[Rodney]

I know there is a wide range of software choices available for people wanting to create t-shirt designs. I wonder which are more commonly used?

Anybody have any favorites?

I've tried Photoshop, Fireworks, Paint Shop Pro and a few others, but for some reason I seem to always go back to the least expensive one, Paint Shop Pro.

It's probably because I haven't gotten over the learning curve of Photoshop (I really need to do that).

What do you use?

 

[foxvox]

I hand draw a lot of my designs, then scan them in as outlines, then work on them in Photoshop. I've been using Photoshop for a number of years now and am pretty proficient at the parts I'm familiar with... but there's still a LOT I have no idea what it's for - LOL. For instance, on advice from a friend I recently tried using the curves tool to lighten up a dark photo, rather than the Levels tool, and it worked great - I had no idea - heh.


Kristen

 

[Elleth Faewen]

Paint Shop Pro is a great tool. I am looking at Photoshop CS and it has some functionality that is lacking in PSPro, but I think the interface is better in PSP than Photoshop. The curved text feature in Photoshop is quite nice.

 

[MothBox]

I've used Photoshop for the few that I knocked up. Worked ok, they were nothing fancy. I mainly used photos.

 

[mtn910]

I use Uleads PhotoImpact. I also have Adobe photoshop and a few others but like Rodney and the learning curve, I've always gone back to the Ulead. I also use swish for any flash work that i do and beleive it or not i've always used the netscape composer as my html. editor. Never could figure out all the others

Jock

 

[foxvox]

Adobe is now coming out with Photoshop CS2, or has come out with already. I'm still on an old version, 6.0, but so far it's working fine for what I use it for.

I started out with Netscape Composer too, for HTML design. Then I went to Dreamweaver and along the way sort of taught myself the actual html. I mostly handcode now, and use Dreamweaver if I'm feeling lazy or for more complex designs when my eyes start crossing at all the coding. *grin*

I've been hearing lots of good things about GIMP lately too, and it's FREE! I'd download it if I had more than a slow modem connection and adequate space on my hard drive - heh.


Kristen

 

[BWS]

I'm all Photoshop, though I'm finicky about it. I actually like Photoshop 5.5 better than any later version unless I need to make arched text. I've got a bunch of curmudgeonly reasons for that, but one tool they changed after 5.5 was the line tool, something I use very often - and I can't stand the new one.

I haven't used a vector drawing program in years, but recently in order to make a vector design I painted it in greyscale in Photoshop, then converted it to vector format using Adobe Streamline. This worked out great for me, though I've heard it's more difficult with scanned or other "found" originals.

 

[enclothe]

wow nobody here uses Illustrator?! I'm amazed. I pretty much use illustrator exclusively when working on art work.
Occasionally, if I've inked my artwork by hand, I'll scan it in and use streamline to vectorize the drawing, then use illustrator to work with the colors.
Other times my design will be based off of a photo and I'll do all the linework from inside illustrator.
I mostly use photoshop for other work like web page layout and texture work in Maya.

 

[foxvox]

Illustrator just isn't in my budget right now. Of course, streamline is on my list too.

*sigh*

Kristen

 

[enclothe]

Illustrator just isn't in my budget right now. Of course, streamline is on my list too.

*sigh*

Kristen

You might as well get the newest version of illustrator coming out..CS2, it has a built in vector trace tool that's suppossed to be really good.

 

[DickTees.net]

I almost exclusively use Illustrator in the design on our shirts, unless we are incorporating a bitmap/photo into our the design. In that case I prep the photo in photoshop and export and embed in illustrator. I use the bezier tool in Ill to draw most of our designs.

 

[tortus32]

I draw allot in pencil, scan and color in with PhotoShop. I also use Illustrator for text, line art and certain effects not found in PhotoShop. I like how the text tool goes around circles and shapes in Illustrator. I always open the Illustrator files in PhotoShop and save as PNG files. I like that you can create things rather small in Illustrator and then open them up as large as you want with PhotoShop.

Bill

 

[DMonkey]

I use the Ultimate Paint program for digital drawing and special fx.

Marie

 

[rbmilne]

I use a combintion of programs, Corel Draw 12, Corel Photo Paint, Bryce 5, Daz 3d and Poser 5

 

[g1c9]

photoshop is best. for the learning curve, visit GOOD-TUTORIALS.com once a day
!

 

[Elleth Faewen]

I have work buying the new PhotoShop CS2 for me. I hope the interface is a little better. I'm looking forward to working with it.

 

[tbegor]

I'm a PSP believer, and I use version 9 now. It's a fantastic program for the money, with great photo tools, vector drawing, and so much more that I haven't taken the time to really get into. I did try PS before I got PSP a few years ago, but ended up going with PSP and then took classes at LVS Online to learn how to use it.

 

[Rodney]

I did try PS before I got PSP a few years ago, but ended up going with PSP and then took classes at LVS Online to learn how to use it.

Hi Tacey,

This is sort of off the topic, but do you recommend LVS Online? I was thinking about taking some PSP or PS classes there.

 

[Elmo]

I use Photo Shop and am trying to learn Illustrator at the moment. I am not a natural artist but am trying to get better.

Some graphics I had created (not by me) for one of my websites are going to feature in a new Illustrator book

 

[tbegor]

Hi Rodney,

Sorry to be so late in answering this! Yes, I would recommend LVS Online for classes. I took classes for about 2 years there including photography, design, and HTML along with the PSP classes. It is inexpensive, excellent class material, and very good teachers. I think you will like it.