the Fashion Spot

**softgrey** · 12-12-2005

what programs do graphic designers use?...
is it quark?...
photoshop?
paint?...

when i was in school we did everything by hand...
i was a big fan of cut paper myself...
so i keep wondering how people create these images on the computer?...
especially for websites, etc...

anyone have any info/feedback?...

thanks...

...

fourboltmain · 13-12-2005

I'm going back to markers, paints and scissors myself as much as possible. But now, graphic design is a conglemarate of things, from web design to print material. You'll definitely need Photoshop and Illustrator. For layout, Quark is getting surpassed REAL quick with Adobe InDesign.

Quark isn't user friendly at all and mockups are horrible with it. InDesign works with the other Adobe programs so you can just click and drag instead of going through the whole process of exporting, importing, etc. It also has a preflight feature, which wraps up your files, fonts and images in one folder with the click of a button for printing.

As far as web goes, Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver are awesome! The Corel programs are nice too, I'm trying ot use these more now, as it's a different platform, so you're not relying on old Photoshop tricks and such.

cardboardboxed · 13-12-2005

I think photoshop usuaally for photos. I don't know what for vector art. Painter is used a lot for digital painting, as is photoshop. 3d studio max is used a lot of 3d rendering.. that's about all I know though...

mxtine · 13-12-2005

Vector: Adobe Illustrator.

shes_in_parties · 13-12-2005

These days GD is almost all fully digital.
Adobe products are preppy widespead for GD use. In college we used Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, for graphics. For sites we used Macromedia Dreamweaver and Flash. For mainly drawing, use Correl Painter. Some companies are big on Quark Press. It all depends on what your are looking to do. Drawing tablets are also very helpful.

fourboltmain · 13-12-2005

So who uses the Corel programs? I've thought about getting Painter 9, is it any faster than 8?

calexico · 13-12-2005

for image-editing, i still think photoshop surpasses any program...
however, unless properly trained, i don't think you will ever understand the breadth and depth of what that program has to offer...
i've been using it for 8 years and i'm still a newbie...

that said, if you are going to use photoshop, you might as well use illustrator (vector-based graphics) and indesign (print and layout design)...
the three work well together, esp. with the new cs versions...
(which make it easier to use all three adobe programs in conjunction with each other)

fourboltmain is right...
because flash and dreamweaver (both web-design programs) are made by another manufacturer (macromedia), their user interface is a bit different...
but they are very powerful programs...
basically flash is all the beautiful, complex, motion graphics you see on websites these days... all done with flash...

again, there is always the learning curve...
depends on how committed you are and how proficient you are with computers...

i myself prefer a very sharp xacto blade and a straight-edge... some spray mount... voila!

two months off · 13-12-2005

I agree with fourboltmain. The programs I use are Adobe's Illustrator, Photoshop & InDesign (Quark is just awful), and Macromedia's Flash & Dreamweaver.

tott · 13-12-2005

At my office we use Adobe CS 2 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, GoLive, Acrobat) as well as ancient, clunky OS 9 versions of Quark and FrameMaker. I feel so disoriented in OS 9, I've gotten so used to OS X.

tott · 13-12-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by calexico

i've been using it for 8 years and i'm still a newbie...

Yeah, I know a guy who works with pre-press stuff, he's working in Photoshop fulltime. The possibilities are endless. People who know Photoshop *well* can really make a career out of it.

But no matter how well you know your software, you still have to have an artist's eye!

fourboltmain · 14-12-2005

Damn true! As much as I love Photoshop, I still find roughing out ideas with a pencil is far better than using only the program. It speeds up my workflow and helps me visualize much quicker.

so.like.a.rose · 15-12-2005

i use (adobe)photo image now...it's very similar to adobe photoshop(i used photoshop,too,but there's something wrong with it on my comp so

).

**kimair** · 29-12-2005

for print stuff, i use adobe creative suite 2 (indesign cs, illustrator cs and photoshop cs)...

i create logos/identities in illustrator, page layouts in indesign and image manipulation/retouching in photoshop...we occasionally use quark 4.11 (in OS 9 or quark 6, if a client sends us files in those formats).

i also use freehand too...alot of online designers like to use freehand with flash and dreamweaver because it's all macromedia products.

for online projects, i use photoshop to create layouts (sometimes freehand or illustrator), then flash, dreamweaver and fireworks for image optimization (i think it does a much better job than imageready).

the good thing about the adobe creative suite is many of the tools/shortcuts are the same for all three programs...makes learning them easier. it will be interesting to see what happens now that adobe and macromedia have merged...