Thinking of taking the plunge and getting away from Corel

[CES020]

John, I reluctantly went to the cloud service from Adobe about 3 weeks ago. The deal was running out for $29.99 a month (it's not $49.99 a month), but I can tell you, I am VERY happy with what I'm seeing in that package. VERY VERY happy. I don't use any of their "cloud" stuff. I'm not storing things in the cloud or putting revisions in the cloud for customers to comment on, I'm just using their software.

The programs I have access to blow me away for the cost.

You download and install the software, so it's not "running" from the cloud.

VERY happy I did that.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

John, I reluctantly went to the cloud service from Adobe about 3 weeks ago. The deal was running out for $29.99 a month (it's not $49.99 a month), but I can tell you, I am VERY happy with what I'm seeing in that package. VERY VERY happy. I don't use any of their "cloud" stuff. I'm not storing things in the cloud or putting revisions in the cloud for customers to comment on, I'm just using their software.

It's worth it price wise when you need the Master Suite level, but if you are just on Production or Design Premium level (or less), it won't take long at current price levels to be paying more for the subscription based service in the long run.

In all honesty, if it was an online interface, that would appeal to me more then this method. Probably not going to be realistic and yes you do have the issues of having your design computer online as well.


As to totally switching to Adobe, I keep both around. Although, I'm probably going to actually switch from Adobe to Corel. However, it always pays to have as many "tools" as you can in your toolbox. I would, however, not get an older version of the adobe products if one of the main reasons that you are doing this is to open client files. That would already put you behind and you might be getting people that are sending CS6 files as it is.

 

[CES020]

I have CS5.5 for the basic version, so the cloud gave me a lot more than I needed, but the thing I am pleasantly surprised with is the tools that it gives me to do things I had never thought about doing, which will help us look more professional and go after different things we hadn't thought of before.

 

[SignManiac]

I have to question what your primary line of work is? If you are in the sign business, why are you getting so many customer supplied files? Do you not design your work in house at all? As a sign company, 97.3% of my work is from in house designs that I create. The rare occasion I receive a file from a customer, it's usually in the form of a 17k file size .jpg taken from the interweb.

The other few occasions that I have a file sent to me it's as RJSSIGNS stated, an eps or pdf file and seldom have issues with them opening properly. Maybe you can communicate to your clients better what you need to work with?

 

[OldPaint]

inept people and lack of ability to use 1 program or the other.......IS NOT GONA GET BETTER BY CHANGING SOFTWARE)))))))))
been in this business BEFORE COMPUTERS!!! my god, how did we survive????hahahahahaha
IT WAS CALLED "TALENT", that coupled with the common sense of making things work FOR YOU.......and knowing how to overcome tricky situations, WITHOUT PAYIN THRU THE NOSE to have problems solved.
i started with corel in 92. have been cutting directly from it since. i have played with all the $$$$$$$ SIGN PROGRAMS...and still work from corel. i also have worked with ILLY.......and its redundancy drives me crazy. gota do 2,3 things in it to same result in 1 thing in draw. as far as photoshop/vs photopaint. I SEE NOTHING IN PHOTOSHOP i cant do in paint.
opening files.......i did a lot of pdfs, ai. eps AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. if corel wont open it, i got 3-4 other programs.......that will.

 

[TheSnowman]

Paintshop Pro is more of a comparison to Photoshop than photopaint... They have a deal right now for $79 you can get the ultimate edition. It opens PSDs, PSBs, and Tiffs flawlessly and handles RAW files much better than Photoshop.

I'd have to agree with this. I bought a version of Paint Shop Pro years ago, and still use it for anything raster I have to do that wasn't created originally in Photoshop by a client.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I hate working in illustrator, but I hate working in photopaint. so I have both suites, and use illy for opening/downsaving, design vector in corel, and do any raster work in photoshop.

 

[Terremoto]

I enjoy how quickly the conversation degrades into a flame war when someone mentions Corel and Adobe in the same sentence. Sounds like a bunch of 8 year olds on the playground.

This is what we do: When a designer or client supplies files we tell them either EPS or PDF.(especially designers) In some instances a high res JPG will do. If they cannot supply that there is a charge to make the files usable. And I fully understand there are exceptions to every rule, but this has worked well for us.

+1 to that!

There are a ton of clueless "designers" out there with nothing more than a mail order diploma. No concept of colour (that's the way we spell it up here) management or for that matter colour harmony let alone any kind of design sense.

I run into this daily. If the customer/client/designer can't supply artwork compatible with our workflow there is a charge to make it so.

Dan

 

[john1]

I always receive eps files or layered PSD's and hardly ever do they open "correctly" in corel or photopaint.

It's only $1300, Not that big of a deal to be honest really if i do decide to get the suite.

Looked into the cloud stuff, Website says $50 a month which is cheap but it will be $600 towards the suite i am looking to get in 1 year so mine as well just pay for the entire collection i would think personally.

Steve, you going to the NBM Philly show?

 

[royster13]

John you do not need to spend 1300.00.....Take a night college course and you can get it for 349.00.....
http://prodesigntools.com/adobe-cs5-5-student-teacher-editions-education.html

 

[CES020]

Steve, you going to the NBM Philly show?

I'm going to try. I've got some deadlines before the end of the week, so if I can get it all wrapped up, I'll probably head up. Sure wish it was in Baltimore, not Philly!

 

[Dave Rowland]

I am Corel trained since the early days, isn't much I don't know about the program.

However Adobe own the rights to Post Script and PDF formats, so Adobe programs have a huge advantage.

Keeping up to date is cost prohibitive in some ways

 

[The Vector Doctor]

if you can swing both that is the way to go. There are many effects in illustrator that don't convert very well when saved as an eps and imported into Corel and vice versa. Just because Corel can produce an eps does not mean it will open up properly in Illustrator and is easy to edit

If you are only creating your own designs then go with what you know how to use. But if you are opening customer created files then you must have both and keep up to date.

Telling your customer to save down may cause them to go elsewhere. Remember too that some customers don't have the software either and may not have the ability to save the file down to a correct format.

The best option is to open using the software that created it to avoid errors and changes to effects.

 

[john1]

Well, Installed some trials of Photoshop, Muse and Illustrator and after they expire i am deff doing the $50 a month cloud subscription. Can't beat the pricing and you get ALL the programs. Even in 2 years when they release CS7 or whatever you will only have $1200 into it vs $2500 for the master collection which doesn't even include Muse.

Thanks all!

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Well, Installed some trials of Photoshop, Muse and Illustrator and after they expire i am deff doing the $50 a month cloud subscription. Can't beat the pricing and you get ALL the programs. Even in 2 years when they release CS7 or whatever you will only have $1200 into it vs $2500 for the master collection which doesn't even include Muse.

Thanks all!

Yep, if you can benefit from all the programs in your workflow that justifies the purchase of the Master Collection, then the cloud subscription is the way to go. If you use the Production or Design Premium collections and don't benefit from the rest of the programs in your workflow then that's were pricing favors a non-cloud purchase if you are going to be using these programs for more then 7 yrs as a business.

 

[visual800]

There is no reason to run out and pi$$ away money on a whole suite of crap you dont need. Get on ebay and find you a student version of illy for bout $150 or $200. they are brand new and sealed and its all you need. And student is damn cheaper than the regular version. Aint no sense in taking late night courses to learn to use it either it will come to you in time

I went on ebay and bought a $100 corel just to open corel files. I dont use corel so I dont even open it unless i get a corel file. You gotta save money folks dont be wasting it