Web Design » Photoshop » Do I Need Illustrator if I Have Photoshop?

Do I Need Illustrator if I Have Photoshop?

Last updated on September 24, 2022 @ 1:57 pm

If you’re a graphic designer, chances are you’ve heard of Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is a widely used program for crafting layouts, manipulating photos, and even creating detailed illustrations.

Many designers rely on Photoshop for their entire workflow. However, some designer also use Adobe Illustrator. So, what’s the difference between the two programs, and do you really need both?

At its core, Photoshop is a bitmap editor. This means that it works best with images made up of pixels, like photos.

On the other hand, Illustrator is a vector editor. Vector images are made up of mathematical curves instead of pixels. This makes them ideal for illustrations, logos, and other graphics that need to be resized without losing quality.

So which one should you use? If you’re strictly a photographer or retoucher, then Photoshop should be your go-to program.

However, if you also do any sort of illustration work or graphic design, then you’ll need Illustrator as well. Even if you don’t do any illustration work yourself, there will probably be times when you need to open someone else’s file in Illustrator (for example, when a client sends you a logo).

In short: Photoshop is best for bitmap images and Illustrator is best for vector images. However, both programs are essential for any graphic designer’s toolkit.

In conclusion: both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are important tools for any graphic designer. If you do mostly photography or retouching work, then Photoshop should be your primary program. However, if you also do illustration work or graphic design, then you’ll need to use both programs.

PRO TIP: If you are considering whether or not to purchase Adobe Illustrator because you already have Photoshop, consider the following: Although Photoshop has some vector drawing capabilities, it is primarily a raster program. This means that if you want to do any serious vector drawing or design, you will need to purchase Illustrator.
Drew Clemente

Drew Clemente

Devops & Sysadmin engineer. I basically build infrastructure online.