My Honest Thoughts on Al in Adobe Illustrator 2024

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In this video, I will discuss the role of AI in graphic design and Adobe Max. I will cover topics like:
-What is AI?
-How is AI used in graphic design?
-What are the benefits of using AI in graphic design?

If there's anything you would like me to cover in a video, then let me know by commenting below!

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[willpatersondesign]

I'm not sure if I'll use Text To Vector - but I do think the future is looking good for Adobe Illustrator users!

[themikereda]

AI won't replace every artist, but it will replace a LOT of artists. You have worked hard to build an audience, your style is unique and people want what YOU can create. But for a lot of designers that don't have a platform, they're going to lose work to an intern who is good at AI prompts because it's "good enough" even if there are some wonky bits. And if it's this good now, after basically only being in the public eye for a year or so, within 2 or 3 years it's going to do all the things we say it can't do now.

[flytetime]

Retype (beta) is a massive time-saver. I wish I had access to this when I was working on a book of maps. The image generation still seems a bit hit-and-miss although in time I imagine it'll be useful when future versions are released.

[gerbie]

I'm not worried, AI seems like a great tool that will help us become more productive. Text to vector can give us some inspiration and some features, like the mockup feature, simply makes us more efficient.

I've used AI in several different ways now for my work and so have colleagues and friends of mine who are in different industries, they all come to about the same conclusion: AI helps out, it can inspire, suggest and save time, but it's a long way from 'replacing people' and even if it would replace parts of your job, it just means you as the expert will be able to do your job even faster and better. After all someone who doesn't have an eye for design could generate some things, but they'll likely lack the experience and knowledge to know if it's any good and/or what could be better. Another thing with designs in particular is copyright, a lot of AI generated things won't have any copyright, I doubt companies will want their logo to not be copyrighted.

[napostrophen]

Having mockups already in illustrator is interesting. I wonder what could happen to people using/no longer using photoshop to handle mockups

[rosar.]

Careful when using squareship. They automatically opt you into their artificial intelligence learning software so any art of designs you use on a a website from them will be susceptible to scraping. You can opt out but it’s more of a “request” than an automatic action.

[martinh]

As a hobbyist tinkerer in the field of design, I actually like the process of masking stuff, fiddling with colours, experimenting with the tools etc. My designs might well be quite janky an amateurish, but they're my janky and amateurish designs :)

[droidster]

I’ve been in the graphic design and photography business since I was 17, from paste up and real artboards, marking up typography to what we have on offer now… I am now 61years old (spoiler alert: that went quick!). When Apple came on the scene, and I remember it well, the expression out there being used was ‘over Mac’d’ - typefaces hideously stretched and distorted, awful typography and ‘effects as art’ were everywhere. Just like the arrival of digital photography, (it did cost many people their jobs) you had to able to ADAPT to the new tech. As someone said in another comment “anyone can take a photo, not everyone can paint” - half true… not everyone can take nearly a half decent photograph (or resist hammering the hell out of it in PS or LR). The design and photographic eye will always be needed, especially on projects with specific briefs that have to be adhered too. My son wants to go to graphic design school and I was hesitant at first, what’s the situation in five years? Will our talents be seriously undervalued (as in massive price dumping of day rates in photography.) One thing I do know is that my son has been on top of AI for over two years, more ahead of the curve than me. Adapt or be left behind, use the current unfolding tech to your advantage, even if it’s a bit of a dogs dinner in some cases, it will improve…

[ryanasazaki]

The thing about vector graphics is that precision, that is being precise is needed, while with raster-based graphics with things like image generations you can be less precise, since it is less noticeable. So until the A.I. learns how to create a symmetrical, precise vector art, with precise negative spacing and such, the result will always be subpar and need further manual adjustment, compared to a professional designer.

[MillywiggZ]

There’s AI in the 3D industry too now.

What those guys pointed out was how come these AI guys focus on creation from nothing like a 3D human from a button press rather than useful things like re-topology, UV mapping assistance, removing intersecting meshes that would be helpful?

[paulbloxham]

As an illustrator and someone about to turn 60, who started on Adobe Pagemaker and Aldus Freehand, and for more than 25 all the usual Adobe apps - while I see Adobe's purpose behind introducing these 'made easy' AI assisted approaches, for me its time to get my 'real' oil paints out. Where is the fun in typing, or worse, selecting a style, and hey presto! Luckily I live in a small world heritage town in SEAsia where a 'hand made' approach works but I wouldnt want to be a young illustrator or designer starting out in London or some big commercial centre. It will require a different range of skillsets to those people I grew up with needed for sure.

[GlobalTribesArt]

we can simply raise your prompting literacy by working thru it in the prompt.letsgooo Will

[robote]

Just a thought from a retired designer on one opinion you stated. "Personally I think it will allow designers to work a lot faster". A bit of paraphrasing but I get the point. I was a young traditional graphic designer back in late 1986 around the time Illustrator came out. In a double page spread in a graphics magazine Illustrator advertised how you could do twice as much in half the time. Imagine all that time you'll save-that last bit is from me. Well from the instant I saw that ad I knew the future was going to be not on art tables with parallel rulers but on computers. A year later I had my first Mac and was working in Illustrator. I loved it and continue to love it even now retired. That said the first big reality I discovered-for me at least-is you never really discover hours of free time. As soon as I started using that enhanced Illustrator capability there was an immediate market response. Now I was expected to generate three to four times more product. Like I said I would never chose to go back to a pre-illustrator time. But after 40years I do think I have a more sober outlook on how these things generally work out.

[MillywiggZ]

Brain to hand design will become like vinyl, still there but more of a hipster thing.

It takes two people to decide what art is. The artist and the viewer. If the viewer is very complacent of what art is then the artist may adapt to that.

Problem is that art is born from a reason to create something. A historical moment, escapism, something clever you thought of, something interesting you saw, etc. AI art isn’t born from intention and a reach to communicate that to someone you’ll never meet. Also, what’s stopping the AI overlords from *stopping* you from creating certain things because it goes against some TOS or a political figure.

It is worrying and fascinating at the same time. Hopefully art will become more of a sport like packing theatres similar to Jim Lee V Kim Jung Gi.

[david_arthur_brown]

Someone said a little while back that "AI is a great way of making low quality work quickly" and it's still in the stage for many things. There is a parallel with the introduction of computers into the design studio that most of your viewers will probably not have experienced. AI taking away Photoshopping images? Images were retouched by hand long before Photoshop existed (by people who's job was called "Photo Retoucher". Ditto typesetting, finished artwork, prepress... It's not that AI will simply take your job; it's that it'll give it to someone else.

[korincorinthian]

This mockup tool is exciting, can't wait for them to optimize it.

[SquishyJoshy]

The mockup one is crazy! I wasn't even aware of it til now!

[Gnarcos]

I'm colorblind so the color pallet tool is going to help me so much!

[rosycspencer]

where do you get the images that you will use to make your mockups? For example the can. Do you pay for Adobe Stock?

[david_arthur_brown]

I found the mockup feature OK for sketching/checking approximate fit but it didn't fit well enough to present to a client and it it didn't look integrated into the photos, but I'm sure it'll get better. The text to vector was a waste of time. I felt the AI generated images looked amateurish and cheesy like you were working in Canva or something. But again it will improve. The retype feature is good as long as the font is available and not just "the nearest font available" but if you're working for a brand you should have their correct fonts anyway. All in all it's a step in the right direction and I'm sure the more we use it the more it'll learn from us.