Adobe Illustrator Reviews: 4.6/5 — Highly Rated

The pen tool is a great tool in creating logos and images.

Having tools hidden withing other tool buttons can make it hard to remember the most useful ones. Being able to edit the tool buttons would be helpful.

Some tools have been updated to make it more efficient to use and faster.

The flexibility of the program in adapting to file transfer and the capabilities of the pen tool

Its difficult to create gradients that provide lifelike shadows and highlights

Designing marketing collateral that looks like more than just clipart.

I love vector images! If I'm starting from scratch for a business, I'm in illustrator creating the logo. That way, no matter what the size, or the media, I have a vector logo that I can use anywhere.

Them learning curve is a little steep, especially when I have so much photoshop experience. I wish shadowing and gradients were a little more clear, but after I gained experience working with them it was pretty easy.

Just having a program that I can create elements that I can use over and over again is a huge advantage!

I like that the tools and setup is similar to the other adobe products. That makes using it easier. It loads quick and is user friendly.

Sometimes working with paths and effects becomes difficult sometimes after group objects together. There are a few steps to changing the size of a document. I think there should be a quicker way to get there.

We are solving the problem of manipulating and creating pictures for marketing materials. It is great that you can be working in Indesign and pull your vector image into Illustrator with a simple click. And once you have made the adjustments and saved it automatically updates in Indesign.

Vectorial design. Its the perfect tool for editorial, when you need to do something that have a few pages like triptic or flyers.

Not helpful when you need to do large editorial projects. In that case, Indesign.

Editorial design. The complement for Photoshop and Indesign.

Over the years, Adobe has gradually made Illustrator easier and more intuitive to use. There is no better software for web & print graphic design. I love that the CC version is constantly improved and updated, and that Adobe provides video tutorials for pretty much everything Illustrator can do.

I would like Illustrator and the other Adobe products to have more consistency in their functions -- the pen tool should work the same way across the board, for example. I also think a lot more can be done with font management/organization within the program.

I mainly use Illustrator for two purposes: when I need my design to be in vector format, and when I need to deconstruct vector artwork and reassemble/redesign for my own use. I can make graphics scalable to any size, from a logo on the side of a pencil, to an ad on a billboard.

Ease of use, seemingly endless amount of tools, great help resources via Adobe, Creative Cloud and InDesign integration.

I wish it had better typography control tools like InDesign.

Solves for a tool to create illustrations and logos for clients and personal use.

Artboards is a great feature. I like using it to better organize content. Visually Illustrator is crisp and pixel perfect, which allows to preview artwork and layouts at 100% when designing for specific devices. Also it's very helpful that Illustrator supports importing and exporting graphics from other Adobe products, specifically After Effects, so most graphics can be created and prepared in advance and then easily exported into After Effects. Same goes to InDesign, sometimes it's easier and faster to copy/paste vector shapes and re-use it in between applications.

I use Illustrator for website projects and wireframes a lot. I wish Illustrator would support certain features when it comes to showing interactivity and the way pages connect to each other. For example being able to create hyperlinks and link artboards to showcase the flow would be a great time saver, instead of doing it in Acrobat after final art is saved.

When it comes to large scale website projects, it seems like using Adobe Illustrator is the only option these days to be able to create pixel perfect layouts and then share it with developers. Illustrator and Photoshop work well together preserving layers, in case developers are more traditional and old school. In other words Illustrator is a great bridge between visual designers and back end developers, which can speed up production time and costs.

The user friendly software making it easy to navigate.

How long it takes for the program to load

Fixing maps to make them more clean to read for clients

I like that Illustrator kind of simulates a giant work table with multiple art boards for you to plan out your designs and illustrations. You can move it around, hide things, preview designs and organize various elements. It's great for drafting and keeping everything organized. I think artist who are used to traditional art media would definitely appreciate the setup.

So far, nothing! There is a lot of things to learn....I've been using Illustrators for a long time and I still keep discovering various functions on a weekly basis. Lynda.com can help you get those straightened out for sure but trial and error totally works.

Anything involving vector artworks (in printing and web) are best done in Illustrator. I use it every day.

It is very easy to learn how to use. As an artist, drawing with the pen tool is aweseome! Since this is a vector program, you can create art and scaled it to any size. Ai can export to any file needed for any service you might need these for.

It can bog down easily with a lot of "points" in 1 file. Adding any effects, like a drop shadow, can make my computer move at a snails pace. One of the recent CC updates has a bug that will not allow you to change the default measurements. So, it automatically starts off in points instead of inches. I have to change this setting every time I open it.

Cleints want options, with illustrator being able to use multiple art boards, this gives me the chance to present them with multiple ideas. Also, when importing raster images into illustrator, I can use the zoom tool to see the quality of the image and ai will also tell me the ppi of the image.

This Adobe software, it has the seal of quality. As a graphic designer I use this everyday, I don't even exit from this software is always open in my computer. Is the best tool to work with Photoshop and Indesign, all 3 together is the best combo for a graphic designer like myself.

sometimes it crashes and I loose everything that I do not save....

I do all my design work with Illustrator, all vector based projects, layouts, logos, any type of design.

I use illustrator all the time to create logos, graphics and marketing items for our school. It's easy to integrate with the other Adobe products and I love how easy it is to use.

There's not much I dislike. Sometimes it is really slow to start up, and it occasionally crashes while I'm using it.

I use it to create logos for events, marketing initiatives, and other school fundraising programs. It's been easy to use and helps us brand our events and initiatives.

I love combining shapes quickly and easily, I love creating patterns in a snap. I also love that I can scale items up and down, which is great for logos - I can make logos in one size, and scale them up without losing resolution.

It's got a bit of a learning curve. I know I had a hard time trying to learn it by just playing around in the program - I highly recommend watching/reading a bunch of tutorials to help you get through the curve.

The main thing I use it for is logo work, and wireframe mockups. I used to make logos in Photoshop - like most people, I assumed that was the best program to use. Then I learned about how to properly make logos - and a big thing involved using vectors. With illustrator, I've made my best logos to-date. Using various strokes and patterns, I can make way more intricate logos, quickly, and have them still look simple, but amazing. I also use Illustrator to make simple wireframe mockups for web design clients. It makes it a lot easier to create something quickly, and something simple that doesn't distract from the function of the website.

Adobe Illustrator's software allows for vector editing/text editing in a very simple and easy to use way. I enjoy using Illustrator and then exporting text/vector art to Photoshop and the process is very simple.

Illustrator's photo quality is sometimes hard to transfer over to Photoshop and maintaining the quality when adding vector art (like text) to a digital photo.

Allowing for a better way to edit text/create my own fonts for my clients. I've learned Illustrator allows you to create text files as well so I'm able to create fonts my clients can use as well.

I love how easy it is to use. It is extremely versatile and creates high quality vector files. I use it for simple wire frame projects all the way to final vector logos and print design pieces.

I wish there were some more built in tool tip type things to help you understand the depth of the program. I feel like there are things that I could be using but it takes me awhile to find all the tools and use them effectively.

It solves many planning problems as well as producing high quality files that can be used later on.

Ease-of-use. Vectors. Pantone Library. Layers. Features. 3-D. This is the software I use the most, or maybe tied with Photoshop, as a graphic designer. Without Illustrator, it would cripple my workflow.

3-D Textures. Links/Link Embedding. Gradients.

Logo creation. Branding. Wireframes. Product Labels.

Illustrator is one of my favorite Adobe programs. It is so versatile on so many levels. I use Illustrator a lot for drawing and using the ben tool. I love the options of the pen tool and how well you can alter shapes and paths.

Theres not much I dislike about Adobe Illustrator, I have grown to really enjoy using illustrator because of how easy it is to do many different projects on.

Using the pen tool and path tool are my favorite things in Illustrator. Using them is very easy and because of the speed of use I am able to complete projects faster and more efficiently.

It's used for a lot of things across the industry and has become a standard. Being able to edit everything you create is almost a must for the art and design world now, and this program definitely allows you to do that. We work with it a lot in pre-press and it gets the job done efficiently! The best program to create vector art and for editing designs.

It can be difficult sometimes to transition files to Photoshop, and sometimes it takes a while to open or close. Sometimes it's hard to snap shapes to one another and for whatever reason it just doesn't wanna line up exactly, but this problem doesn't occur very frequently. Other than that I don't experience too many issues with Illustrator, and when I do they are all very minor and easy to fix.

I use Illustrator for my freelance design work, and I use it all the time in my pre-press position. It helps me make a living everyday. It is an essential piece of software for anyone serious in the industry.

The pen tool! Amazing. Ease of use, the hotkeys really work well and make the work flow go smoothly. Of course wonderful for logos and type. It makes logo design simple with all the tools, like the pen tool, pathfinder, masks, pencil, and they color swatches and guides. Editing type is the best in illustrator, outlining type and being able to easily alter it is wonderful. I love the Adobe Creative Cloud updates to the program. It really keeps things in the moment and quick fixes for any issues really help out the whole process.

I think the brush tool could use work. It tends to be only intermittently useful, when I think it could really be a great tool. The perspective guide is a nightmare, hard to use, hard to figure out, hard to get rid of. Other than that, I think Adobe has continued to develop the program in new and awesome ways, each update comes with better tools and features.

I use Illustrator for designing logos and vector graphics for ads, booklets, posters, flyers, environmental graphics for conferences. Benefits are being able to work smoothly and efficiently on a quick thinking program in order to get the job done.

I love how free-form it is. It's super user friendly. Some other programs make you select different buttons or frequently move over to your layers to move or adjust anything, but in Illustrator you can just click and move freely. Image trace is amazing - it doesn't always work, but when it does, it saves you A LOT of time... basically it turns flat images into vectors. It usually only works on very high contrast and crisp images.

Exporting for print isn't as up to par as InDesign (but I completely understand why and I probably over-use Illustrator when I should probably be using InDesign). It would be nice to see improvements on image trace - it usually only works on very very basic images.

I use Illustrator for pretty much any art I'm creating for my marketing role at my work. I use it to create flyers, logos, designs, web graphics, etc. As far as 'benefits realized'... I don't use them very often (mostly because I forget they are there or I already have my own templates), but their templates are pretty nifty.

I enjoy the ability to create many designs quickly.

I wish illustrator was easier to use with after effects.

Im usually designing logos in Illustrator. I enjoy the ability to let a design grow and change though quick changes which allows for many ideas to come through.

This is an incredibly powerful piece of software. I like all of the hot key options and shortcuts. They make switching from one tool to the next a breeze. There are so many dynamic tools in this program. Especially with the latest updates to Illustrator, some of the gestures of editing paths are so intuitive. Like, clicking and dragging on a line will adjust the curve, as where before it would just move the line. When you know what to do in this program, you can design on the fly! I also like that when you export out to PNG for web use, there is the option in the exporting window to change the size of the piece you are exporting. No need to change the actual work, just export with new dimensions!

Sometimes the snapping to points option doesn't work as well as I would like it to. I also really struggle with accidentally double clicking in groups and making edits there.

This program allows me to create graphics for communications, marketing, and advertising needs for the company I work for.

Illustrator is packed with awesome features and tools that you can use to create vector graphics. I've found that the most useful tool in the application is Image Trace, as it lets you trace and create vectors out of a non-vector image. The ability to create multiple artboards is also a huge perk.

Illustrator doesn't give the user much control over text. I would like to see some of the text customization options from InDesign in Illustrator as well. At the very least, Illustrator should have customization options for bulleted/numbered lists, underlines, and indentation. Illustrator also would benefit from having vector brushes. Since there are virtually no brushes in the app, users are forced to use Photoshop or a similar app to use brushes, and then import that artwork back into Illustrator as a non-vector image.

I use Illustrator at work to primarily create logos and digital illustrations. The ease of use of the app makes using it painless and fun. Further, Illustrator has tools and functionality that you can't find in Photoshop, InDesign, or similar competing applications.

This program comes in very handy 99% of the time. It has a clean workspace with easy to understand icons. Very smooth and uncomplicated laying out with the pen, shapes, or text tools. Extremely helpful when having to recreate a client logo or artwork with the tracing tool.

That I didn't learn this when in college. But learning on my own via tutorials is actually probably more useful, especially with tips and tricks.

We are saving time when having to recreate a client logo or art with the tools and knowledge of Illustrator.

Being able to work on various art boards with in the same document, for logos and such. It's also great for large display marketing.

The shortcuts for text boxes, editing are too different from indesign. option command C to fit frame to text would be great for typography and logo design.

Works great to edit eps/vector art, generally to place in indesign.

Illustrator is fantastic for creating logos, backgrounds, images and anything else you can imagine! The possibilities are truly endless with this tool. It's ability to create high resolution images is especially essential if you are in the design or creative world. It is also easy enough to learn basic functions without having prior knowledge of the software.

Some tools in the editor can be a little finicky at times and of course a higher level of education on the software will help immensely when creating images or documents. It's best to get the entire Adobe Creative Suite to really maximize the product.

Mainly the creation of logos or header images and backgrounds as well as maps. It has been especially helpful in creating maps! Anything I need that is high resolution I create in Illustrator.

It has immaculate control over all aspects of designs. Endless brush choices, wonderful patterns, easy to use program. Lots of add-ons if needed! It's always been my #1 favorite. Works very well between the programs, so Photoshop and InDesign can work the same designs easily. The shortcuts are also almost the same throughout so it helps to make things quickly if you learn them.

Can be buggy and crash sometimes, some of the more complex projects really slows it down and it's frustrating to work with at that point. All work is lost when crashing so save often! Would be nice if there was a way to expand the memory on the program or something so it wouldn't do that anymore!

Anything can be done with this. Wonderful that I can make vector images for advertising, I use this to make large banners or ads for magazines. Love it! We're able to complete work quickly for either print or web design. Saves tons of money doing our own designs than having a company do it for us.

It is very intuitive and easy to use. After few hour to learn the base you can achieve a lot with it. It is one of the basic software you need for design. Every big company use it. And for graphic design, illustrations and logos it is a must have.

some features could be a bit improved. Sometime you are lost between the layers or the clipping mask and you don't understand why it doesn't work. Some shortcuts are not easy to use, or does not fit your keyboard, I use a mac and I can't do some of the shortcuts in the soft.

it is perfect for graphic design, create logo, illustrations, titles. But it is super usefull for designing shapes quickly, flat design, and creates some quick and nice renders of simple shapes with a gradient.

Easy to use. Works seemlessly with other Adobe Suite products.

There is nothing that I dislike about Adobe Illustrator.

Our design studio uses this software for all logo design projects. Its vector capibilities are beyond any other program out there.