Why CorelDRAW and not Photoshop?

The simple answer is, you are comparing apples to oranges. Corel's equivalent software to Photoshop would be PhotoPaint, and I personally prefer it to Photoshop. Draw is primarily a vector illustration program (although I, as well as many others, use it for far more than that), and its comparable Adobe counterpart would be Illustrator. But again, no contest in my mind, the Corel Graphics Suite is far more intuitive, offers more features, and is a far better bang for your buck.

LearnerAKS said:

Basically, I want to feel good about my choice of learning

Graphics applications are not about feeling good about choices it's about capabilities.

If you're in a professional environment and comparing Photoshop to the CorelDraw Graphics Suite your comparing a Destroyer (Photoshop) to an Air Craft carrier (CorelDraw).

One is simply an image editor, albeit a very good one, the other is a professional level production based vector based graphics program, with a professional level CMYK, LAB and N color image editor, font manager all, ICC, Postscript and GDI compliant.

Hello Learner,


If you want to do art for fun, or professionaly thinking of being a freelancer and remaining alone forever. CorelDRAW is, to me, the best program there is. Ease of use, intuitive, the features are better, and less expensive! The term 'inferior' is not applicable. Different is the right term. Different tools to do the same thing.

Here are the compatible programs:
CorelDRAW = Adobe Illustrator
Corel PhotoPAINT = Adobe Photoshop

I've been working with CorelDRAW since 1997 and I absolutely loved it from the start. Comparing Adobe Illustrator to CorelDRAW 7 (at the the time). CorelDRAW won the race back then and they are, for me, still the best.

BUT...If you are to head towards the 'professional' avenue, thinking BIG, I'd suggest to head towards ADOBE.

If you compare Corel PhotoPAINT wich is Corel's equivalent to PHOTOSHOP (equivalent is a very weak word here), Corel is way out of line. But to me, I prefer using Corel. The tools I need are all there. Again, so much more intuitive, loads faster, great features. BUT If you're looking for performance and stability...ouch. ADOBE is much better there. So many more features (3D too!). But, so many features come with the fact that it's so much more complex as well. PHOTOSHOP has so many plugins, brushes and compatibilities with PRO software out there (AutoCad, SolidWorks, 3D Studio, etc...) that Corel PhotoPAINT does not have. Here is the perfect example that you get what you pay for.

I've become a freelancer since 2008. I have a workflow enough to hire an employee. Guess what. I can't find no one. I'm not limited in my choice of graphic designers...I simply can't find NONE! Every designer I meet works with ADOBE. Let me clear out something here. I need someone AVAILABLE with the skills I have. I need people that can pull off what I can do. That's why my clients work with me and no one else (I might sound pretentious, but sometimes, you have to give yourself credit). Sorry to say but since ADOBE is so much more popular, there's a much bigger range of talented artists. Some people on this forum might react negatively to my reply, but it's undisputable. The designers that can do what I do, or better (some are SO MUCH BETTER, TOO), are not using CorelDRAW. They learn ADOBE in schools. Corel is not in schools.

So, If ever you become professional, and become successful to a point where you might need help. You'll find so much more artists with the other brand than we promote here. Sad fact.

So...Think small business?...COREL, THE BEST THERE IS.
Thinking BIG?....The OTHER.


This is my opinion.