Illustrator VS Inkscape: A Complete Comparison
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
- One of the most common questions I receive is how Inkscape compares to Illustrator, and if one is better than the other. The two applications are very similar and have a lot in common, but despite that there’s still enough differences between them for a worthwhile comparison to be made. In this video I’m going to break that all down and go over some the advantages and disadvantages of Illustrator vs Inkscape.
Want to learn more about how Inkscape works? Check out the Inkscape Master Class - a comprehensive series of over 50 videos where I go over every tool, feature and function in Inkscape and explain what it is, how it works, and why it's useful: logosbynick.com/inkscape/
You can check out my other channel for Illustrator tutorials here: / @designmadesimple
Intro song: "In Da Mood" by Combustibles, used with written permission
UPDATE: It's been 4 years since I made this video and a lot has changed, so I've made an updated video that you can watch here: th-cam.com/video/aDfabvIxkVw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=WjSEeQBXdieji8fT
"You can still be a freelancer as an inkscape user"
That's what I needed to hear, thank you :)
As you said, Inkscape is solely supported by its own community. Thank you for helping us all!
I am a software developer and I used to use illustrator, I discovered Inkscape from your videos like 5 years ago. I’m so glad I don’t have to install illustrator anymore.
The day I downloaded and opened Inkscape was the last day I was using Adobe Illustartor. It happened 8 years ago.
I had the same story but for search engines, I did it in 2012 to force myself to duckgo
@Tigran Khachaturian Didn't knew about quant, I'll look it up. But hey, I'm using ddg since 2012 I didn't got that many problems, was it a recent thing?
@Tigran Khachaturian Recently switched to DuckDuckGo, I sometimes need to either be very specific in wording a search in DDG or just open a Google tab to get what I was searching for using what I initial searched in DDG.
@@ZNotFound yeah duckduckgo need some improvements
I was planning to switch to Inkscape but one thing hold me back.. I mostly work with multipage files (Minimum 4 pages). Inkscape doesn't allow me to use multiple artboard and thus I can not generate a multipage PDF Direct from Inkscape. How do you manage this type of scenario?
This is basically the design and art industries today...
*Random company:
We need a motorcycle driver for this job. Let's put an announcement online
"We require an employee that owns and knows how to drive a 2020 Yamaha WR250F"
*Job applicant:
Hello, I never had a Yamaha before, but I own and drive Honda, Husqvarna, KTM, and Kawasaki motorcycles.I've been doing it my entire life.
*Random company:
Uh-oh sorry, driving a Yamaha is the specific requirement since we think it is the best and only motorcycle worth driving and the only vehicle to get the job done, next please.
Ha,ha,right.
I have seen online job ads that require degree that no college in the world offers. And, have been turned down for that job even though I have 8 years of experience in that trade skill.
NightHawk? You made a motorcycle analogy and your avatar name is nighthawk. That's funny, even though the analogy is more wishful thinking than realistic. In this case, if a job required Illustrator skills, it's not like a Inkscape expert could do the work. Inkscape is not nearly as capable as Illustrator.
It's about file compatibility , I think.
You would need same set of softwares if you're working with others.
But for a freelancer like me, I can use whatever software as long as I deliver good result.
Clients didn't interested which software I'm using.
But sometime, clients give me specific file format that can only be open and work smoothly in the industry standard software.
So ahh... Some companies want you to use specific software because of their workflow.
Enter Portable Document Format....PDF...?? I used when using CorelDraw which has better node and page manipulation..hated using Ai . Export top end PDF. Da.dah...
I've been using Inkscape for a decade, I always felt it was such un underrated software, especially compared to illustrator. On few occasions, I worked along some illustrator's user and while I was doing the very same things in a fraction of the time, I felt like they were suggesting that it wasn't as good as doing it with illustrator. I know this because they didn't stop recreating what I'd already finished, like the final version had to be an ai file or something. Felt like dealing with some proud cult
I can totally relate to that.
I had the same experience with Blender working as a corporate artist alongside autodesk/Maxon users; I was producing way better results than my 3D peers every day and getting things done quickly and seamlessly while my peers struggle to maintain several proprietary licenses and struggled to maintain practical knowledge and use of all software. At the same time they would CONSTANTLY remind me how I needed to adapt more 'industry standard' approaches; even when I'd deliver the final product in PSD, AE, FBX and in Unity.
But because I was actually doing better than them; and I had interchange down to a science; none of them could stop me from using Blender.
It was a lot of thankless work but the higher ups saw me like a nitro'd up Ferrari that always gets the job done and obviously THEY could care less what I used if I brought the money in.
Nothing makes me more prouder than sticking it it to hollywood while innovating far beyond the very low capacity of the 'Industry Standard'.
I can't say enough how grateful I am for you and this channel. Transitioning to Inkscape has been so painless and it has been helping me level up my designs so much.
I must raise my hat for you dear Nick for this video. Your comparison is as proffessional as your tutorials. It is unbiased and to the point.
What I liked most about this video is that such free apps like Inkscape and Gimp help us test the water and discover our potentials.
Thank you
Thank you for your contribution to design, Nick. I was the person you described in the beginning. I wanted to try out vector art, but couldn't justify spending the money on Adobe Illustrator. I downloaded Inkscape and learned a lot about vector design. I learned a lot from your videos and bought your logo design ebook. I got clients and even started a little sticker shop, using the skills I learned. Now, I work as a full-time designer, where I use the Adobe software, but I'll never forgot the low barrier to entry that helped me get where I am today.
Hey so I've been using Inkscape for over a year now and thank you for the videos because honestly without them I would have been lost. I've used Inkscape to help with designing the logos for my brand and it's awesome
People like you are real contributors in the world. God bless you for these amazing videos. Please keep sharing!
Thanks, Nick! This is an absolutely excellent overview. I started college in 2000, and InDesign wasn't even a thing then. I've had zero experience with it! Was all Quark. I last tried Photoshop around CS2 era, coming from 4.4 was a world of difference. I left college in 2004, and I've probably learned more in the last 3 months about GIMP and Inkscape than I ever did about Photoshop/Quark. I've been here with your videos quite a while,I absolutely love them. I looked something up, and found the donut video, it was between this and Troytube's Hello Kitty that got me back. I do kinda miss the college Mac computers with Macromedia Studio on them! Glad you've kept going for so long, it really is appreciated!
Indesign came out in 1999. 23 years ago. One year BEFORE you started college and five years before you "graduated"!
This is the trouble with too many "designers" today. Know nothing about how things work, what does what, and definitely no idea about what is acceptably professional work or how to achieve it.
Thanks to you Nick, I've started graphic design 1 year ago on inkscape and I'm just starting to work on Illustrator and I agree with all the points you've made in this video. I think that if you want to be great you'll have to master both tho !
Man... I see you working with vectors in this video and now I want to learn how to do everything you showed in this video! Your work is AMAZING!!
Im newely getting into SVGs to do 3D with and Nick, I have to say, you have become my instructor! thank you so much for all the helpful videos as they truly are timeless!
Sooooo... I recently switched from Gimp / Inkscape to Adobe and man am I happy to see you have an Illustrator channel.
When comparing Logos by Nick to other TH-camr tutorials it's not even close. Hell, the music alone does it for already... godsend!
I must say that I really appreciate this comparison, as it contains the most important and real differences between the two software, and furthermore, real and right advice that put you in the right bath if you are confused about which one is better for you... thank you very much
Nick you're the best :) Thanks for this comparison.
This was really useful for a person who's trying to learn Illustrator (although I know how to use Inkscape quite well thanks to you).
Man, I love you, I loved the comparison ... very fair and to the point.
KEEP POSTING CONTENT LIKE THIS !!
Thank you for this. I gotta say you nailed it for me. I was a designer, going back to the 80's. Everything went to Adobe because it became the standard in Pre-Press. I moved on to another industry but I still like to tinker. Adobe products are expensive to tinker with. I found inkscape some time ago. Inkscape was frustrating because it was different. You inspired me to look at inkscape differently. 25 years using Illustrator, I never gave inkscape a chance. Thank you. And thank you to TH-cam for suggesting your channel.
Ignoring Inkscape is useless for Pre-Press because it doesn't do basic cmyk.
...and the Internet is full of badly drawn .svgs which I suspect have come from Inkscape users.
Other than that "it's brilliant".
Thank you Nick for sharing your experience! Your videos on Inkscape helped me so much on learning how to fully use the capabilities of the software. I'm having a hard time learning how to use Illustrator, but now that I found that you have a channel about it, I feel that my life is gonna get a lot easier! Instant subscribe!
This video will really help, since I recently got access to Illustrator and been using Inkscape for a fair bit.
Amazing video! Very informative and unbiased. I downloaded inkscape after watching one of your videos. I had never heard of it before and I love it. I'm still learning the ropes hopefully will be able to master it one day
Thank you, the best and most comprehensive comparison I’ve seen.
Thanks for the last thing you said. U raised my confidence. This is one of my favorite TH-cam channels.
A channel focused on graphic design and open source design software? This is awesome and I'm glad i found the channel!
You have a great following for good reason. TY for helping beginners dip into this. Its been because of your tutorials I have been able to make some really nice custom signs on my CNC router.
Thanks for the comparison... I've used just about every vector program you can imagine; I have to use Illustrator for work, but I use Inkscape at home. I'm so thankful that Inkscape continues to be improved upon.
Do you find it hard to get work based on Inkscape? I mean professionally.
Very good, no nonsense and objective comparison. Thanks for putting it together.
True
You're doing the lord's work there, Nick. Well done!
As a freelancer, I'm migrating to inkscape from now on...
Very good! Excellent explanation! Thanks
You truly are amazing with this. For someone new like me your tutorials are fantastic
Thank you for your complete and comprehensive training. Very good!
Nick I'm a huge fan of you! I love your work! I want to buy your lectures.
Thank you , quality content I totally agree with every point specially the shape builder tool it is the only advantage illustrator has .
I have used Photoshop since CS3, and never once touched illustrator. Idk how I've gotten away with it for so long as a free graphic designer, but today was the day that I needed to bite the bullet. This video helped a ton. Thank you.
okay, now I wanna be a part of this amazing community!
This really helps me qualm some concerns I had about not being an adequate designer because I don't have adobe. Absolutely cannot afford illustrator at the moment. I do freelancing and run an etsy store where I sell Iron-on decals so I do not need it right now. I thought that maybe Inkscape was like a app compared to Illustrator but now I see it is definitely enough to get the job done. I am just so happy I found Inkscape this channel, which is my favorite and an absolute God send.
I've run my graphics business for over 30 years, I always used Adobe alternatives more so as I moved into large signs and high end image editing, I dropped supporting MAC clients completely many years ago, like 20 years ago and my last native Adobe support was CS5. I only take print ready PDF files.
I put 2 kids through college, I have 2 grand children, have a home and managed to reach retirement comfortably. Be confident and work smart!
@@davidmilisock5200 Wow! Good to know ,thank you for sharing and for the encouragement! Definitely makes me feel more confident in following this path.
@@AA-lq5pu Being successful is about you, how you define it, how much you want it and some luck.😀
@Nick thanks for this amazing video. I started with inkscape and moved on to illustrator. I am not a hardore graphic designer. but I need to draw vectors as I animate them. From that persepective, I find illustrator has a superior algorithm to generate an optimized markup for me to work on compared to Inkscape. The most amazing thing for me about inkscape is the ability to convert any shape to a path. e,g, rect, circle whatever. Illustrator does not have that. By the way, I love your channel and picked up lots of ideas from here. Thanks !!!
Thank you, Nick! your overview was really helpful to me!!
This channel is so underrated, this guy is a genious ❤️🔥
Thanks for this video. Cleared a lot of things between the two softwares.
You sir, have just gained a new subscriber! Thanks for all the content!
Thank you so much. This tutorial / eye opener is the far best in the domain.
I used Inkscape for creating all the diagrammes for my final year engineering project, and for that I am forever grateful.
How have I never known about this channel?
In school, I used the adobe suite, but since then I sort of moved to gimp.
Gimp just feels more intuitive for me, the shortcuts and mouse controls feel natural (like every other program).
I didn't have a big use for vector graphics and even though I knew I should be proficient in one of the programs I sort of let it slide.
Then at one point I figured I might get into it, but I really couldn't find any good Inkscape tutorials, so I sort of forgot about it for another year or so.
As time went on I started realizing that some things would just be easier with vector graphics... so I decided to search around looking for more Inkscape tutorials.
All I can say is Wow! If I would have known about your channel a few years ago I would have jumped into it at that time.
Well, I guess it's better late than never, but I wanted to say thanks for taking the time and creating some nicely detailed videos on Inkscape.
I only went over 2 videos, but they have a nice balance of detail. Making them short, but not too short, while still covering all the important parts while being easy to following along.
I will 100% be back for more!
"The question is not that which software is better, but the question is which software is better for you" - Nick
You think that this was deep and inspirational or what? 😂😂
Okay Karen
Exactly!
@@sumira8669 lol he thought it was deep Af
Inkscape is one of those Open Source miracles where you get almost the same or more functionality as the pricy industry standard. No middle mouse button in Illustrator was the final death note for it imo, I now use Affinity Designer for its performance and ease of use and Inkscape whenever I miss features in Designer. Same with a program like Blender where there literally is no reason to use Maya or 3ds max outside of "It's industry-standard".
Blender too
@@hyperhektor7733 Maya and 3ds max are losing their "industry-standard" status. Many small and medium size studios are jumping ship to Blender. It is the new "industry-standard" now.
Blender, Houdini, Zbrush, Nuke and Substance Designer stack is almost unbeatable. No need for Maya or Max.
@@softwarelivre2389 max is literally just a renderer now lol
Thank you so much for this great comparison. I worked a lot with illustrator, but now that I'm a freelancer, it is simply to expensive at the moment. liked and subscribed.... again, thank you :)
Nick is the MAN! Just one thing: Slow down for me in your tutorials juuuuuust a little bit. But, yeah, the Inkscape tutorial realm is CLEARLY yours alone. Thanks a heap.
Thanks a lot Nick, your videos have been really helpful for me.
1:25 - 2:01 HOLY SHIIIIIIT DUDE THAT WAS AWESOME ! BRO I REALLY NEED TO CHECK THIS CHANNEL OUT MORE OFTEN.
I don't always hit that like button but when I do its for " Logos by Nick"
Continuing a bit from your previous video where I talked about Inkscape and careers in graphic design. Actually the only things I ever felt were "bad" with Inkscape, were the options to edit and work with text. Comparing that to Illustrator is a big difference, what is easy there, can be very hard in Inkscape. For example putting text on a path, or to a specific shape is way too complicated, and it still usually looks "okay" at best.
The other problem with Inkscape were the sometimes strange and crazy bugs. You know the program could crash even during some of the basic things that should be done without trouble. Sometimes it even crashed when you were using CTRL+Z "too many" times, usually 2-3. Then there were the strange troubles with commands like Difference and Division, almost everytime while using these, the resulting shape was not the one it should have been, but a completely different sized one. I remember watching your Celtic Knot tutorial back in the day, and I couldn't finish doing it myself because all the shapes done with Difference were horribly strangely shaped. Even today I don't know what causes that problem. And like you said in this video, trying to get help for these bugs and stuff, can be very difficult. Anyway, nicely done video, thx for that!
Agreed. Working with text is another thing I like about Illustrator.
Yeah, the text editor is a horrible bug fest. It slightly improved in 1.0, but still, it sucks. :/
Thanks for this video! Was looking for Adobe alternatives - growing to hate their business model and monopoly of the space. I'm a freelance artist who does a lot of design and laser cutting, good to hear it'll be just as compatible.
Well, i just learned that there is a free alternative for ilustrator, thanks, i really wanned to try vector design !
Wow. Very nice comparison. I have a tiny tiny tiny fraction of your knowledge, but am biased to Inkscape and OSS unreasonably. Really nice to hear an unbiased review.
Thanks Nick. Thanks for everything! I have learn alot.
Thanks! Very detailed and in-depth analysis.
An actual comparison that makes sense! Thanks Nick
I miss our Google+ group. You were such an important part of it. You're still awesome. Keep it up, bro.
“You are a paying customer after all”
Laughs in piratebay
didn't know that was still a thing
@@A_Box What thing?
We are customers @piratebay no need to buy a licence
Man i can pirate but religious issues i cant so need to learn inkscape.
@KILO CRAZY can you type down some?
Thank you Nick! Your videos are invaluable.
I wish my education in school ran like this video. Awesome !
At 2:35 you won my heart,... I'm in the same stage now... I'm inspired 🥺..🤩
Ty.
Thanks for the video.
Just downloaded inkscape after watching this.
Was looking to potentially get illustrator because I need a program for favicons and logos (just started in UX) but can't justify paying for this on top of all the other subscriptions I have, when I would only use occasionally.
Very happy that a program like this exists.
When you start making logo it seems simple and not that good but the way you finish it make totally different level 🔥🔥 amazing your every logo is amazing
*_"THIS IS THE MAN!"_* Thanks dude!
This is the first video I watched in your channel... very informative. Thank you.. new subscriber here :D
U r great, man!!! Im an inkscape user cause its free, and runs perfect in my pc, while ilustrator dont. Thanks a lot!
Really nice breakdown of Inkscape - thanks!
And, in the middle of this battle, we have the Affinity Designer, which is faster, better to use and understand and have a low price considering the Illustrator subscription. But, as you told, with any app you can get great results if you’re committed to learning. Thank you for the video and, for sure, I’ll give Inkscape a try. 🎉
Fantastic and well-rounded review! Thank you for putting together this video. I'm learning a lot from your Inkscape master class.
I just purchased a Photoshop+Lightroom Adobe CC yearly subscription. I'll probably get the Premiere Pro as well for TH-cam and Skillshare. I've been using Premiere Elements 15 and it gets the job done but I bet Premiere Pro is easier to use and will save me time and frustration.
Those subscriptions are still cheaper than getting the whole Adobe suite, so I'm still on the fence about Illustrator. Maybe at some point in the future.
I am super agree with the gradient problem. I have used Inkscape for quite some time now and recently I decided to try Adobe Illustrator. AI's gradient tool is so annoying to use, it's complicated for first-time user. Meanwhile in Inkscape, I don't need any tutorials and with just a bit of messing around I could just figure it out by myself lol.
Greetings Nick, I'm telling enjoying my subscription to your Inkscape masterclass.
maan, i love your videos
all the best in your career
Having not used Windows since 2004, there's only one choice for me.
Inkscape 😍
I am in the same boat, I do not use windows. I am not opposed to using a mac, however, I am not sure I am comfortable relying on apple especially since they lock you down to their ecosystem and support for everything. I learned Illustrator in college but I now much prefer Inkscape.
@@glyakk college? 9th and 10th grade ICT(Computer class) shove it down our throats
@@greycircularity College for me was over 20 years ago but yea I still think that is early. My high school computer class was used for learning how to type, and play minesweeper. Oh, and we had just upgraded to windows 95 at that time so you no longer had to open windows from dos.
neji@neji-laptop:~$ inkscape --version
Inkscape 0.92.5 (2060ec1f9f, 2020-04-08)
Waiting to upgrade to Inkscape 1.0 ..... greeting from Cuba
@@Hyuuga_Neji You can get 1.0 from the website, or *sudo snap install inkscape* will install 1.0 if you use Snap. It probably won't be in the the repos for a while
Thank you very much , now I will understand the functionality
thank you for your video , it's excellent and useful . I've used both. I started on Inkscape too. It's pretty good. Haven't used it in a few years so I don't know if they've added any features since then. The main things I really like in Illustrator are the ability to create custom brushes and the handy pathfinder panel to easily break apart shapes.I use my XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro display drawing tablet with Illustrator when I'm drawing "fine art" like painting. If I'm doing logo designs or page layouts, I often don't bother and just use my mouse.
Illustrator is by far the industry choice for vector graphics and a solid choice to be knowledgeable in.
I'd definitely suggest giving Illustrator a spin if you have the opportunity, but if Inkscape is working for you then it's still a useful tool.
Illustrator's strange tools for basic functionality stem from its beginnings as a postscript drawing software. In the early versions you drew in lines and previewed colour and also the tools mirrored the way postscript subroutines worked.
Love your videos man you helped me a lot.
Great review and comparison. Congrats!
Great comparison! 🙏🏽 I've been trying to learn Inkscape for a couple of years, I am grateful to it's creators, but I am constantly reminded of the greatness of Adobe's interface design with Illustrator, which I've used professionally since (1987) version 1.0. I've been really patient with Inkscape, I understand it's built with love, and has few magic features, but there is so much I miss on just basic manipulation of vectors and objects. I also see visual bugs whenever dragging objects. The key commands in Illustrator are like driving a stick shift Porsche. With Inkscape I get frustrated, maybe I'm missing some secret key coomands but I've looked, I keep using common key commands used in other apps but no luck. Things like pressing SHIFT to constrain an object's proportions; pressing down OPTION to scale an object from it's center axis; selecting a path in a group without having to ungroup or unmask. I'll keep trying, and would love to find a way to contribute to Inkscape's refinement.
Dude! You making text with holes 🕳 in it was amazing!
Thanks for the video, just saved me money by educating me with about the two
Well, I know what I'll be trying out during vacation. Thanks man, I wanna try and be a bit more diverse with my art and doing logos could be really interesting as well.
Good review of the both programs. I am on the side of using it for web projects and a general interest in graphic design. Simple stuff really and both Inkscape and GIMP work very well for me.
I have never had a problem finding on line help somewhere if that helps. It may take a bit more Google searching, but that is usually an issue of minutes rather than exhustive searching.
I'm SO glad you vented re: Illustrator's overly-complicated Gradient Tool!!! Inkscape's is SO much easier and intuitive.
'Envelope Distort'...Oh be still my beating heart! I never knew that existed and want to try it. That ALONE made this video worth watching.
I'm wondering who will hold the industry standards when the majority will be freelancers and will opt for open source philosophy all the time ;)
Autodesk won to be industry standard by give away free copies for students everywhere. Nowadays freeware opensource and functional sofrwares are more accesable and most of us starting out with them. From 10 to 20 years now maybe more people who are experienced krita, inkscape, blender users will be in the creative fields than people who are only use photoshop, ai and maya.
You are so awesome, stellar work!!
I just want to say, very well done including all the visual eye candy to keep me interested. Most review-type videos bore me silly because of all the talking (often at greater length than I needed) accompanied by slow-moving or pointless "visual aids." By showing sped-up footage of design/editing work while you're talking, it's much more interesting and makes the whole length of the video worth it. :)
Thank you for the feedback. This is a new format I've been experimenting with.
5:30
I rather like to scroll out then move the cursor, where i wan't to navigate and just scroll in. This is good, because the object what I wan't to see can be bigger or smaller and this technic garantee everything in place. And it's a good overview at what I'm doing when the image is far out.
This video is awesome! Always wanted good one
You are a life savor. Thank you
You should make GIMP VS Photoshop next!
Great video!
Illustrator vector tool lets you hold down keys to change what it does, i can not remember it atm but think its SHIFT to manipulate curves, CRTL to add/remove points and ALT to select and edit multiple points. The tool changes when mousing over lines/points and outside of them, holding keys when the mouse is in diffrent places allso changes the use of the tool. Kinda confusing at first but when i used i on a daily basis i got the hang of it :D last thing - Awesome video !
Your videos are inspiring, congratulations!
Inkscape has the possibility to export a (Xe/Lua/La)TeX file. It play well with TeX fonts, embedded math, cross references (to citations, equations, tables, other figures, sections, pages, etc.)