to Illustrator and have for many years and will continue to. In my estimation, it far exceeded the competitors at the time I started, such as Corel Draw (20 years ago). It continues to serve me well. For those who work with Web Design primarily, there are other vector tools that have edged their way into the market and at a fraction of the price and they do some pretty cool things. If I was was just starting our and/or had a tighter budget, I might consider them as alternatives. Illustrator is no longer the young, cool kid on the block and some of these other software packages have found supporters in younger designers, but I still think its the best overall if you have the time and resources to learn it.

Pros:

I'm a professional graphic designer, so Illustrator has been my go-to program for working with vector art for many years. Pretty much whatever you want to do in this program, you can do if you know how. It's nice that they have been able to keep up with a lot of the crossover to web needs, like the ability to export SVG files and such.

Cons:

This is a difficult question to answer because what constitutes a "con" might not actually be a con at all. It depends on your needs. I could say that it's gotten a little bloated with features I don't need, but someone else may need them and, surely, I use a lot of features that others don't need. But it does make the learning curve a bit steeper, both for newbies getting their feet wet, or experienced users using newer features. But, again, with a powerful tool comes some investment of time in learning to use it right. Similarly, cost: Adobe has sort of priced themselves out of "consumer" and into "pro-sumer" with their Ccreative Cloud. For someone like me, the price for all that great software they offer, including Illustrator, it's a good deal! For someone who doesn't need all that software (or this one in particular) as much as I do, then it might seem pricey.

Tawanda
Tawanda
CWBTS in Zimbabwe
Verified LinkedIn User
Nonprofit Organization Management, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Illustrator is An extension of my hand

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: Illustrator is the most professional and flexible vector graphic software out there on the market. My creativity suddenly increased as i transitioned to Illustrator because the powerful features it offers allow me to fell like I'm using my freehand. Sometimes it even allows me the odd accidental design inspiration. I like the fact that you can connect it to Adobe Bridge for further functionality and automation of repetitive tasks.

Pros:

I mostly love the path finder, shape builder and expand functionality as it allows me to create unlimited complex shapes which can be single units as opposed to grouped elements. I'm a fan of monograms so this features allow me to create monograms easily no matter how complex my graphic starts out as. I like the fact that it handles scale-able vector formats exceptionally well (svg, vector, pdf). I like the arrange and distribute functions which afford me the luxury of unprecedented precision while aligning and positioning my graphics on the artboard. I especially love illustrators ability to create custom strokes and fills over graphics and be able to expand them into shapes for further manipulation. This flexibility is everything i ever wnated in a vector graphic software. The way Illustrator implements this is just right for me. I enjoy the various workspaces which suit different design professionals and their preferences. The various effects that it offers for example the arch effect allow me manipulation capabilities that extend my creativity to insane levels. Illustrator is my got to software for everything graphic even for projects that are in the bitmap domain as it handles those equally well compared to traditional raster/bitmap applications. The artboard system is another one of my favourite features espeially when exporting or alinging items based on artboard.

Cons:

It can be a put off the fact that Illustrator as a relatively steeper learning curve. The multitude of features that it offers and its workflows can be difficult to comprehend at first.

samuel
samuel
Chief Executive Officer in Nigeria
Verified LinkedIn User
Graphic Design Software, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Best Graphic Design Software for Creating Vector Graphics

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: Illustrator is great, perfect for Vector design, Logo creation, drawing Cartoons etc and it gets the job done and even do more. For a graphic designer, the software is recommended since there isn’t any better alternative. Once it’s features are mastered, one can easily play with the software and create something out of it.

Pros:

Adobe illustrator is a great software for Graphic Designers to add to their collection. The software is made for creating a vector graphics and it so good at it. Over the years, I have learnt to use Adobe Illustrator to create project like Cartoon and Logo designs. It is a great software and it gets the job done easily. One of the best option for using the illustrator is the vector-graphic which makes design a perfect still quality, no matter how the design’s size is adjusted, the resolution stay the same. With Adobe illustrator users can easily draw a design from scratch by mastering the Pen Tool and with tons of other tools like the Pathfinder Tool, the software made it very easy to design almost anything and even beautify it with the color guide.

Cons:

Adobe illustrator is great, no doubt one of the best drawing software out there, however the best can be too best.. if that makes sense. For beginners, Illustrator has so many complex features which are not easy to learn at all, even with knowledge of other Adobe softwares. The software is also heavy while operating, it requires a very strong PC to properly use without slowing down your operations or hang the PC while at it. Illustrator is just good for drawing, editing image isn’t recommended on the software, it lacks some basic features to edit image and working with layers on this software can be very frustrating.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Human Resources, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

“It creates your imaginations visually on media”

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: when you look at the price, instantly you will exclaim ‘oh my gosh’. As I explained previously, there are nearly 100 million images available in adobe stock, over 12000 fonts in adobe fonts, plus all the other features to run wild with creative ideas. Who else offers so much? Therefore my opinion is a designer can always make designs that can claim a value if you are using the license of Illustrator. At the same time, with illustrator you need just a fraction of the time in doing your designs compared to some others which will keep you way behind. Illustrator is definitely for professional designers and as a professional designer, will need to use compatible hardware to get the best use of AI .

Pros:

Ai is ideal for professional Vector graphic designers. After many years of studies with the inputs of designers around the globe, Adobe has developed Ai to create almost anything that comes into billions of creative (or weird) minds. Just about anything. Once you pass the learning curve which would take months and months with all that learning material available (which is quite reasonable), then you can make your dreams visible to you and others too. But still you will learn, as there are so many developments and updates take place continuously. The Free form gradient, which is also a new addition, allows you to drop points of color which blends together to form rich color blends. Adobe font integration lets you select thousands of fonts and use the most suitable fonts that goes with the project. You just dream what you need and you get it in Illustrator creative cloud. With its three ‘snap to pixel’ options, it automatically aligns to the pixel grid the drawing, scaling and moving path and vector shapes. With their massive stock of creative resources in graphics, templates, images etc which are close to 100 million in numbers and are organized in Adobe Stock, designers can access and easily design templates for various jobs saving time for additional work. The ‘True size view’ and ‘Trim size view’ features are added benefits for the User. Features of Illustrator are endless if you look at an artist’s point of view. It can put into reality all the dreams of a creative mind

Cons:

I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to call a wiper ‘a wiper’. The bad side of AI is it can just wipe off all other competitors in just one Illustrator stroke.

Christian Edison
Christian Edison
Publicity Committee Head in Philippines
Computer Hardware, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Adobe Illustrator Review

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: Adobe Illustrators is an innovative vector-based program developed for graphic design professionals. This software used algorithms to draw shapes rather than using bitmap images to store data. That's why Illustrator's vector graphics can be scaled to any size without losing their overall quality or resolution. Adobe Illustrator makes everything from company logos to informative drawings to animated designs because of this unique design. It can print illustrations, produce beautiful graphics on the website and give users full control over their typography. So, I recommend this software and it is worth it.

Pros:

1.) It provides an interface which will help the user: You have an extra degree of flexibility when working to design the entire workspace with Adobe Illustrator. Your interface makes personalized viewing possible. There is also an option to save space. Such processes allow you to work on your project in any way that is most convenient, while maintaining full control over all the options available. 2.) The Adobe Illustrator is compatible on almost any computer system: While Adobe Illustrator is not working well on mobile devices, on almost any computer system, it does an exceptional job. It can be used on Windows PCs or on items from Apple. Even from the early 2000s, if you use an older top-of - the-line option, it will work properly on older computers. 3.) It produces web and print graphics: Thanks to Adobe Illustrator, you can easily create print-ready graphics. With this tool, you can also create web graphics. It works in any screen resolution, offering a constantly updated tool set that allows you to relatively easily build professional vector graphics.

Cons:

The only disadvantage is that you need to require lots of patience. If you're planning to design something that's interesting, imaginative, and you don't need a practical dimension, then Adobe Illustrator can help you put together something in no time. If you want to build something that makes people feel positive, then you need to give yourself plenty of time to work on the project.

Braden
Marketing and Business Development Manager in US
Machinery, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

A Graphic Design Must

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: Overall, I would rate my experience positively. I am the Marketing Manager for a small company, and do consulting on the side, both of which require me to conduct some graphic design. Although I am not a designer/artist by trade, I've found as our business and my consulting has grown I have needed to enhance my knowledge and skills in GD in order to "keep up". Although you can find work arounds, I would say that Illustrator is a great tool for anyone who works in the Graphic Design field, or even the periphery.

Pros:

For an experienced Adobe user, this is an easy software to pickup because it is structured in the same manner as the other Creative Cloud applications. Tools and layering is all the same which makes it easy to adapt too. The greatest individual/unique benefit is that it allows for A LOT more freedom for design than, namely, Adobe Photoshop. The reason I compare the two is that you could theoretically use them for similar static graphic design purposes and get relatively similar end results. However, Adobe allows for far more functionality and flexibility to create and design static imagery, and is far more tailored to true artwork than editing.

Cons:

Some of the functional tools are not as easy to manipulate in comparison to other Creative Cloud apps. Using Photoshop as a semi-comparable rival for static graphic design-specific purposes; for the application of manipulating objects and text, I found Illustrator to have a steeper learning curve than Photoshop. Since it allows you to delve into more aspects of manipulating the objects, and to create vector imagery out of anything (or just about) that you create within an ai document, I found myself inadvertently altering objects in ways I was unfamiliar with. To be fair, I did not take any formal coursework or tutorial prior to diving in to using Illustrator, all was self-taught after having more extensive experience with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.

Charlotte
Digital Marketing Coordinator in Canada
Automotive, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great for making LOGOs, VECTORs and more!

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Adobe Illustrator has overall been an amazing product to use for my field. I am constantly creating graphics, images, posters or social media posts and will find myself opening Illustrator almost every day.
Illustrator is also a very beneficial program to have as lgoos, vectors or images downloaded online will often come in an EPS (smaller vector file) or AI (Adobe Illustrator) file. Having Illustrator makes designing easy when you need to be very percise.

Pros:

Wow, what an amazing software. Adobe Illustrator, although may look very intimidating when you first open it (believe me, I know), is such an easy-to-use software once you get the hang of it. But you really want to get the hang of it first. I have found so many online tutorials (video and articles) that demonstrate how to create vector images, how to use specific tools in Illustrator, and also how to learn the basics around the program. These are beneficial to someone like me, who has received some in-school training on these design programs but had to really learn on my own once I started working. The BEST thing about this software is the large number of online resources available (for FREE) for creating, learning and utilizing Illustrator in the best possible way.

Cons:

Although this product is much easier to use the more you use it or the more you have classes/training, it can be very intimidating for those who aren't in a Graphic Design role. Myself, I am not a graphic designer, so sometimes this program really confuses me. Especially when I use other programs like Photoshop and InDesign. So, the biggest con I would say is the confusion it can cause. If you aren't a tech-savvy person, who will go on Youtube to watch tutorials on how to work on a program, then this app may be too confusing for you. The design programs require a lot of learning and patience to understand how they work. Especially a lot of on-your-own learning as Illustrator is one of those programs you learn as you go.

Beris
Bachelor in Graphic Design in Bosnia
Graphic Design Software, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The best vector based program that I used

4.0 4 years ago

Comments: I use Adobe Illustrator presently to make and plan out online media content, print media, and web architecture. I am the main client, yet I am the one that the organization goes to with questions, demands, and so forth for ensuring that our substance is new, current, and present day looking.

Pros:

As a designer you have loads of alternatives to Illustrator for creating 2D designs. But I can say for sure, that Illustrator is the easiest and best tool to use, it is very easy to get started and learn. Dealing with .pdf records and different sorts of picture documents is really great. I see this accommodating when I'm chipping away at various distinctive document types, so similarity isn't typically an issue for me with Illustrator. Illustrator offers very great similarity among itself and other Adobe programs, so I've discovered that to be an extraordinary thing when working inside the Adobe Suite.

Cons:

It feels like Adobe items are made totally separately. Despite the fact that there are incredible preferences to utilizing these applications couple. They don't share console alternate ways, and there are different things that work one route in one program, yet work diversely in Illustrator. Illustrator is mind boggling and has a staggeringly steep expectation to absorb information. I've been utilizing it throughout the previous 8 years or thereabouts, and I feel I've just started to expose what's underneath. Adobe does an OK occupation of giving instructional exercises, yet you need to search for them on the web, and still, at the end of the day, you may discover better instructional exercises on YouTube.

Cleo
Designer in US
Design, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

From Logos to House Plans

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: I was working at Adobe at the time Illustrator was being created and have used it continuously over the years. I use it to create overlays on maps for zoning projects, I have done detailed plans for a house that I built, I always use it for logos, posters, most projects where I want a lot of flexibility with laying things out.

Pros:

The ability to create and control outline shapes. The fact that it has been in existence since the 80s and probably isn't going anywhere makes it worth learning. The things that do change or get added are mostly beneficial and logical additions. Tools like Pathfinder really work well. Masking works well once you get the gist of it. The pen tool is especially great if you know how bezier curves behave. I think they have added a lot of functionality over the years that I'm not even aware of since I never need it to do more.

Cons:

There are a few nits and lice that have always bothered me but I honestly can't say that they don't have workarounds that I just haven't learned about. I wish there were a fast way to create an often used color palette. I end up making little squares on the page with the colors I want and using the dropper to grab them. The artboard is a little cumbersome until you get the hang of it. I often need to fit artwork to bounds (good for creating svg files that don't have weird empty origins). When you look for the Preset page size the dropdown starts with the setting you currently are on - it's not obvious that Fit To Artwork Bounds is above the dropdown list and you have to scroll up! Finding a tool palette can also be hard when you have a lot of them open. You can see that they are open in the windows list but if you select the item it will turn off the item. What would be nice is to somehow flash or bring to front an item so you can locate it. These are minor things but I have noticed them over the years.

Steve
Steve
Lead User Experience Engineer in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Quite simply, I could not design software without Adobe Illustrator.

4.0 6 years ago

Comments: I need the ability to create high-fidelity mockups in my job as a UX designer. Without Illustrator, I couldn't do my job.

Pros:

Adobe Illustrator has been an evolving tool for so long that its checkered history is sometimes hard to remember. I was a die-hard Freehand user when Adobe acquired Macromedia, and I missed artboards to the point that I refused to use Illustrator. When they were added to the product in the CS3 or CS4 release, I reevaluated the tool, and I've used it almost daily since then. While nearly all of the Creative Suite/Creative Cloud applications have a steep learning curve, there is a multitude of videos and blogs and groups that can help you accomplish what you're trying to do in Illustrator. Because files are vectors, they're not nearly as large as Photoshop, making them ideal for use with high-res systems. Import of EPS, SVG, and other vectors is fantastic. Export to them and PDF is also great. Export for Screens is a great addition, making icon generation for iOS and Android excellent. The recent integration with Adobe XD gets me closer to a fantastic workflow in static wireframing to interactive prototyping than possible using other tools.

Cons:

The sheer complexity of Illustrator is only exceeded by Photoshop or Premier in the Creative Cloud suite. There are so many different ways of accomplishing nearly the same thing that the results can be meaningfully different at scale or when other effects are applied. Adobe Illustrator files can be imported into Sketch, but Illustrator cannot import Sketch files, which is problematic as I do not use a Mac and often receive Sketch assets, requiring me to find someone with a Mac to download a Sketch trial to convert to EPS or PDF so I can use the assets in Sketch. Adobe was late to getting its UI to support high-density displays on Windows, so older version were nearly impossible to use as the menu and toolbars were so tiny that they were almost illegible. While Adobe has made great strides in solving this, it still doesn't feel like the tool is ready for touch displays, rather ironic for a product named "Illustrator." Feature integration with the Microsoft Surface line of tools is nice, but not easily explained by the product. When I want to know what things it can do with my Surface Book, for example, I always have to hit up YouTube to find someone to explain it to me.

Rabie
designer in Morocco
Design, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The most effective program for producing vector graphics

5.0 last year

Comments: There is a steep learning curve. Learning Illustrator was difficult for me as a self-taught designer because the two programs are so dissimilar. Although the tutorials are helpful, it is unrealistic to expect to create a design solely from them because it takes some time to get used to all the tools and functionalities. Since many of us don't need the entire Creative Suite and are only looking for a piece of software to whip up a quick design, which many other alternatives provide for free, pricing would be another issue, especially for freelancers and part-time designers.

Pros:

Adobe Illustrator is a ground-breaking piece of graphic design software that has completely changed how designers approach their work. It offers designers of all skill levels a wide variety of adaptable tools and a user-friendly interface. It is an effective tool for designing intricate illustrations, logos, and typography because of its control and precision, as well as the way it seamlessly integrates with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. The extensive library of resources included with the software, which also includes pre-built shapes and brushes, tutorials, and online communities, offers plenty of assistance and inspiration. Adobe Illustrator is a crucial tool that takes artistic endeavors to new heights thanks to its consistent updates and dedication to innovation. For both professionals and hobbyists, highly recommended.

Cons:

It's really good software, but because of its complexity and limitations in photo editing compared to other professional programs like Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop Express, using it can be challenging for a beginner in that field.

krishan
krishan
Sr. Developer in India
Verified LinkedIn User
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Whenever I thought to create any vector, Adobe illustrator is my priority tool to develop any vector

5.0 6 years ago

Comments: I learnt a lot from adobe illustrator. It has become part of my life. I have created numerous designs using adobe illustratror. It give me idea of perspective. It gave me knowledge to enhance my graphics. It is the best software I have ever used for the purpose of graphic designing. I am earning my bread and butter using adobe illustratror. Thank you very much for adobe to develop such a nice software. I am using adobe illustrator in my organisation to create each design like logo design, pamphlet design, advertising design, card design etc. Everyone appreciate my work to create such nice designs, but I appreciate to illustrator to provide such nice functionality and tools to create these kind of designs.

Pros:

Adobe illustrator is a fine software with Rich set of tools and functionality. It is best suited to develop 2d vector images, 3d vector images, logos, icons with very sharp and deep edges. Due to producing finest quality of vector, Adobe illustrator has become my first choice to make any 2d or 3d vector design. There is variety of tools with ease of use them, which makes illustratror more adaptable to a user. I strongly recommend Adobe illustrator to web and print purpose graphics design. There are many other graphics tool available in the market but illustrator is something else it convert your imagination to reality in terms of graphics designing.

Cons:

If I thought for CONS, then it will be really very difficult for me. But I would definitely say that there should be a training forum started from adobe who will teach to others, and there should be some kind of contents also be organised. I know this is not a CONS for illustrator. But this is what I thought to be done, otherwise everything is fine.