Have you ever longed for an easier, more sophisticated way of making a path longer or shorter?.But to pique your interest and keep you coming back for more (hopefully), here's a collection of rhetorical questions that provide a bit of insight into the amazing capabilities offered by Astute Graphics: In the coming weeks I'll be sharing my favorite Astute Graphics plug-ins and how I use them to churn out fast and accurate vector traces of my hand lettering. Seriously, they're amazing (and well worth the price)! Workflow Wonders!
Anyhow, I decided to give SubScribe a chance, and within the first hour of use I was so impressed that I downloaded the trial versions of three additional plug-ins. In addition to glowing reviews from well-known designers and a clean, easy to navigate website, they offered a 100% free plugin set called SubScribe that provides basic geometry features Illustrator is sorely lacking. For me, the most intriguing option was a company called Astute Graphics. Some are made by regular guys and gals just trying to solve annoying Illustrator problems, and some are super sophisticated and meant to give Illustrator a more CAD-like feel. Surprisingly, there were quite a few plug-ins available.
As a design service provider, time is money, so I set out to find if there were any Illustrator plug-ins that could help increase my drawing efficiency and precision. But when I started attempting to vector trace my hand lettering, Illustrator's weaknesses became even more glaring. "Deal with it," I told myself, and I did for a few years. Immediate frustration! Illustrator's drawing capabilities (though getting better) are puny when compared to the control and accuracy found in most CAD programs, but it is what it is. Years later, as I made the transition to Graphic Designer, I figured I'd better start learning Adobe Illustrator. It was confusing and packed with complex capabilities, but over time, I learned to draw efficiently and create whatever I saw in my mind's eye.
The first graphics software I learned to use was a CAD program meant for Engineers and Product Designers.
I have something of a confession to make.
Adobe Illustrator's drawing limitations.A vector lettering artist's guilty confession.