▷Adobe Illustrator 🥇

Commercial license

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a vector design-based graphics editor specially designed for graphic designs with complex geometric patterns.

03/12/2021
32 All specs

App Store

1 488

23,99 € month

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Windows
MacOS
iOS iPad

Subscription € 23,99 per month

Windows
MacOS

Summary:

Why use Adobe Illustrator?
What's new in the latest version of Adobe Illustrator?
What OS is Adobe Illustrator compatible with?
What are the best alternatives to Adobe Illustrator?

Description

Adobe Illustrator is vector graphics editing software. It is therefore ideal for layouts, typography, logos, illustrations with crisp outlines, technical illustrations, icons, etc.

Adobe Illustrator is considered the tool of choice by most designers because of its many features and compatibility. It is also compatible with Inkscape (free vector graphics editor) which exports graphics files in SVG format. So you have the possibility to work interchangeably with the two applications.

Adobe Illustrator offers a wide variety of tools that allow you to select, create, and edit objects or illustrations. You can do all kinds of image manipulation, such as drawing, typing, painting, reshaping, cutting, slicing, moving, zooming, and graphing.

Its main drawing tools are Brush, Pen, Curvature, Blothape, and Pencil. Each of these tools has its own customization options. They allow, among other things, to draw smooth curves and straight lines, to draw and edit freehand lines, to apply fills, to merge shapes and much more. In addition, the software provides access to millions of images and 3D objects via the Adobe Stock tool.

You can download Adobe Illustrator for Windows, macOS and iPad for free in its demo version (billing begins at the end of the trial period, a bank ID is required to download Adobe Illustrator).

Why use Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe Illustrator is a very complete editor which allows professional or amateur graphic designers to create very good quality creations. Accessible on computer as well as on iPad and thanks to its connection to the Creative Cloud you have access to your creations from anywhere in the world.

How do I download and install Adobe Illustrator?

To download the free trial version of Adobe Illustrator you must click on the associated button on the page of the Adobe site (by following our download link, be careful that no link blocker is active, otherwise you will not will not be able to access it).

From there you will need to create a free Adobe account (if you don't already have one with one of Adobe's free products like Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Photoshop Camera, Adobe Photoshop Express or Adobe Scan) and enter your banking information. Do not panic, no direct debit will be made before the end of the period (the exact date is displayed), the banking information will allow Adobe to start the debits at the end of the trial period. To find out how to cancel the Adobe Illustrator subscription (before or even after the end of the trial period) go below.

Once you have validated all the necessary fields you will see a button Start appear on the screen, click on it and it will start the download of Adobe Illustrator. Once the download is complete, you just need to launch the installation, either by double clicking on the icon in your download folder, or via the download button in your browser and clicking on the name of the file to launch it.

Adobe Illustrator

During installation, Adobe offers to manage your account using your smartphone (double authentication). To do this you will first need to download the Adobe authentication application, you can skip this step (by clicking on Continue) if you wish, it is more informative than anything else. Once you are logged into your Adobe account, the installation will continue. In the installation window, Adobe will ask you a few questions, but you don't need to answer them at all.

In reality, it is not Adobe Illustrator that you install directly, but the Adobe Creative Cloud management center, which allows you to download and install all Adobe software. Once Control Center is installed, it opens and launches the final installation of Adobe Illustrator. You will also have access to an overview of the software and some tutorials. To be sure that your applications will be displayed in the correct language, you must go to the blue icon at the top right, choose Preferences then Applications and define the installation language for Adobe applications.

After all the installations are complete, you will get an icon on the desktop to launch Adobe Creative Cloud. From there you can open all the Adobe products in your possession.

Adobe Illustrator

What to do with Adobe Illustrator?

Once the installation is complete you can open Adobe Illustrator from the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop interface. Note that the software is available in a large number of languages (including French).

Adobe Illustrator

From the home screen you can either create a new project or open an existing project. Quick creation tools allow you to open new projects in specific format, this list is different each time you start. It can include: A4, Postcard, web page, image for iPhone X, image in HDTV 1080 format and customizable format. From the latter you can create any type of format, it is you who define the exact dimensions of the projects you want to create.

Once you have set the preferences for the new project, it will open on the screen. As in any photo editing or image creation software, you have in the center of a blank page, on the left of a column of tools and on the right, the management of layers, properties and libraries.

Adobe Illustrator

Thanks to Adobe Illustrator you will be able to create superb vector drawings that correspond to your creativity. You can insert pictures, draw, add objects, anchor them to each other, mirror them, etc. Apply a full color palette to your creation, and get color palettes from other images, add effects to your project (3D, shapes, distortion, artistry, blur, etc.), the possibilities are endless.

Adobe Illustrator also supports adding text. For this it offers a real mini text editor with alignment options, font size and complete characteristics (height of letters, etc.).

If you are not sure what to do or are looking for inspiration then feel free to use the templates provided. When you click on Create New, the window for configuring the new document is displayed. At the top are categories: Mobile, Web, Print, Film & Video, Illustration. In each category you will find specific formats but also predefined models that you can use.

Adobe Illustrator

Models accessible from Adobe Illustrator come from Adobe Stock Libraries. You can preview them before downloading them thanks to the preview. If the model suits you, you can download it. If one of the fonts of the template is not installed on your machine, you can create it when opening the chosen template.

How do I stop the trial version of Adobe Illustrator?

When downloading the software you created an Adobe account. Open your Adobe account from your browser or through the Adobe Illustrator Help menu. Once logged into your account, click on the menu at the top named Packages. In My formulas you will see the list of your current subscriptions. In the frame you have to click on the button Manage formula. You will then have the possibility to cancel the formula.

Of course, canceling the subscription will cancel everything it contained: access to the application, additional cloud storage space, access to libraries, etc.

What's new in the latest version of Adobe Illustrator?

Since October 2021 Adobe Illustrator is available on iPad. Take your work with you wherever you go by backing up to your Creative Cloud account and accessing it from your iPad, or computer.

Adobe Illustrator is updated regularly. New features in the January 2021 release allow users to improve their illustrations. First of all a repeat tool allows you to copy objects instantly with effects of mirror, symmetry, etc. Then the snap function has been improved, allowing you to more easily snap two objects together even at the corner marks.

As of June 2021 Adobe Illustrator is compatible with Apple's M1 processors on Mac computers running macOS: Lightroom gains Super-resolution and Adobe extends its compatibility with Apple's M1 processors.

What OS is Adobe Illustrator compatible with?

Adobe Illustrator is compatible with computers running Windows or macOS.

In addition, since October 2021 you can download the Adobe Illustrator application for your iPad.

What are the best alternatives to Adobe Illustrator?

Inkscape is the open source alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It is a software for editing and creating vector drawings. The interface is clean and the toolbars contain small icons representing the features they trigger. You can also use the layer system, insert object, etc. Multiplatform, Inkscape runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Still in free and open source software you can also test Gimp. Although this software is more downloaded for its resemblance to Adobe Photoshop, be aware that Gimp also handles vector drawing very well. Indeed, Gimp embeds both image and photo editing tools as well as vector tools, in particular thanks to the possible addition of plug-ins that reinforce its basic functionalities. For Windows, Mac and Linux.

Available for download as a demo version, Affinity Designer is a very complete graphic design software. Its interface is very beautiful and efficient. It manages the layers, the addition of the objects and offers all the functionalities that a graphic designer could need. For Windows, Mac and iPad.

If you are a LibreOffice or OpenOffice user, you can also use Draw the drawing tool of the free and free office suite.

If you're looking for something more mobile, you can turn to Canva. Available for download for Android and iOS, but also as an online service that you can open from any internet browser, and therefore any operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux), Canva is free. Rather intended for an audience of beginner users, the tool is still effective enough to appeal to everyone.

Still in mobile but much closer to Adobe Illustrator than the others, you can download Adobe Illustrator Draw. This is a free vector drawing mobile application for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad) platforms. Simpler than its big brother, it still allows you to make more than correct creations.

Specifications

App Store

1 488

Last update December 3, 2021 License Commercial license Downloads 32 (last 30 days) Author Adobe Operating systems Windows, macOS, iOS iPad Category Photo