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Photoshop
- Thread starter Hollywood
- Start date
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
CorelDRAW is a widely used and respected vector drawing and editing program. The CorelDRAW suite includes an image editing application called PhotoPaint. CorelDRAW also allows you to assemble bitmaps and vectors together to do all sorts of production tasks in signmaking. CorelDRAW, in and of itself, cannot be compared to Adobe Photoshop.
FlexiSign is, IMHO, the best vector drawing and editing application on the planet. It is also a signmaking program which allows you to assemble bitmaps and vectors together to do all sorts of production tasks. FlexiSign, in and of itself, cannot be compared to Adobe Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop is the standard in image editing and is a superior application to Corel PhotoPaint. What one does in Photoshop has very little to do with vectors and vinyl cutting. If you are going to be printing then it is the best application for setting up your jobs. There are many things you can do or do more easily in Photoshop and, with its huge user base, has lots of third party products available along with support and tutorials second to none.
Photoshop, by itself, costs nearly double what the CorelDRAW suite costs. Whether or not you want and need to do the kind of work that justifies the investment is up to you and your finances. But it is as successful as it is for lots of good reasons and is a powerful tool in the hands of an experienced designer.
FlexiSign is, IMHO, the best vector drawing and editing application on the planet. It is also a signmaking program which allows you to assemble bitmaps and vectors together to do all sorts of production tasks. FlexiSign, in and of itself, cannot be compared to Adobe Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop is the standard in image editing and is a superior application to Corel PhotoPaint. What one does in Photoshop has very little to do with vectors and vinyl cutting. If you are going to be printing then it is the best application for setting up your jobs. There are many things you can do or do more easily in Photoshop and, with its huge user base, has lots of third party products available along with support and tutorials second to none.
Photoshop, by itself, costs nearly double what the CorelDRAW suite costs. Whether or not you want and need to do the kind of work that justifies the investment is up to you and your finances. But it is as successful as it is for lots of good reasons and is a powerful tool in the hands of an experienced designer.
I know this is a PhotoShop thread, but since you mentioned it Fred, I've heard you say
it before how great Flexi is. I find Flexi to be a valuable, useful program for production and
some design. But it can't be compared to CorelDRAW as a design program. Especially
if you use your design program to actually DRAW. The Enhanced mode in Corel makes
it pleasant to look at as well as use, where Flexi is extremely pixilated no matter what
you monitors resolution. And node editing and drawing is a breeze with Corel where it is
very cumbersome and awkward in Flex. That’s my opinion.
Sorry 'bout that....
it before how great Flexi is. I find Flexi to be a valuable, useful program for production and
some design. But it can't be compared to CorelDRAW as a design program. Especially
if you use your design program to actually DRAW. The Enhanced mode in Corel makes
it pleasant to look at as well as use, where Flexi is extremely pixilated no matter what
you monitors resolution. And node editing and drawing is a breeze with Corel where it is
very cumbersome and awkward in Flex. That’s my opinion.
Sorry 'bout that....
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
Steve, I will agree that Flexi needs to pay some attention to their display shortcomings.
bob
It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Fred Weiss said:
As well as their distortion envelope and their node editing functions. Flexi's efforts in these matters are rather primitive compared to Corel's. With a couple of notable exceptions, like Flexi's corner and curve smoothing node editing functions. All in all, if I were diddling nodes on a vector image I'd go for Corel every time. Merely the ability to effect change on multiple nodes, beyond just moving them en masse, is sufficient reason to use Corel.
For me it's like this; Flexi is preferable to layout existing components and Corel is preferable to create those components.
gROUND cHUCK
New Member
I agree with Fred when he says Flexi is the best for vectors. As for the pixel issue, they fixed it to some degree in Flexi8, they give you the option to smooth the lines and edges with anti-aliasing.
If you want to see what flexi can do, check this video out: http://www.scanvecamiable.com/resources/FlexiTrainingDemo/full_flexisign_demonstration.htm
I find that Corel adds too many nodes to objects. Like when converting fonts to paths or adding an outline to an object or importing some other vector format. And no matter how much I've used it, I still can't comfortable with it.
As for Photoshop, once you know what the program could do, the is no end to the possibilities of what you can create with it. You can even create full color vectors but, you need to use many, many layers.
I've been playing around a little more with CanvisX and I have to say, I like it more then Illustrator. You can add blending effects, blurs, and transparencies and it's still vectors so, you can go back and alter the nodes and gradients after its been gaussian blurred beyond recognition. I think that's pretty cool.
If you want to see what flexi can do, check this video out: http://www.scanvecamiable.com/resources/FlexiTrainingDemo/full_flexisign_demonstration.htm
I find that Corel adds too many nodes to objects. Like when converting fonts to paths or adding an outline to an object or importing some other vector format. And no matter how much I've used it, I still can't comfortable with it.
As for Photoshop, once you know what the program could do, the is no end to the possibilities of what you can create with it. You can even create full color vectors but, you need to use many, many layers.
I've been playing around a little more with CanvisX and I have to say, I like it more then Illustrator. You can add blending effects, blurs, and transparencies and it's still vectors so, you can go back and alter the nodes and gradients after its been gaussian blurred beyond recognition. I think that's pretty cool.
Ok
Maybe I should have asked my question better, I already use Fexi 7.6 for all of my design and cutting (I cut right from Flexi to my CX-300), but now I got a 54" printer, and I don't know if I am better off upgrading to Flexi 8 pro ($2300.00), or getting photoshop or something. One thing that you can't do in flexi 7.6 in the distort tools, I want one that will arch the bottom of the word but leave the top level if that make since.. I like the layouts that Pro had posted for those Peterbilt doors and I can't do anything like that in 7.6 and don't know if I can do it with Pro 8.
Right now, I can't really do anything with pictures and I want to get all of this stuff ready so aI can start doing wraps and full quality large prints. And what file format should I be printing from. Thank You
Maybe I should have asked my question better, I already use Fexi 7.6 for all of my design and cutting (I cut right from Flexi to my CX-300), but now I got a 54" printer, and I don't know if I am better off upgrading to Flexi 8 pro ($2300.00), or getting photoshop or something. One thing that you can't do in flexi 7.6 in the distort tools, I want one that will arch the bottom of the word but leave the top level if that make since.. I like the layouts that Pro had posted for those Peterbilt doors and I can't do anything like that in 7.6 and don't know if I can do it with Pro 8.
Right now, I can't really do anything with pictures and I want to get all of this stuff ready so aI can start doing wraps and full quality large prints. And what file format should I be printing from. Thank You
WYLDGFI
Merchant Member
My opinion is that the Adobe suite is the best graphics software out there. I was working in the prepress industry for almost 10 years using the various versions of Illustrator and Photoshop. They work very well hand in hand together and you are able to do a LOT in Illustrator now with either vector or pixels. Placing Pixel imagies of different types (Jpg, PDF, Tiffs even Layered PSD files) and having the ability to manipulate them between the 2 programs is excellent. With my printer, I RIP the files to a print file then take that to the printer separately. So my workflow is a bit different. BUT you are able to take those files from Ai or Photoshop into Flexi.
As far as printing from certain types of files...I always prefer anything uncompressed. I personally always rip EPS files....even certain pdfs give me issues.
My 2¢.
As far as printing from certain types of files...I always prefer anything uncompressed. I personally always rip EPS files....even certain pdfs give me issues.
My 2¢.
Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium is definitely the graphics suite to buy if you're doing any professional level four color print-based publishing. InDesignCS2 is arguably the best page layout program available. It's integration with Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat Pro is unmatched.
Still, I find it necessary to keep applications like CorelDRAW and even Freehand around on my machine. There's still a few key tools missing from Illustrator, such as being able to align and transform multiple selected anchor points. Corel can do it. Illustrator cannot. But Illustrator has better precision than Corel. So I use both and get the best out of each application.
CorelDRAW X3 has finally solved some of the problems it had with generating lots and lots of anchor points on things like contour effects. But it still has some issues with things like its "convert object to outline" function. X3 has improved control over object and smart guide snapping. There's a lot in that area offered by Corel that Illustrator does not even address.
Anyway, this was a Photoshop thread.
When it comes to raster-based image editors, Photoshop stands alone as the best image editor. Adobe is going to release a companion program called Lightroom which will deal with RAW files from D-SLR digital cameras and edit high dynamic range images.
About the only non-Adobe image editor I think is worth getting (as a companion to Photoshop) is Corel Painter, which was originally Fractal Design Painter. It's a specialty application, but very good -especially if you have a pressure sensitive graphics tablet.
Still, I find it necessary to keep applications like CorelDRAW and even Freehand around on my machine. There's still a few key tools missing from Illustrator, such as being able to align and transform multiple selected anchor points. Corel can do it. Illustrator cannot. But Illustrator has better precision than Corel. So I use both and get the best out of each application.
CorelDRAW X3 has finally solved some of the problems it had with generating lots and lots of anchor points on things like contour effects. But it still has some issues with things like its "convert object to outline" function. X3 has improved control over object and smart guide snapping. There's a lot in that area offered by Corel that Illustrator does not even address.
Anyway, this was a Photoshop thread.
When it comes to raster-based image editors, Photoshop stands alone as the best image editor. Adobe is going to release a companion program called Lightroom which will deal with RAW files from D-SLR digital cameras and edit high dynamic range images.
About the only non-Adobe image editor I think is worth getting (as a companion to Photoshop) is Corel Painter, which was originally Fractal Design Painter. It's a specialty application, but very good -especially if you have a pressure sensitive graphics tablet.
GAC05
Quit buggin' me
Fred,
care to expand on what makes PhotoShop superior to PhotoPaint for sign related digital printing?
I'm a long time PhotoPaint user and wonder what I am missing by not taking the time/expense to learn PhotoShop.
Between Draw and Paint I have not (yet) run into anything I could not do.
(compatibility with Adobe file standards aside)
wayne k
guam usa
I know PhotoShop is the standard, but then again, so is MS Windows.
care to expand on what makes PhotoShop superior to PhotoPaint for sign related digital printing?
I'm a long time PhotoPaint user and wonder what I am missing by not taking the time/expense to learn PhotoShop.
Between Draw and Paint I have not (yet) run into anything I could not do.
(compatibility with Adobe file standards aside)
wayne k
guam usa
I know PhotoShop is the standard, but then again, so is MS Windows.