- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (30-day trial); $499.00 to buy
- Operating system: Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: January 22, 2006
- Total Downloads: 1,891,809
- Downloads last week: 8,171
- See full specifications
A newer version of Adobe Illustrator is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 72 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
True to its name, Adobe Illustrator began life as a standard-bearer for vector-based illustration and design, but fell behind the times because it lacked the Web output of competitors. Eager to shed Illustrator's stodgy image as a print-only application, Adobe has since taught this old dog many new tricks.
One instantly noticeable change is the panel-based interface, a change from the familiar palettes of old. The panels can be minimized to simple icon docks. Clicking on an icon opens up the palette it refers to, while hitting the arrow at the top opens all the palettes. No more worries about palettes blocking your workspace.
Colors get a lot of attention in CS3. They can now be grouped as you want them, and you can have CS3 suggest similar or related colors to you. The new Live Color function lets you easily change existing colors in your image. The app also includes integration with Adobe Flash, minimizing the hoop-jumping required for creating symbols in Illustrator and seamlessly importing them into Flash. Both programs now share the same hot key for defining symbols, and Illustrator now has Flash's graphics engine, further simplifying the crossover and importing process.
Other new features include a vector erasing tool, an improved cropping mechanism, tweaks in Live Trace, overhauled New Document Profiles, and more, but Illustrator is not for everyone. As is typical for Adobe products, the price, system requirements, and learning curve can be daunting. That said, this program offers features and functionality that can't be matched, and is a must-have for anyone who is serious about professional-quality digital illustration.
Publisher's description
From Adobe Systems :Adobe Illustrator is a drawing package that allows users to create sophisticated artwork, technical illustrations, graphics, and page designs for print, multimedia, and the Web. Illustrator offers a full range of drawing and painting tools, as well as typographic control. Similar to Photoshop, Illustrator offers nondestructive drop shadows, feathering, and inner and outer glows for easier button creation. With the Release To Layers command in the Layers palette, you can automatically generate a separate layer for each object.
This new version provides faster performance, advanced typography, and enhanced Adobe PDF-file creation are just a few of the new features in this breakthrough release.
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User reviews of Adobe Illustrator CS2
- Average user rating: 3.6 stars out of 72 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 23 user reviewsSee all 23 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
15 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Version: Adobe Illustrator CS2
Pros: I consider Adobe's Photoshop one of the top programs ever made... Illustrator is up there because it is very similar, but whereas Photoshop is setup to manipulate image files, Illustrator is setup to create them. When it comes to a graphical arts program, I dare someone to find one that beats Illustrator with the amount of options and features. Plus, because of it's popularity and integral design with other Adobe products, there are a ton of support/forums/pluggins/addons/chat rooms/books, etc available for this product.
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Version: Adobe Illustrator CS2
"The "big poppa" of Windows graphics programs"
Pros: I consider Adobe's Photoshop one of the top programs ever made... Illustrator is up there because it is very similar, but whereas Photoshop is setup to manipulate image files, Illustrator is setup to create them. When it comes to a graphical arts program, I dare someone to find one that beats Illustrator with the amount of options and features. Plus, because of it's popularity and integral design with other Adobe products, there are a ton of support/forums/pluggins/addons/chat rooms/books, etc available for this product.
Cons: Only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because it costs $500. There are other graphical programs that are free which are starting to get close to the usability of Illustrator.
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1 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Version: Adobe Illustrator CS2
Pros: it's wonderful
Cons: it's wonderful
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2 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Version: Adobe Illustrator CS2
Pros: It's Great.It's Great.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Adobe Illustrator CS2
Pros: I've been using Illustrator 10 for the past couple of years and my biggest beef was all the time it took to trace bitmaps to create vector images. I just bought CS2 and the new trace feature is indispensable! Also, the Adobe Stock Photo and Adobe Bridge features are nice new additions. It's a great versatile program for getting exactly what you want with your layout. Nicely done, Adobe.
- See all 23 user reviews Write review
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