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Software To Design

M

Motoarmy

New Member
So I'm Designing Mx graphics and everyone has been recomending design programs to use. Here's my question...I'm accustomed to photoshop and tried to switch to Adobe Illistrator (switching from raster to vector) and to say the least i'm getting frustrated with the functionality of Ai.

Can Adobe photoshop be used for mx graphic design?

Is there a tutorial that goes through the basics for Ai (how to resize images, using the magic wand..ect.)?

Is Corel Draw easier to use? (this also works wth vecotrs right?)
 
TheSnowman

TheSnowman

New Member
Uhh...it's just what you said. AI is for Vector. The only reason you should have anything raster in Illustrator is because you have the photo already edited for the most part, and are having to add cut lines, or some other vector artwork to it. There's plenty of tutorials, but the two are different worlds.

And as for resizing an image, just click on the corner and drag it. It's just like Photoshop.
 
M

Motoarmy

New Member
resizing

I know the click and drag trick but lets say I have something that is 32 inches and needs to be 57 inches where do i enter that in?
 
Rick

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
You will find software is a preference, you may find Corel harder or easier, you never know until you try. Either way going from Photoshop to a vector program is a little painful. Photoshop tricks people because you can filter an image so easily with "cool" results... Whatever you choose, you will have a learning curve. Illy and Photoshop do play a little nicer together.
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
JMO, but you're putting the horse in front of the cart a bit. You want to make bike graphics, right?

1. Do you have any design background?

2. Do you have any equipment?

3. Do you have any programs?


Other than having photoshop, best I can tell is you do not. Jumping right into making 18mil dirt bike graphics is NOT going to be easy. I'd say start off slow first, get a plotter, learn to work with vinyl and some designing, and go from there.

It takes a big investment to get into wide format printing and dirt bike graphics is one of the harder things to learn. To simply jump into it out of the blue.... is crazy.

Just my $0.02
 
weaselboogie

weaselboogie

New Member
I always thought it was easier to go from corel to illustrator than photoshop to illustrator.
Although photoshop and illustrator are both adobe made with similar tools layouts and some basic functions, I used more knowledge of corel and the whole vector premise from corel when I started picking up illustrator.
 
M

Motoarmy

New Member
Flame said:
JMO, but you're putting the horse in front of the cart a bit. You want to make bike graphics, right?

1. Do you have any design background?

2. Do you have any equipment?

3. Do you have any programs?


Other than having photoshop, best I can tell is you do not. Jumping right into making 18mil dirt bike graphics is NOT going to be easy. I'd say start off slow first, get a plotter, learn to work with vinyl and some designing, and go from there.

It takes a big investment to get into wide format printing and dirt bike graphics is one of the harder things to learn. To simply jump into it out of the blue.... is crazy.

Just my $0.02
Click to expand...


We outsource the printing I'm just designing the actual graphics and passing along the cd's to the printers-
 
M

Motoarmy

New Member
oh..and yes I do have lots of graphic design experience (designed many posters and cd layouts for bands)

and I have Photoshop, Illistrator, and corel draw...I have just used photoshop for a lot of things and i'm trying to get comfortable with Illistrator.
 
iSign

iSign

New Member
Flame said:
JMO, but you're putting the horse in front of the cart a bit.

...dirt bike graphics is one of the harder things to learn. To simply jump into it out of the blue.... is crazy.
Click to expand...

Flame... the horse belongs in front of the cart!! :Big Laugh
(not sure where the bike belongs in this scenario though)

and on the "jump into it out of the blue" comment... Flame is right...
you should at least wait till you're 16 like he did :wink:
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
iSign said:
Flame... the horse belongs in front of the cart!! :Big Laugh
(not sure where the bike belongs in this scenario though)

and on the "jump into it out of the blue" comment... Flame is right...
you should at least wait till you're 16 like he did :wink:
Click to expand...

Actually I waited almost 3.5 years to start making bike graphics. Started out having a local shop cut everything for me and I delivered to the customer, then bought a plotter and only outsourced my printing. Then after 2 years with a plotter, started to plan for a printer and eventually bought one.

I would've lost my mind trying to print right off the bat!!! The plotter was hard enough!:Big Laugh
 
Rick

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
Experience is one of those trick words. Bite the bullet and learn Illustrator or Corel, your illustrator comes with a tutorial disc and you can go to Adobes site for more tutorials. Some Corel packages have one too or try www.lynda.com
 
A

ackerman139

New Member
I jumped in head first at 17 years old one year ago. All by myself. All I can say is that it is NOT for everyone.

Yea photoshop will work with more time put in then its worth, and the output print quality is far from that of vector.

Take the extra time and learn illustrator, you'll be glad you did.
 
JulieVan

JulieVan

New Member
A lot of large format printer distributor representatives I've spoken to told me that they often use Flexi or SignLab, but try EasySign. A lot of online forums take great pride in Illy, but keep your options open.
 
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