Yes, you still need Illustrator and Photoshop if you prefer to work out of Flexi.
Strange things can happen when importing files and it's best to open them in each program
to check any hiccups...
+1
We use Flexi, Corel & Illustrator
You can get by without AI/PS but if you plan on working with other people's files you will save countless hours by gritting your teeth & joining the Adobe herd.
Last week I received the work files for a wrap on a little Scion 2dr.
Each panel was between 1.3 & 1.9 gigs in AI format.
Hundreds of elements nicely arranged on a single layer with no logical grouping & lots of creative use of nested masks......
Untangling this thing in Flexi would have caused the last of my working brain cells to fuse into a smoking grey blob.
wayne k
guam usa
(BOTH)
I would say if you are in your own little world (like on a desert island), you could get by with Flexi alone, but in the real world you need to have more than one tool in you tool bag. Remember that most people outside your sign shop do NOT use Flexi (RIP) software they use Illy, Corel and/or PS to create artwork, and it helps if you have these tools to be fully compatible with all your customers.
I have been using the Adobe products for a very long time, so I use these tools to create all my artwork, I use Flexi only as a RIP, I find it much easier and more productive to use Illy and PS for creating, I'm a layer person, I like to use way to many layers in my master files, I don't like to tie objects together, I like the freedom to turn layers off and on and move things around independently, etc.
30 years in the graphics field, I have never been given a Flexi file to work from.
Remember, a screw driver is a great tool to drive a screw, but if your customer gives you a nail, a hammer is the better tool for the job!