Entered CNET Catalog: 09/19/2003
SKU: 26001360
Manufacturer: Adobe Systems
Manufacturer description
All-new Adobe Illustrator CS software is an essential tool for anyone who needs to express ideas visually in print, on the Web, and in any other medium. With powerful new 3D features, advanced typographical controls, smooth Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) integration, enhanced printing options, and faster performance, this powerful upgrade helps you explore your creative vision and efficiently publish your artwork anywhere. Create custom 3D shapes and type treatments, add lighting, and wrap artwork around shapes for packaging mock-ups. Easily warp, liquify, and distort artwork any way imaginable with envelopes and live distortion tools. Apply live effects without affecting the underlying artwork, so you can edit at any time without starting over. Expand your design options with blending modes and transparency effects similar to those in Adobe Photoshop software. Give precise vector artwork a loose, hand-drawn look with the live, customizable Scribble Effect. Apply live effects without affecting the underlying artwork, so you can edit at any time without starting over. Expand your design options with blending modes and transparency effects similar to those in Adobe Photoshop software. Give precise vector artwork a loose, hand-drawn look with the live, customizable Scribble Effect. Set sophisticated-looking type with new text composition controls, character and paragraph styles, and more. Use intuitive tools, such as the Pencil, Smooth, Erase, and Pen tools. Format individual characters, lines of type, or entire paragraphs with a single click using new character and paragraph styles. Reuse designs by saving files as templates that include artboard dimensions, styles, symbols, layers, and more. Move easily between Illustrator and other Adobe products using the familiar Adobe user interface. Create native Adobe PDF files using settings and options consistent with Adobe Acrobat Distiller software. Integrate artwork into other Adobe applications, such as Photoshop, InDesign, and After Effects software. Enjoy faster opening, saving, and printing of files; copying and pasting; and displaying of artwork. Get fast, consistent print results with features like Fit to Page, Print Preview, and support for Print settings. Export Illustrator graphics in a format optimized to print and display in Microsoft Office products.User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5
User Rating: 
9/10
the best vector graphics program ever created
Pros: dosen't exist other program so powerfull such illustrator
Cons: could get better than this an i can wait for it
Review:
My opinion as a proffesional graphic designer is that illustrator mantained his elegant interface and profesionalism. You have much more control in illsutrator than in any other vector graphics program created + it is easy
and user friendly. I didn't come with any crash on illustrator cs even on my old pc witch is an celeron at 2 Ghz with 256 MB ram and 64Ram video card . Actualy it is working perfect even if i have to make an vectorization for an jpg tiff at hy resolution in mesh or the pen tool.
Great color output.
As problems i didn't saw major ones but i feel like illustrator can make real stuff if will progress a litle bit more by integrating a 3d part . Allready you can doo photorealistic vector graphics in illustrator but if adobe will have the spark to create an interface for 3d in illustrator it will be great. When i speak 3d im not speaking of the efect thats making an extrusion rotation or revolve im talking serious 3d vector graphics witch will be based on mesh . But Maby thats a dream of mine.
and user friendly. I didn't come with any crash on illustrator cs even on my old pc witch is an celeron at 2 Ghz with 256 MB ram and 64Ram video card . Actualy it is working perfect even if i have to make an vectorization for an jpg tiff at hy resolution in mesh or the pen tool.
Great color output.
As problems i didn't saw major ones but i feel like illustrator can make real stuff if will progress a litle bit more by integrating a 3d part . Allready you can doo photorealistic vector graphics in illustrator but if adobe will have the spark to create an interface for 3d in illustrator it will be great. When i speak 3d im not speaking of the efect thats making an extrusion rotation or revolve im talking serious 3d vector graphics witch will be based on mesh . But Maby thats a dream of mine.
User Rating: 
2/10
Illustrator CS and CS 2 Sucks
Pros: None, Illustrator 9 was better
Cons: Having to pay for a program that is worse not better
Review:
I work on Macs and Windows XP, it sucks on both platforms. I hate have to lauch this program twice, because it aways gets an error the frist time you open it, everyone I know gets this error, and Adobe still hasn't fixed it in over 2 years, and once you get the program open it's bug ridden, I don't why C-Net rated it an 8, maybe they should actually work with it in the real world.
The only reason anyone buys this program, is because Illustor 9 will not open CS files. Adobe wake up.
The only reason anyone buys this program, is because Illustor 9 will not open CS files. Adobe wake up.
User Rating: 
8/10
Quite good, not excelent
Pros: Wonderfull color output, powerful tools
Cons: Export to swf still somewhat clumsy. Stiff.
Review:
Illustrator for PC is quite stable (Pentium IV, 1256 RAM). I know I haven't got the standard PC, but it very rarely crashes on me. Version 10 crashed more often.
Although the tools got better (for example: old scale tool was hell until they upgraded it to the actual free transform tool), the interfase still feels somewhat stiff. Why are effects dug within a menu?? Who undestands two ways/differents places for rastering? Etc. It is idiosincratic. It keeps old ways, like one page files only... Things like that plague the program. But it has the most powerful layering system around (Corel, are you listening??). It is worth every cent, but it needs some getting used to here and there (What about bigger anchor points?).
Etc.
Etc.
Although the tools got better (for example: old scale tool was hell until they upgraded it to the actual free transform tool), the interfase still feels somewhat stiff. Why are effects dug within a menu?? Who undestands two ways/differents places for rastering? Etc. It is idiosincratic. It keeps old ways, like one page files only... Things like that plague the program. But it has the most powerful layering system around (Corel, are you listening??). It is worth every cent, but it needs some getting used to here and there (What about bigger anchor points?).
Etc.
Etc.
User Rating: 
6/10
Envelope at last
Pros: ENVELOPE DISTORT (warp)
Cons: Still the most convoluted user hostile application ever created
Review:
I am a professional AI user since the dawn of the bezier curve. (remember 88) The application Sucks but what is the alternative? It is the industry standard for now, but beware ... so was Pageslayer and QuirkXcess!
If you have to ask why it sucks, you have not used it intensly. But since you're interested:
1. Don't expect to find a setting or preference in a logical place.
2. Don't expect the app to do that same thing twice the same way
3. Sub layers from hell
4. Instead of fixing the path system so that it works and does'nt take an act of congress to join a path, let's just put a warning box telling the user vaguely why it won't work (keep them hunting for a couple of hours for that rogue node, grouped object or dupilcated compound section)
5. Can you say clutter
6. Can you say useless functions.
7. Can you say convoluted nonsence to infinity
8. Could the links pallette be more useless?, which file did I place?
9. Be sure to uncheck 'selection only" in the doc info if you can find it or it will lie to you.
10. OH NOOOOOOOOO I used transparency, noooo
11. Is it a filter or an effect, you figure it out, beware the appearance.
12. Would you like expand, expand appearance, expand envelope or expand pathfinder. Just one should do. but 4 looks so much better.
13. Does "clean up path" or "rasterize" actually do ever work.
14 Oh well you get the idea, I could keep going for days.
If you have to ask why it sucks, you have not used it intensly. But since you're interested:
1. Don't expect to find a setting or preference in a logical place.
2. Don't expect the app to do that same thing twice the same way
3. Sub layers from hell
4. Instead of fixing the path system so that it works and does'nt take an act of congress to join a path, let's just put a warning box telling the user vaguely why it won't work (keep them hunting for a couple of hours for that rogue node, grouped object or dupilcated compound section)
5. Can you say clutter
6. Can you say useless functions.
7. Can you say convoluted nonsence to infinity
8. Could the links pallette be more useless?, which file did I place?
9. Be sure to uncheck 'selection only" in the doc info if you can find it or it will lie to you.
10. OH NOOOOOOOOO I used transparency, noooo
11. Is it a filter or an effect, you figure it out, beware the appearance.
12. Would you like expand, expand appearance, expand envelope or expand pathfinder. Just one should do. but 4 looks so much better.
13. Does "clean up path" or "rasterize" actually do ever work.
14 Oh well you get the idea, I could keep going for days.
User Rating: 
3/10
Too many severe bugs.
Pros: Has a lot of nice features that are unmatched in other products.
Cons: Locks up Windows XP frequently. Crashes if you load a JPEG or TIFF file created by a Sony digital camera. Adobe supports wants payment to address defects in their brand new product.
Review:
