Photoshop vs Illustrator for animation purposes

Question

My question is different than other general Photoshop vs Illustrator comparison questions.

I want to ask - which one of the two is better in creating characters, models like rockets, planets, and much more cartoon type of objects so I can import every part of that object as a separate layer in after effects and then animate them to make science videos and explainer videos.

After consulting many professional animators, they suggest me Illustrator as the industry standard for this purpose. However, I'm expert with photoshop and not at all familiar with illustrator.

Is photoshop alone will be able to quench my thirst or do I have to shift to illustrator? What additional benefits do illustrator has to make it "the industry standard" ?

Theresa J · Accepted Answer

You can get a high end result by creating your characters in Photoshop, and you won’t lose out on a big feature without Ilustrator. The biggest difference is in the drawing of vector shapes. Illustrator handles this better because the application is designed to work with vector, however you can also draw vector shapes in Photoshop. In Illustrator you can combine shapes with different fills and stroke colors in a group, or together on a layer. In Photoshop each shape layer has the same fill and stroke color. So, the Photoshop layer panel could get unwieldy large if you draw your characters with vector shapes. Work with Layer groups in Photoshop to keep it organized.

Theresa J · Answer

You can import either Photoshop or Illustrator graphics into After Effects. I recommend that you start with what you already know. If you are comfortable with Photoshop, then use it to create your characters. You could always learn some Illustrator down the road, but why delay starting a project if you can use a tool you already know.

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