why is illustrator better than corel? [locked]

[inquestflash]

hello forumers.

im an illustrator freak, but my annoying boss wants me to learn corel ;-( ,i need some facts why illustrator is better than corel so i can shove his face in it if possible.

VIVA illi

thank you very much.

[This discussion is from Feb 17, 2010 9:58 AM and is more than eight years old. It is now locked. Please start a new thread, as both products have changed.]

[TheJeffMiller]

Agree on the flashy part. We do a lot of silk-screen work, and it is ridiculous how many customers have paid "professional" designers for logos or other designs that are essentially impossible to produce using that process.

What sort of engraving are you talking about? If a customer were to send you an Illustrator PDF with all the elements in vector format (text outlined, etc) and everything set to K=100 (CMY=0), could you use it without a lot of massage?

[timothy_awards_maker]

Depends on size of text and white separations between connecting areas where “colors” supposed to merged. Otherwise, the one-layered images in full black is truly a great thing.

Rare to get those. The usual idea for graphics from a customer standpoint is a thumbnail 72dpi gradient POS from the internet.. Fun Fun!!

[tampit.ro]

I never used Photo-Paint, yes, is a joke, a joke compared to Photoshop but I dare to say that is a powerful one, just not enough ergonomics and here we talk about Illustrator which is the vector program from adobe suite, Illustrator is also a joke compared to Corel in vector manipulations. They don't give you a proper way to shape even a basic stupid line, try to make a straight line curved without modifying the next segment... if you have alt pressed both sides are affected, after that you must reshape one of them, or if you click in middle to add a new point, like you do it in photoshop, after you move it remains straight line, again you must make x clicks even if i don't want that stupid point. In fact, the fastest way to make easy vectors in adobe suite is to shape them in photoshop and export paths, or in indesign, both are easier than illustrator to handle, simple and predictive way. And yes, agree with timothy, in engraving, laser cutting, outdoor printing, etc Corel is standard, Illustrator can't even go over 5779.55 mm. WTF to do in outdoor industry with less than 6m? How to work with pages in Ilustrator, pffff, they are better without that feature, they can't go over 5799 mm but they can make a similar page next to it?!!! How stupid is that? Try to make thousands of items in Illustrator and you will have an instant crash, or you can't work.

I hardly suggest that team in charged of Illustrator to resign.

Corel is a holy grail, not so many new features since corel 7 but is enough, even if is buggy, even if I curse them too with every new release and new bugs, it is 2 times better than Illustrator.

In short terms:

Illustrator is for graphic designers who have time to do 100 clicks for a simple line, I agree that Corel doesn't have so many creative tools, but in illustrator you must fill all your screen with tab groups, little space to see your work, clicks clicks clicks this is illustrator manifest, clicks clicks click, you don't work, you make clicks clicks clicks )))

Corel is for workers with precise and clear projects, who respect their time, intuitive interface, right clicks, dynamic toolbars.

[Kuttyjoe]

"In short terms:

Illustrator is for graphic designers who have time to do 100 clicks for a simple line, I agree that Corel doesn't have so many creative tools, but in illustrator you must fill all your screen with tab groups, little space to see your work, clicks clicks clicks this is illustrator manifest, clicks clicks click, you don't work, you make clicks clicks clicks )))

Corel is for workers with precise and clear projects, who respect their time, intuitive interface, right clicks, dynamic toolbars. "

I would definitely dispute this part of what you're saying.  I spent all of the 90's using CorelDraw and only got serious about Illustrator around 2001.  In 2007, I started thinking that my dependency on Adobe was unhealthy and I started trying to see if I could replace Adobe software with something else.  Obviously, I went back to CorelDraw first.  I tried at least.  But I knew what to expect.  Extreme bugs and instability.  Fast forward to today and this hasn't changed.  When Adobe went subscription only, my desire to break free went into high gear but I still can't find a way out.  CorelDraw for sure isn't it.  First, there's no chance of any other software to replace Photoshop.  And CorelDraw is so buggy and unstable that I can't believe I stuck with it for all those years.

You mention that Illustrator relies on tabbed palettes which is partially true.  It of course has key commands and a really good action system for chaining actions into a single key command.  CorelDraw is exactly the same, but require much more space to get the same amount of information via palettes.  And CorelDraw doesn't have the thumbnail secondary palettes that saves a tremendous amount of space.  You either have a full, large/wide column of palettes, or you have two of them!  In Illustrator, that 2nd column can be tiny thumbnails which expand to full size palettes, then automatically close themselves when you're done using them.  Brilliant stuff.  Corel's palette system is buggy, ugly, and shareware quality.  No chance of it ever changing.

Scrolling is still dysfunctional.  Roll the wheel on the mouse and there's no telling what might happen.  If you hover on the palettes and roll the wheel, maybe the palette will scroll or maybe the document will zoom or scroll really fast.  It's crazy that Corel still can't get this thing right.

Decades ago!  I called Corel and asked why is it that when I decide that I want that Backup file to always save to a particular location, it never works.  It always saves to the same location as the primary file.  They tried to explain something to me that was ridiculous.  The correct answer would have been, yes that's wrong and we will fix it.  That wasn't their answer.  OK.  Fast forward a couple decades and that crap is still broken!  So, my good friend who uses CorelDraw typically has a folder with File.cdr, Backup of File.cdr, Backup of Backup of File.cdr.  For anyone reading this who is not familiar with CorelDraw, this is not an exaggeration.  It's perfectly true.  It makes a ridiculous backup, then it makes backups of backups.  You end up with a terrific mess of files.  It's good that Corel has the presence of mind to consider making backup files, but after decades, they still haven't gotten it right, and aren't even trying.

Path operations like Trim never work.  Period.  Today, with CorelDraw 7, I can grab 30 pieces of CorelDraw clipart.  One by one, I would try to convert the outline to curves.  It may work, or may not.  But it will require you to first ungroup the art.  If you get past that stage, then the next will fail.  Trim.  In CorelDraw, the closed paths will simply open for no particular reason and create a visual mess.  It will happen 30 times out of 30.  Then I can take that original CorelDraw file, copy/paste it into Illustrator.  Do a command for outline paths.  It works 100% of the time, flawlessly.  Then the command for trim.  It works 100% of the time.  On any art, including Corel's own clipart.

Adobe software is modern and beautiful.  CorelDraw looks and behaves like shareware.  The brush tools in CorelDraw haven't been updated in maybe 15 years or more.  They are positively ancient.  The brush tools in Illustrator are the most advanced of any vector software but Adobe still keeps adding new things.

CorelDraw crashed by the hour while I'm using it.  Illustrator these days crashes possibly once every month or so, but through CS5, it was good for 2 or 3 crashes per year.  Photoshop amazingly had the same track record but the latest releases are quite as perfect.

The difference in quality is night and day.  I'm angry at Adobe for making me rent their software and never own it.  I'm angry at Corel for selling ultra-buggy software that they have no intention of ever fixing.

Finally, when people complained about the ugliness of the new CorelDraw 7 interface, Corel responded by creating a system to allow you to colorize the chrome...for subscribers only.  Meanwhile, they rightfully criticized Adobe for it's subscription system, as they themselves desperately try their best to follow suit.

[tampit.ro]

pretty solid arguments but talking is talking, working is working, in this life, time is the most precious component.

Take a project at your choice, or anybody, record your work and if I will not make it in half time with Corel then Illustrator is better:))), what do you say?

[Kuttyjoe]

No, I'm not really interested in contests.  Why don't you point out something specific that takes more steps in Illustrator.

[tampit.ro]

I can't make one edge curved from a rectangle, without affecting next edge - simple basic in vectors work

I don't have trim in contextual menu, i must bring up pathfinder tab that occupy space, since i have 2 objects selected it is crystal clear that i want to make some shapes between them - again simple basic

I can't find a way to align left, right etc from shortcuts - simple basic

I don't want to select everything I touch with marked area but only what is included in it. - simple basic

anyway, the main problem is that they don't have things contextual, only something useless, you must keep tabs opened, it is ok for pc but not for laptops, there is nothing left to see of the artwork, you can say, ok, push tab, then what? make a trim, push again tab?

I can't rotate things properly because they don't show you degrees, only if you use rotate in effects, but in that case object is in one place and visual in another... again simple basic in vector manipulations.

Duplicating an object over one axis.... move it with alt pressed and then reflect? or ctrl+c then ctrl + f in same place and rotate 180 from right edge?

In corel you simply drag one edge over the axis and right click, in this example you see difference between corel and illustrator, it is SIMPLE.

And what is the most annoying thing from all is that they have technology, it is in Indesign, all basic things are better, they've made illustrator so fancy that they forgot the purpose, vectors are basic things, give as some basic simple functions to work with them....

[Kuttyjoe]

"I can't make one edge curved from a rectangle, without affecting next edge - simple basic in vectors work"

Illustrator is better in this regard than CorelDraw though I remember when it couldn't do this particular thing.  But as of today, Illustrator can not only round individual corners, but unlike Corel that can only do this prior to converting the object to curves, Illustrator can round any corner on any shape at any time.  If you take the pen tool and draw two lines with a corner, Illustrator can directly round that corner.  Illustrator also retains the ability to treat rounded corners as "effects".  In other words, round corners on a shape, then apply that "effect" to any other object.  In this regard, Illustrator bests CorelDraw very easily.

"I don't have trim in contextual menu"

That's of no consequence.  Select the shapes and use a key command to trim; which you must agree, key commands are faster than mousing in menus.   More importantly, it actually works in Illustrator where it fails 100% of the time on any but the most simplest art in Draw. I certainly can't chalk this up as a loss for Illustrator since Illustrator supports a faster way of trimming, and it works.  If we talk about path editing functions like trim, Illustrator wins just by reliably working I think.

"I can't find a way to align left, right etc from shortcuts - simple basic"

Yet, I have shortcuts assigned to object alignment operations.  That is pilot error on your part.

"I don't want to select everything I touch with marked area but only what is included in it. - simple basic"

OK.  CorelDraw actually does both while Illustrator only does the one you mentioned.  I would chalk that up as a win for CorelDraw, but the tiniest of wins.

"anyway, the main problem is that they don't have things contextual, only something useless"

I can only shrug.  Your examples are pilot error so I suspect that this is more pilot error.  The contextual menus are useless to you but not for someone else.

"you must keep tabs opened"

I also keep some tabs open in CorelDraw.  Neither can work completely without palettes.

"I can't rotate things properly because they don't show you degrees"

LOL  Of course Illustrator shows you the degrees when you rotate any object, anytime.

"Duplicating an object over one axis.... move it with alt pressed and then reflect? or ctrl+c then ctrl + f in same place and rotate 180 from right edge?"

Not sure what you mean there.  But you mentioned Control F (Paste in place) which is a feature that Illustrator has that CorelDraw does not have so I'm not sure where you're going with that.  Try this, select a ton of objects across a ton of layers, copy, then make a new document and paste in with the entire layer structure intact.  Select an object and paste directly in front of it, or directly behind it.  These are great features of Illustrator which are impossible in Draw and require many more steps to achieve the same thing.

"In corel you simply drag one edge over the axis and right click, in this example you see difference between corel and illustrator, it is SIMPLE."

But you can "flip" objects in the same fashion in Illustrator, no problem.  Flip them right where they are, or with one click, set a new center and flip based on that point.  Good stuff.  Not only that, but can you rotate an object in Draw without actually grabbing the selection handle?  You can in Illustrator.  It makes rotation that much faster because you don't have to actually grab the handle.  Just place the mouse on the screen and move it and it rotates.

"And what is the most annoying thing from all is that they have technology, it is in Indesign, all basic things are better, they've made illustrator so fancy that they forgot the purpose, vectors are basic things, give as some basic simple functions to work with them...."

I use Indesign too.  Illustrator is far superior with all of it's drawing tools.  Indesign has a selection of drawing tools and that's great but nothing like Illustrator.  Anyway, there are certainly some things in CorelDraw that are better than Illustrator but you haven't named any of them yet.  Envelope tools were better in CorelDraw decades ago than they are in Illustrator today.  Dealing with transparency has a better interface in CorelDraw than in Illustrator.  We can chalk up your comments so far to Pilot Error.  Illustrator is far better than you are aware of. 

[tampit.ro]

1. in Corel you click on the edge and push convert to curves, in illustrator you click on corner with alt pressed, make them both curved and after that you correct one, and by the way, fillet (rounded corners) scallop and chamfer are very old in corel dockers

2. you can't use key command to trim in illustrator, only to bring up tab menu, i guess you refer to Shift-Cmd-F9 ??, in corel you can put direct shortcut for almost every operation or tool if not all

3. again you confuse things, you can't put direct shortcut on align left or right, in corel it is a simple press on L or R, you refer again at shift+f7

4. it is useless for me because I find it very easy to work in Corel way, of course Adobe has their own ideology, some kind of steve jobs and apple:)), of course was a easy task for google to bring android and execute them, same thing here if they persist in this idiocracy

5. you don't need tabs in corel, everything you need it is in standard bar, very intuitive contextual

6. obviously you don't know very good illustrator nor corel, rotate one object in illustrator and after that tell me with how many degree was rotated? try to rotate it back without undo, of course you see but only when you rotate him, not after that.

7. copy paste at corel is in the same place, no need for ctrl+f, also you have send to back and to front like in illustrator. Why it is ctrl+f if you have send to front command? On the other hand it is ok paste in screen at illustrator since you have object in your view and you don't need to scroll, my arguing at this point was with duplicating items keeping a common side, very annoying at illustrator, very hard to flip if is not a 45 or 90 angle.

8. agree with transparency, that make mask thing it is to much in illustrator, why they don't take a simple gradient tool and drag it over object, instead they put you to do a new object placed over initial one, on the other hand you can control any area of transparency in every way, in corel you can't.

So again, Illustrator is for graphic artists used by advertising agencies, Corel is for fast and clean tasks used by production workshops.

By the way, Corel 7 is Corel 7, Corel X7 is like Corel 17 since after Corel 12, Corel 13 was named Corel X3.

They started somehow to bring Illustrator functions and same idiocracy with dockers (tabs):)), if they continue i don't see Corel a better alternative for illustrator in future, except maybe for shortcuts freedom

[Kuttyjoe]

"1. in Corel you click on the edge and push convert to curves, in illustrator you click on corner with alt pressed, make them both curved and after that you correct one"

No.  In Illustrator you draw a box, or draw two paths with a corner.  Anything with a corner.  Then there's a small handle there that you can drag to do a rounded corner.  That's it.  It's far superior to Corel Draw.  If you hold various modifier keys you can also invert the rounded corner or champfer, etc, etc.  Any paths you create that happen to have a corner can become rounded corners, all together or one at a time.  As I said earlier, if you take the pen tool and draw a whole bunch of paths with corners, they all can be rounded one by one, or all together, or select a group of them and round them together.

"(rounded corners) scallop and chamfer are very old in corel dockers"

OK, but I haven't made any comment about that so I'm not sure what you point is.

"2. you can't use key command to trim in illustrator, only to bring up tab menu, i guess you refer to Shift-Cmd-F9 ?"

No, I directly trim objects in Illustrator.  I also directly do several other path operations from the Pathfinder pallet.  All of them can be assigned to key commands.  I'm not talking about making the palette visible.  I'm talking about directly chopping objects with a key command.

"3. again you confuse things, you can't put direct shortcut on align left or right"

I guess you are in shock that there are things possible in Illustrator that you are completely unaware of.  To make it simple again, I have a key command assigned directly to Align Center.  I select two objects, then I press my custom key command and watch them align.  The palette is not even visible on the screen.  I'm not talking about opening a palette.  That would be deceitful and pointless for me to play around with words like that.

"5. you don't need tabs in corel, everything you need it is in standard bar, very intuitive contextual"

Everything YOU need maybe.  Not everything I need.  Not everything everybody else needs.

"6. obviously you don't know very good illustrator nor corel, rotate one object in illustrator and after that tell me with how many degree was rotated?"

I don't get it.  Wasn't it I who said that I could rotate an object and read the degrees that it's rotated?  I'm sure it was me.  Yet you accuse ME of being the one who doesn't know Illustrator.  LOL  So, either I'm wasting time telling lies, or it's actually YOU who doesn't know Illustrator.  I'll say it again,  I can rotate an object in Illustrator and read the degrees that it's been rotated.  I can't make it any simpler than that.

"try to rotate it back without undo, of course you see but only when you rotate him, not after that."

What?  If I rotate an object.  Save the file.  Close Illustrator.  Open it back up.  Open the file.  Select the object and it shows the degrees of rotation.  I can rotate the object by typing in 21 degrees.  Tomorrow, I can change it to 90 degrees.  Again, and again, you just don't know Illustrator.

"7. copy paste at corel is in the same place, no need for ctrl+f"

If you say so.  But your argument is taking a familiar turn.  If for whatever reason you don't need this great feature, that's fine.  But don't try to decide what other people need.  I've been relying on that feature for decades.  Illustrator's Copy/Past functionality is superior to CorelDraw's.  That's all.

"very annoying at illustrator, very hard to flip if is not a 45 or 90 angle."

That's pilot error.

"8. agree with transparency, that make mask thing it is to much in illustrator"

Illustrator is more complicated, but also more powerful.  More features.

"why they don't take a simple gradient tool and drag it over object"

They did.  A looonnngggg time ago.  So I guess this means that you're making arguments about Illustrator from what 6 years ago?

"So again, Illustrator is for graphic artists used by advertising agencies, Corel is for fast and clean tasks used by production workshops."

Unfortunately, you still have a perfect record of being wrong about each and every single thing you've said about Illustrator.  I think you pointed out a single thing that was actually true.  So, I'm gonna have to seriously doubt if you're qualified to make that statement.  I work in a production workshop by the way.  As I said before, there are definitely some unique things in CorelDraw.  You just haven't named any of them.

[tampit.ro]

ok, tell me how from a rectangle you make only one edge curved, but only one.

how you directly trim if you cant put a direct key for that, maybe you start with how you assign a direct key for that. If you search in edit, keyboard shortcuts and trim, there is nothing to assign, same for align.

from where you read degree of rotation after you reopened the file if you not use transform from effects?

Internet is full with guys trying to read rotation angle in illustrator, there's no angle reader tool also.

I referred to a transparency tool like the one in corel which looks like a gradient, there's no transparency tool in illustrator cs6, you must move opacity from gradient but this means you must refill object with a gradient or to go in transparency tab and make a mask from there, or maybe of course, you have a magic button again:))))))

if you prefer to talk is your problem but you just keep saying it can be done, how it can be done???

[Kuttyjoe]

"ok, tell me how from a rectangle you make only one edge curved, but only one."

All shapes that have a corner have a little control.  Slide the control to round that corner, individually or together.

"how you directly trim if you cant put a direct key for that, maybe you start with how you assign a direct key for that."

Assign the key command as an action, then perform the action via key command.  Trim, Align, etc.

"Internet is full with guys trying to read rotation angle in illustrator"

It only works on Rectangles actually, but you can see the angle of rotation in the Transform palette and change the angle there as well.  It's not available for other shapes.

"there's no angle reader tool also."

The Ruler tools shows you the angle object.

"I referred to a transparency tool like the one in corel which looks like a gradient, there's none transparency tool in illustrator cs6"

OK, I misunderstood you there.  There's no transparency tool in Illustrator.  But Illustrator still has more powerful transparency features.  Corel makes the basics easier, but doesn't go as deep.  Illustrator is less intuitive, but more powerful. Pick your choice as to which is better.  Also, the masking is not necessary for transparency, it's just an additional feature.  For transparency just type 50% or whatever.

"if you prefer to talk is your problem but you just keep saying it can be done, how it can be done???"

Easy now.  I'm obligated to instruct you in anything, but I did just that, as soon as you actually asked how it's done.  Prior to that you were "preferring to talk" so don't say "it's my problem."  On the bright side, I suspect you now have a little better opinion of Illustrator.

[tampit.ro]

stop wasting my time, readers time and maybe yours.

"All shapes that have a corner have a little control.  Slide the control to round that corner, individually or together."

with path tool and alt pressed over that corner you have that control, but that will deform not only one side but booth, in corel it is direct

If I go deep on that, illustrator don't give you option to round a specific corner on a rectangle, only all of them, you must make new points, delete old one and curve shape between.

In corel you can make whatever you want, fillet, chamfer or scallop directly for EVERY POINT selected.

"Assign the key command as an action, then perform the action via key command.  Trim, Align, etc."

fact remains, you can't have a direct shortcut for trim, intersect or else, yes, you can make a new action, record it and asign a combination from  F1 to F9 with shift or ctrl. I don't want F1 to F9 nor alt or control, simple as that, in corel I can assign everything on everything, in illustrator only what they give you in edit, keyboard shortcuts.

"It only works on Rectangles actually, but you can see the angle of rotation in the Transform palette and change the angle there as well."

No again, you are in deep error, you read from books not from screen, you talk like the cheapest employee that adobe can have, there's no way to read an object angle after you insert it in transform tool and press enter, it will be rotated but if you forget that number you can't rotate another object with the same amount because you don't know it.

"The Ruler tools shows you the angle object."

at least you said something partially right, his name is measure tool not ruler.

"Easy now.  I'm obligated to instruct you in anything,"

You are not, in fact you more confuse people.

ILLUSTRATOR HAS ALL THE OBJECTS IN AN ARTISTIC RELATION NOT IN A MATHEMATICAL ONE LIKE COREL.

Once you understand this limit in their engine you know what you can achieve with illustrator and what with corel.

take spiral tool, or star tool, or any shape tool, they are just dust in the wind in front of corel, once you made that shape it remains like that.

PS: and i am still asking adobe to stop fouling people presenting illustrator as a vector program, which is not, it is only some kind of graphic library with brushes substituted by lines, called vectors in their head, they are unable to put some complex algorithms between 2 points, all they can do is to give you a way to input location of some points (x and y) and show it on the screen.

A vector is a mathematical expression, PERIOD.

[Kuttyjoe]

"stop wasting my time, readers time and maybe yours."

Anger and insults. Not unexpected at all.

"with path tool and alt pressed over that corner you have that control, but that will deform not only one side but booth"

"f I go deep on that, illustrator don't give you option to round a specific corner on a rectangle, only all of them, you must make new points"

Look at the picture if you can't be bothered to download the demo and see for yourself.  I've done something a little different on several corners, with direct control.  It's PRECISELY as I said.  Every corner, or any shape has an independent handle for rounding corners.  But my guess is that you're going to reply with more "I REFUSE TO BELIEVE, YOU'RE AN ADOBE EMPLOYEE!".

"fact remains, you can't have a direct shortcut for trim, intersect or else"

I use Shift F6 for Trim.  That' a key command.  LOL  And you've entered the next predictable stage of refusal to accept reality when you're desperately wrong.  It's OK though.  It's entertaining.

"you read from books not from screen, you talk like the cheapest employee that adobe can have, there's no way to read an object angle after you insert it in transform tool"

Once again, may I draw your attention to the pretty picture:

What's it say there?  Transform Palette, 15.8 degrees.  Oh, and notice the controls for rounded corners also.

"ILLUSTRATOR HAS ALL THE OBJECTS IN AN ARTISTIC RELATION NOT IN A MATHEMATICAL ONE LIKE COREL."

Finally, utter nonsense.  I'm pretty much done here.  Do you need a link for where to download the demo and see this stuff for yourself?  I'm hoping that you aren't going to accuse me of "photoshopping" those images.  LOL

Like I said earlier, CorelDraw has a lot of unique features.  You just haven't mentioned any of them.

[tampit.ro]

Yes, this time you are right, i don't have those functions in cs6, probably you have CC version, the latest thing, after 27 years finally they found a way to show the angle )).

I will show you in weekend why corel is better at vectors, with pictures too.

[Kuttyjoe]

I started with CorelDraw in 1994.  So, I would count on thinking that you could convince me that Draw is better with vectors.  As for images, CorelDraw has some real advantages in that dept.  No doubt about it.  Both programs have serious advantages so neither can be considered best overall.  Both can do some specific tasks better than the other.

[jane-e]

Aargh! So many misspellings of CorelDRAW in one thread!

[ptPhil]

I have used both CorelDraw and Illustrator since the earliest versions and am using the current versions.  I won't repeat the great write-ups (right-ups?) earlier in this conversation that definitively and correctly illustrate the differences.  As an industrial designer that designs point of purchase displays, CorelDraw wins hands down.

Aside from those attributes listed above, I have two reasons for making this blog entry: one practical - CorelDraw is terribly faster for my work, and one altruistic - I dislike most aspects of Adobe from their culture to their practices relating to their software that doesn't always work anyway.  Illustrator sells because it's the best thing that will work on a Mac. Period. 

Details: My work entails creating a presentation drawing to sell the job and then communicate with the maker-types to create a prototype.  Follow-up drawings are a dream where in Illustrator it is a chore.  Finally, contract drawings are created which amount to engineering drawings.  I used to do this in an Autodesk CAD program but 'Draw can do it faster and cheaper.  Illustrator can almost do it, and it is like pulling teeth.  Most graphic artists that work with me do not agree with all my views.  But in almost 30 years of using computer design programs as a free lance CorelDraw has always been a clear choice for me.

[Tony Tuneson]

Corel Draw is a powerful and underrated application. It's been popular on the PC, maybe still is, I don't know. Obviously, many untrained in-house people have used it so it got a bad reputation for it's output. At the same time this proves that it has a pleasant learning curve.

If you know what you're doing, you can get great results with both programs.

I use both for compatibility reasons with clients and suppliers. Maybe that's your boss' concern as well. Just a few handy facts: any 'flat' eps-file from one application can be opened in the other. It's for keeping effects editable that they both have their proprietary files. Illustrator saves these as .ai files, Corel has .cdr files for that. Corel can to some extent read .ai files as well. Corel has way more input and output formats so it can also be a handy bridge to get things in Illustrator or other CS-programs, if needed. Illustrator is mostly used in the professional world on Macs, that's the main reason why Illustrator is 'better' than Corel Draw. For that reason I sometimes import Corel-drawings or logos in Illustrator just to save them as the latest version .ai 😉 The other way around, saving from lllustrator to Corel doesn't make much sense. Corel users can open almost anything anyway and they're fine with it. Bottom line: maybe you can use Corel as converting tool and keep doing your editing in Illustrator. Or does your boss want to ditch Illustrator alltogether? I wouldn't recommend that, Corel's file compatibility is of course always a bit behind with the latest Illustrator versions so you won't be able to open all files you get on your desk.

[mec_os]

they don't make corel draw for mac, that's all i need to prefer illustrator.

[Ragnevi]

People who can use Corel Draw have done amazing things in it, so I think it is up to the user what he or she prefers...

I have both, sometimes I get an original in Corel Draw and it is just easier to open it in that program and export to Illustrator or a PDF.

Cons with Corel Draw.

It has an interface that I find user hostile, only Gimp is fare worse in my opinion. I don't manage to close the pattern with the nods cause the button that is supposed to do this is always gray. But this is what you are used to and what you have learnt. If I have to do anything in Corel Draw or Photo-Paint it takes me at least twice the time than if I had done it in Illustrator.
Your time/productivity, salary and education is a cost for your company to.

The compatibility between Photoshop, In Design, Acrobat and Premiere, etc. No one can beats that.

The only reason I can see why use Corel Draw is that I think that monopoly is bad for the industry when it comes to development new features and it leads to higher prices, I can't understand how the US back in the days complained over that Explorer was included in Windows. We have at least four other serious browsers alternative today (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera) and it has nothing to do with that the court made Microsoft show a window where you must choose a webbrowser, the only thing I use IE to is go and download Chrome or Firefox.

One area there Adobe hasn't monopoly is the video editing market where in Sweden Avid is the leading software, but you can see that Adobe has made really strong improvements of every new installment of Premiere so in many ways it is damn close with Avid and if you use other Adobe products it is bundled with the CC-package. Which is an huge advantage.

Just see what happened with In Design, since Quark messed up with version 5 to mac and didn't made an OS X version and you could only have one document open at the same time in Rosetta-mode, in just a couple of months people switched to In Design cause they already had it almost for free since Adobe almost gave it away in the beginning to make people to switch. Now In Designs compatibility with earlier version is crap, when they released version CS5.5 and you couldn't even save for version CS5.0, we had some issues with this where I had to forbid others to install 5.5. since there for some reason we didn't get licenses for all users and I didn't want to spend the companies money for such a small update.

If you don't like the cloud solution where you have to pay every month Corel is the only serious option.

It is always good to have knowledge about several programs, the home and student version is really cheap and costs 89 usd if you would like to learn it on your own. You can always use that as an argument when you ask for a raise.

One big cons for me but probably not for you is that the software is only available in English, French, German and simplified chinese. I use Mac at work mostly but I need to run some bookkeeping programs that is only for PC so we have that to, and in my opinion my new Surface Pro 3 beats my old Macbook air in every way and I didn't felt to even get a new macbook air.

Another con for Corel. The Surface stylus pressure function doesn't work in Corel Draw or Photo-Paint.

There is no good font manager for PC in my opinion. Bought what I thought was a serious program Font Explorer but if you have a high resolution on your screen the program doesn't just look like crap. It doesn't work at all cause every button is blank. Yep there was 100 euro included taxes waisted...

I also tried Suitcase but it wanted to install some really old support system Windows files that I guess didn't worked well with my system cause I had to reinstall the whole computer since no Apps in Metro would access the internet.

Say you wan't to switch to mac, there is no mac version of Corel there.

[Kuttyjoe]

"Another con for Corel. The Surface stylus pressure function doesn't work in Corel Draw or Photo-Paint."

Actually, that's Microsoft's fault for using a stylus tech that is known to not work with a multitude of different programs.  The Surface Pro 2 used Wacom tech which has maximum compatibility.  The Surface Pro 3 used N-Trig which was known to not be only partially compatible with a lot of software.  Just learning that the Surface Pro 3 would use N-Trig was enough to make me not consider buying it.  When the Surface Pro 3 was first released, the stylus wasn't compatible with Photoshop!  That was not a surprise.  Anyone who used products with N-Trig stylus tech would have already known that.  As would Microsoft of course, but that didn't stop them from switching to N-Trig.  After a lot of complaining and bad publicity, Microsoft and N-Trig got themselves together and released a fix.

Regarding Corel vs Adobe, neither is best in every type of operation.  It depends on the kind of work you're doing.  To make realistic comparisons, you have to look at the specific work being done.  Then you can compare what each software has to offer and which is better/faster/more reliable etc.  Both have some very clear advantages.

[MtSparkness]

I recommend both that Adobe and Coreldraw suites and encourage people to develop custom workflows. There are plenty of macros that help ease the transition between these rivals. You really can't beat Photoshop's versatility in the raster world, but Coreldraw is just unbeatable vector software. And Corel's other software like Powertrace and Connect make life quite a bit easier. Pair that with surprisingly powerful raster effects inside Draw, and it's a powerhouse all by itself in many cases. And being able to render images in vector with Draw makes beautiful, realistic vector art a real possibility to even those who are not artistic veterans.

But no, retouching photos in Photo-paint is clumsy and the layer and masking systems in Corel's suite isn't suitable for heavy raster work. Also, photo art or digital painting just isn't a thing for Corel outside Painter, which is quite expensive. Even then, it's more meant to emulate fine art. So Photoshop + Draw = win for me. Just my opinion and I'm sure those who use Illustrator exclusively will likely develop great results with different workflows. It just depends on what works best for you. None of it is particularly expensive to try, even after the 30 day trial that both makers offer. And there are LOTS of tutorials for all of these programs. So go figure it out on your own and learn something new.

As far as the previous guy losing time in productivity, that sounds user-specific. I could easily say the same about Illustrator or Indesign, which I almost never use any more. And the User Interface for Corel is probably hostile to someone because they are not used to it. It is quite intuitive, honestly. Just like any software, it takes time to learn the shortcuts, and how to best set up a workspace. Ironically, Draw has a workspace specifically tailored to people who are coming from Illustrator. All in all, I wouldn't say that Illustrator is better than Corel. But I wouldn't know what to do with the Adobe Suite either.

[misterrosen]

Greetings all,

(I'm guessing inquestflash is long gone).

This question is a good one, in its own right, yet also a bad one for universal philosophical reasons. It's much like "which is better. Mac? Or PC?"

The question is bad because it asks for an object judgement for all subjective circumstances. That's irrational.

The reality of the PC Mac question is that the right tool, or the BEST tool is ALWAYS the one you most need to get the job done.

If you work in a Mac house, Mac is better. If you work in Canada, Corel is better.

I know the question is silly, and its compounded by the fact that so few people have extensive experience in both. So I found a few, years ago, and I asked the proper question, "of the two, which do you prefer using, and why?"

I got nearly identical answers, the most succinct was "Corel is almost exactly like Photoshop, but with less clicking". Corel is better.

But, taking this to another level, look up the history of the keyboard scheme called Dvorak. It's a keyboard layout so far superior to QWERTY that it's disgusting to contemplate that I'm using a QWERTY layout at this moment typing this post. IF you converted to DVORAK you would be guaranteed  AT LEAST a 50% improvement in typing speed (an massive improvement is less typing errors). This has been known for 100 years.

So why do we use QWERTY? because we already learned how. SO, in the short term, QWERTY is easier. So we refuse to make an improvement that, in the clerical world, would save BILLIONS of dollars in improved productivity.

Corel is better. But is it 50% better? No. And is it profoundly better? In a fundamental way? No.

Is it worth learning for no reason? Probably not.

Do you already know Photoshop? ANY version? Then stay with Photoshop. Learning the new one will be easier than switching programs.

VITAE

I've used Corel since version 3, (I've used Corel for 15 versions, 28 years). I love Corel.

I've used Adobe, almost exclusively Photoshop (not Illustrator), for six years. It was required by my Game Art & Design degree, (I turn 50 this year, got the new degree four years ago).

Two things bring me back to Corel every time.

First: I've mastered it. 28 years of experience goes a long way in terms of productivity. I can produce work 100x as fast in Corel as I can in Photoshop, for various reasons. I can utilize much more complex functionality in Corel than I can in Adobe.

Second: I like a few of the features better.

     I can set the CTRL-Z button to allow me to undo however many steps i want to. Instead of just 1. Almost all of the time I've ever wasted in Adobe was due to having to access the history tab in order to back up in my process. (the is Adobe's weakest link)

     The workspace in Corel is larger than your work. Like laying all your stuff out on a huge white table. Iterating design in that workspace is ridiculously simple and easy compared to anything done in Adobe.

     Photo edit features. I have two photo effects in Corel I love, and three in Photoshop. Photoshop's photocorrect for shadows and highlights is amazing. Corel's The Boss effect is like a magic spell. I can duplicate the effects in either package, and they're smoother in their own versions.

If I got a job in a Photshop workplace, I'd bring my laptop with me. If someone complained, I'd discuss it then. Some of what I needed to do I would do in Corel.

The best tool is the one you need in order to do the job.

[SJRiegel]

misterrosen wrote:

Almost all of the time I've ever wasted in Adobe was due to having to access the history tab in order to back up in my process.

You actually don't need the history tab for this. After the first undo, Alt-control-Z (PC) or option-command-z (mac) will perform further undo steps.

I agree with this: The best tool is the one you need in order to do the job.

But I have a problem with this: " If I got a job in a Photshop workplace, I'd bring my laptop with me. If someone complained, I'd discuss it then. Some of what I needed to do I would do in Corel."

The problem is compatibility with the rest of the workplace. Software compatibility with the rest of the office is part of what is needed to do the job.  If you are hired into a Photoshop-based workplace, you should expect to work in Photoshop. By the same token, if someone more familiar with Macs and Photoshop was hired into a job with PCs and Corel, they would be expected to use PCs and Corel. People unwilling to be flexible in that way should not take that job.