Graphic Programs Strengths and Weaknesses

This is in response to Logan’s Art Software post, but I thought it was a topic that might be useful to everyone. Different graphics software is useful for different things.

If it’s Simple

For small images not involving gradation in colors MS Paint is very good. If you are creating an image from scratch, doing detailed pixel work, want only hand picked colors, clear cut edges, and precise perfect pixels (rather than an imprecise blurry brush) then Paint works best. The Photoshop pencil also has some problems. If you have any slowdown the stroke will come out like a series of circles. Paint won’t do this. Paint can’t zoom out to less than 1x so it’s unwise to work in it with huge images Paint BMP files open in Photoshop and you can make GIF files out of them easily.

If it’s Complex

Photoshop is best for fairly high res photographic files. The layers, transparency, gradient effects and the magic wand are really useful. I’m currently using it to fill in colors on character drawings. The magic wand saves so much time with this. Photoshop is the most versatile program of this list. The PSD file size is awful! Save them as LTZ compressed TIF files, include multiple layers if you wish, and you lose nothing.

If It Should Be Vector

Illustrator is like an advanced version of Paint to deal with the high res demand except that it is vector and also much less user friendly. “Paint Vista” is not easy to learn and it’s difficult to manipulate images in. This may be because it is vector. Paint images can easily be live traced with it and the result is usually good unless the image is really small.

Don’t Get It

Corel Draw is even more confusing than Illustrator I don’t understand it.

No Idea

I haven’t worked in Gimp. I don’t know much about it.

Like Photoshop

I haven’t used Paint Shop Pro, but I know Photoimpact. I was able to learn Photoshop faster because I had Photoimpact before it. Sorry if I said too much.


Edward Perkins, Art 402