Illustrator vs. Photoshop – Difference Between Adobe Designing Software

I am pretty sure that you might have heard about Adobe Photoshop because it is the most popular tool to create almost any type of design. However, there is another designing tool called Adobe Illustrator that came before Photoshop and was used widely for designing purposes and is used currently as well. The difference between Illustrator and Photoshop is that Illustrator is a vector-based graphic design tool while, with Photoshop, you can create pixel-based graphics.

If you are looking to create logo designs then you can do so using any of the designing software but if you ask any designer the question, which is better – Illustrator or Photoshop for logo designs then you will get only one answer and that is Illustrator is better. But when it comes to designing web layouts, digital paintings, character designing, editing and manipulating photos, you will need Adobe Photoshop for that purpose. So you might ask which one is better –Illustrator vs. Photoshop, the answer is both of them are awesome in doing their respective tasks.

To answer your question on what is the difference between the two Adobe products, I am presenting you some illustrations designed by M.A. Kather, a UX Designer from India. I am pretty sure that these illustrations will answer all your queries regarding what is the difference and which one is better – Illustrator vs. Photoshop for web design, logo design, posters, for drawing, game design etc.!

Also Read: Best Sites to Learn Photoshop Online

Illustrator vs. Photoshop – The Difference

There is not much difference between the two designing software, but the small changes make them completely different than one another. Let’s see how both of them differ from each other.

The first version of Adobe Illustrator was launched first in 1987 which is 3 years before Adobe Photoshop made its debut in the year 1990!

These two illustrations depicts how the splash screen of both the software looked like back then. The design’s look so last century, right?!!

Adobe Illustrator is used for Vector-based graphics so it’s the best if you want to create designs from scratch. While Adobe Photoshop is used for Pixel-based graphics like editing photographs and applying various effects to it like manipulation.

Also Read: 10 Best Sites for Free Vector Art Online

Since Illustrator is a vector-based designing tool, it is mostly used by graphic designers to create logos, posters, designs, visiting cards etc. On the other hand, Photoshop is used by artists and photographers.

Since Illustrator is a vector-based tool, the zoom capacity is much superior to that of Photoshop. Even when you zoom in 900% in Illustrator, you will get a sharp and clear picture but when you zoom in Photoshop, the image will be blurry and pixelated.

You can use multiple artboards in Illustrator in a single file but with Photoshop, you can use only one artboard.

When you apply Clipping Mask in Illustrator, it applies the mask above the object while, in Photoshop, it applies the mask below the object.

Adobe Illustrator allows you to select individual objects using the Selection tool while Adobe Photoshop allows you to select an area on your artboard.

When you use Illustrator, then you can add multiple objects in a single layer and work on it independently while, in Adobe Photoshop, one layer can contain only a single object.

When you press Ctrl+Z to undo in Illustrator, it can move multiple steps backward. However in Photoshop, it moves only a single step backward. (To move multiple steps backward in Photoshop, you have to press Ctrl+Alt+Z)

In Illustrator, you can work and design objects even outside the artboard while, in Photoshop, you are not allowed to do so.

The file saving time of Illustrator is super fast compared to the time taken by Photoshop to save a file.

Credits: M.A. Kather (Behance Page)

Recommended: Best Free Photoshop Plugins for Web Designers

In conclusion, I would say that no one is better than the other because both Illustrator and Photoshop are best for their purposes. If you still think that there is a winner when compared Illustrator vs. Photoshop then please post your comments below and don’t forget to give a reason as to why you think one is better than the other.