2006-11-23 11:30:17 · 7 answers · asked by lokito 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
Daniel explained it correctly. The difference is in the way that they handle graphics...and there is a huge difference.
Illustrator uses something called "Vector Graphics", whereas Photoshop doesn't.
Vector Graphics are when an image is made up of a series of points, lines and curves that the software calculates using mathematical equations. Don't worry you don't have to know maths, all you do is draw and the software works out the rest for you in the background. The advantage to drawing this way is that the graphics are both absolutely precise AND scaleable. I'll explain this a bit more in a moment.
When you draw in Photoshop, you create images created from "pixels" - basically lots and lots of incredibly small dots. When you look at a photograph on a computer and zoom right in as close as you can get, you will see that it too is made up from pixels. Therefore, it goes without saying that this is the main function of Photoshop - to edit photographs and other pixel based images.
Back to Illustrator - because vector graphics are basically a set of mathematical equations that you don't see, it would be impossible to build up a representation of something as complex as a photograph as a vector without some serious degredation and a massive file size. Therefore Illustrator is most at home handling things like logos and drawings that you want to scale up in size.
The reason why vector images are easily scaleable is because they are made up by maths....so to increase in size, all the software has to do is basically multiply its equation - eg. x 2 for twice the size. There will be no loss of quality in doing this.
Increasing the size of pixel images (eg photos) though will degrade the image as the only way the software can do it is by effectively multiplying its pixels. So what was subtle small colour changes, becomes massively noticeable blurred spots.
I'm afraid that I can't explain it any simpler than that without getting really technical on you. But as a basic answer to your question, the difference between photoshop and illustrator is that illustrator is vector-based and perfect for graphic design and logos, whereas photoshop is pixel-based and therefore ideal for photographic manipulation.
I hope that helps!
2006-11-24 00:23:27 · answer #1 · answered by gromitski 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Photoshop and Illustrator are both professional graphics packages. However they have completely different uses.
Photoshop is for editing photographs. It can be used for enhancing pictures, or even cutting people out altogether. It's used everywhere for making photos ready for print.
Illustrator is for what's called "vector graphics" - an example would be an info-graphic in a newspaper, like a graph or map. The benefit of this sort of program is that you can easily move objects around without affecting anything else, and you can change sizes of things without losing quality. However you will never get something that looks like a photograph.
2006-11-23 20:46:13 · answer #2 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Photo shop is an excellent programme for editing your pics. You can clone out anything you like. There are many other exciting things you can do on it including plastic wrapping text etc. Illustrator is more for drawing etc. You can get a programme called run around which will work with illustrator. Just scan in the pic and it will give you the outline. Almost as though you had drawn it yourself.
2006-11-23 11:57:58 · answer #3 · answered by itgirl23 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
About $150
2006-11-23 11:40:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm not totally sure what illustrator is, but I would say that they are both fairly similar, just different companies. I do know that photoshop is a very in depth and powerful program, which I have used. Illustrator, however, I have not personally used.
2006-11-23 11:40:48 · answer #5 · answered by Ross 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
the only difference between the two is illustrator will use the files under a different format and photoshop will have enhanced features in the programme that allows you to use it and gauge different procedures through the procedures that you the user wants it to do...
again you dont need to pay for the programmes you can extract them for free one a p2p site... why pay when you can get them for free...
2006-11-23 12:06:06 · answer #6 · answered by Matthew B 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
lokito They are Talking about you...!!
http://www.osoq.com/funstuff/extra/extra03.asp?strName=lokito
2006-11-23 11:47:24 · answer #7 · answered by lrf o 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋