graphic design question

[ryan1]

hey guys,

i'm interested in dabbling in computer art but i'm not sure which program to purchase to start. i've seen good reviews of both photoshop and illustrator, but i'm not sure which to get (or if there are better programs out there - how's coreldraw graphics suite?) can anyone help me out here?

thanks,

- ryan

[Blankman]

You might check www.cnet.com for some reviews and articles on graphics programs.

[LawyerRon]

Ryan,
I worked as a graphic desinger for about 6 years. You need to learn 3 main areas to really be proficient:

a photo editing program; Photoshop is the best.
A "drawing" program; Illustrator and Freehand are two popular ones.

and a "page layout" program. QuarkXpress (my favorite) and PageMaker are the two big names.

Yes, you can create "complete" ads, etc in all three programs above but you need to learn the different skills associated with each one.

[glc]

Note that all those mentioned programs are quite pricey - I can recommend Paint Shop Pro as a low-cost alternative to Photoshop and M$ Publisher as a basic page layout program. You can "draw" in Paint Shop Pro, it does support graphics tablets. You should be able to pick up these 2 programs and a entry-level graphics tablet for less than $300. However, when you become proficient you will need "industry-standard" stuff like what Ron mentioned to be compatible with the commercial world and are looking at dishing out at least a couple grand for the appropriate tools.