Design Software Recommendation Needed (1 Viewer)

crussader

crussader

Flush
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
1,675
Reaction score
2,093
Location
Houston, Tx
I'm not ready to hire a designer yet for my next custom set, but I would like to start playing around with some ideas. To do that I need to make some basic inlays.

I am looking for a software program that can do the basic things needed to design an inlay, such as curved text and layers. I don't need anything more advance than that. I remember using paint shop pro many years ago and liked it, so I downloaded a trial release of a recent version. The new versions are way too complex. I just don't have time to learn how to use something that advanced. Is there anything out there that's simple to use and will get the job done?
 
I do most of my design doinking in PowerPoint. It can do curved text, layers, gradients, shadows, etc and I find it fairly straight-forward for the basic stuff.
 
Adobe Illustrator is anything but basic and will do much more than what you'd usually need for chip inlay design, but I personally rather not have the software limit me right when I'm experimenting. You think you don't need more than what you listed now, but once you're running hot with it, you will want to try a ton of different things that might simply be not doable at all or only possible to pull off with dirty tricks with some el cheapo software.

Yes it is expensive as fuck, but meanwhile they have moved away from the perpetual software license model. You can buy a subscription on a monthly basis which should be affordable. This business model is perfect for such an usage pattern as yours.
 
Nex said:
... but I personally rather not have the software limit me right when I'm experimenting.
Click to expand...

But things like Illustrator and the latest paint shop pro do limit me, because they are so complicated that it takes me hours to figure out the simplest tasks.
 
Learning the ropes is a one-time thing though.
But yeah, then again the whole chip designing process might also be a one-time thing in your case.

I regularly find use for Illustrator for something, but I'm doing graphic design as a hobby for myself rarely.
 
If you want more control than you get with PowerPoint but don't want to pay for Illustrator, try Inkscape. It's free, and the text and bezier control has more detail than PP. It can't do CMYK though, which makes it bad for final artwork.
 
atomiktoaster said:
It can't do CMYK though, which makes it bad for final artwork.
Click to expand...

That is fine for my purposes. In the end I will hire a designer to do the real design once I've narrowed down my theme. I just need something to do rough cuts so that I can try a ton of different options first without wasting a designer's time.
 
I haven't checked out Inkscape myself so far, but I've been told it's about the same as GIMP compared to Photoshop, which I did try already. A fucking mess of an interface that apparently has no logic structure at all and inexplicable road blocks everywhere.

Illustrator/Photoshop might be just as feature-laden (or even more), but their interfaces are very clean. Yes, there is a lot to see in there, but once you understand how it's structured, you do find your way quickly even when you don't know the exact location of a specific feature.

The problem with this open source, crowd-developed software is that there's too many cooks.
While this does work and even is very favorable when it comes to the functionality of the software itself, it produces absolutely horrible results when it's applied on interface design. There has to be one single vision that must be consistently applied in order to be able to get good UI/UX (it's no guarantee, but it is the only way where you have at least the chance to end up with a good result).
 
If you are wondering about the interface for Inkscape, just look at a few of the tutorials on YouTube. It will give you an idea of what it's like.

I've only ever used Gimp and Inkscape, so I can't comment on how they compare to other products. GIMP's approach to a UI is...errr...unique.
 
Nex said:
I haven't checked out Inkscape myself so far, but I've been told it's about the same as GIMP compared to Photoshop, which I did try already. A fucking mess of an interface that apparently has no logic structure at all and inexplicable road blocks everywhere.

Illustrator/Photoshop might be just as feature-laden (or even more), but their interfaces are very clean. Yes, there is a lot to see in there, but once you understand how it's structured, you do find your way quickly even when you don't know the exact location of a specific feature.

The problem with this open source, crowd-developed software is that there's too many cooks.
While this does work and even is very favorable when it comes to the functionality of the software itself, it produces absolutely horrible results when it's applied on interface design. There has to be one single vision that must be consistently applied in order to be able to get good UI/UX (it's no guarantee, but it is the only way where you have at least the chance to end up with a good result).
Click to expand...

I use both GIMP and Inkscape. That's definitely a fair criticism of both, but Inkscape is less of a mess than GIMP, IMO. Most of the tools are intuitive, but there's a definitely a list of tools that are usually a headache: masks and clipping, patterns, complex gradients and setting text on a path that ends up in the direction you want. I still managed to do this with Inkscape:

full
 
I remember some software I first used way back when, I too was first curious. It was called Roxio Media Creator. It was a bundle of programs for everything from video to raster editing. The photo and graphics software was very easy to use and may help you do some early planning ect.
But that said it will only take you so far. It has no vector element and is what it is. I'm positive you could probably find a version of it somewhere in the blue void.
 
I did a few designs in Inkscape but then we had all kinds of problems getting the files to import correctly into Illustrator for @Gear (it was barfing on gradients and text on paths).

I'll be looking for different software to use for my next design project. Until then I'm happy puttering around in PowerPoint for my rough drafts.
 
atomiktoaster said:
...but there's a definitely a list of tools that are usually a headache: masks and clipping, patterns, complex gradients and setting text on a path that ends up in the direction you want.[/B]
Click to expand...

That sounds like a deal killer for inkscape for me.

I had forgotten about GIMP. I tried that one for about an hour. Total mess.

Did a quick test with powerpoint last night. Had a basic label with curved text done in about 5 minutes. I have some more experimenting to do, but that might work for now.
 
BSteck said:
I did a few designs in Inkscape but then we had all kinds of problems getting the files to import correctly into Illustrator for @Gear (it was barfing on gradients and text on paths).

I'll be looking for different software to use for my next design project. Until then I'm happy puttering around in PowerPoint for my rough drafts.
Click to expand...

Convert your text objects to paths before you try to send a file to someone else. I think even Illustrator>Illustrator can have font issues if you leave it as editable text.
 
crussader said:
That sounds like a deal killer for inkscape for me.

I had forgotten about GIMP. I tried that one for about an hour. Total mess.

Did a quick test with powerpoint last night. Had a basic label with curved text done in about 5 minutes. I have some more experimenting to do, but that might work for now.
Click to expand...

Getting it to work exactly right the first time is the issue, along with trouble being able to select and edit a path that isn't actually drawn. With powerpoint, I wouldn't even know how to start doing something similar.
 
atomiktoaster said:
Convert your text objects to paths before you try to send a file to someone else. I think even Illustrator>Illustrator can have font issues if you leave it as editable text.
Click to expand...

Oh believe me... we tried everything.
 
BSteck said:
I did a few designs in Inkscape but then we had all kinds of problems getting the files to import correctly into Illustrator for @Gear (it was barfing on gradients and text on paths).
Click to expand...

The problem is that the standards & definitions for EPS and similar app-agnostic formats are subject to interpretation in certain ways. Illustrator and Inkscape choose to interpret them in different ways, apparently, and unfortunately neither of them are wrong.

The best solution, ultimately, was for me to just install Inkscape and open the files there. Then (believe it or not) copy and paste from Inkscape into Illustrator. 99% success.


In any event, to address OP's question... in my opinion, in the professional graphic design world, there is Adobe Illustrator, and then there is everything else. AI is not that expensive anymore since Adobe has switched to a subscription model rather than a one-time purchase model. Also there are free/limited versions if I'm not mistaken? The learning curve is high but not super steep, and there are lots of YouTube tutorials available.

Next to AI, I would recommend Inkscape over some of the other alternatives. Its interface is not terrible, but just different enough from AI that if you're used to one, the other will confuse you. (Ask me how I know this!)

I hadn't considered PowerPoint as a design tool but I suppose it could be useful for rough drafts. Please don't use it for anything "final" as it is simply not an appropriate tool for print production use.

Also, rough drafts and such can be done in raster-based image editors (Photoshop etc.) but text and line drawings should always be done in a vector format when possible.
 
I prefer Corel Draw over AI (been using both for since they began). Corel seems to have more capabilities, control and flexibility for what I need. Do all my vector based design and prepress in Corel. I do like Photoshop 100x more than clunky Corel Photo Paint though. So my preferred combo Corel Draw and Photoshop. If people send me files from other programs I always have to walk them step by step to get proper files I can use. If they aren't using an in house designer, I prefer a pencil sketch to a computer render to start with (in most cases). It usually coveys more of the "feeling" they are looking for than a crappy attempt on computer. Reason, they usually don't get close to what they really want because they can't work the program to get it there and end up settling.
 
I agree, I forgot about Corel Draw. I only talked up Illustrator because "that's what everyone uses". I originally learned to use vector drawing tools in Corel in the 90s and it was WAY better than AI at the time (probably still is -- I had to "unlearn" a bunch of stuff in CorelDraw and learn the stupid way Adobe does it, in order for me to "fit in" in the prepress industry.)
 
I found a great designer app on iPhone App Store for $4.99. I was messing with it yesterday & it’s user friendly. Great price!! It’s amazing that you can design poker chip inlay’s that are good quality like this one. It’s called Vector Logo Maker Pro. I’ll have to post some of my work later on using this app.
3768C992-0E04-4574-A5D4-2916524B56FF.png
 
I have been using photoshop, I have been using it for years for photography and using very large files with multiple layers. Seems easy to exchange designs with @Gear.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Register

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Similar threads

demonnic
The Tiki Bar at the End of the Universe
Replies
9
Views
521
demonnic
demonnic
inapinch
Creating a custom button design using Fiverr
Replies
5
Views
995
allforcharity
allforcharity
LeGold
Casino Royale plaques: LeGold Edition
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
jz12345
J
nzepeda2
First Post - CPC or PCF chips, tournament chips needed
Replies
16
Views
1K
loosechange101
L
BearMetal
Bud Jones S2 Murder Tutorial
Replies
10
Views
835
allforcharity
allforcharity
Back
Top Bottom