What is the Adobe Suite, and why is it important to graphic designers?

There are many skills a Graphic Designer will need when they step into the industry. The first is the ability to put pen to paper.

Tapping into your imagination, having an eye for what looks good and being able to convey your ideas successfully is essential. The industry will struggle to accept a Graphic Designer who isn’t creative in imagination and action.

However, one of the most sought-after skills is the ability to use the Adobe Suite. It has become easier for students to access these types of software with the introduction of the Creative Cloud and student-friendly priced subscriptions. Still, some Universities like the University of Bolton provide students with access through their computer suites.

The Adobe Suite consists of 22 different applications, all of which have a different focus on how to assist you and your creativity. Here are the most common applications and their primary use:

• Photoshop – image editing and manipulation tool to produce highly detailed work
• InDesign – page layouts, building and previewing documents for print and online
• Illustrator – is used for vector art, typically to create logos
• Premier Pro – cuts and edits video tracks and exports them into desired formats
• After Effects – allows you to add visual effects to videos and animations

Mastering each of these applications is something you will have the opportunity to learn while you study, but you must practise in order to become skilled. Knowing how to use the above tools is essential, but it is also crucial you know what the other 17 software’s do.

• Adobe XD – design, prototype and share user experiences
• Fresco – allows you to draw and paint anywhere
• Premier Rush – creates and shares online videos anywhere
• Dimension – creates photorealistic 3D images for branding and advertising purposes
• Acrobat Pro – create, edit and sign PDF documents
• Dreamweaver – website building tool
• Animate – builds interactive animations for multiple platforms
• Audition – for audio recording, mixing and restoration
• Lightroom – a desktop-focused photo editing tool
• Character Animation – animation for 2D characters
• Spark – create graphics, webpages and video stories fast
• Bridge – a tool to centralise all creative assets
• Media Encoder – quickly output video files for multiple screen types
• InCopy – allows you to collaborate with copywriters and editors
• Prelude – metadata ingest, logging and rough cuts
• Substance – provides digital 3D painting and texturing abilities
• Fuse – creates 3D characters for Photoshop projects

By becoming familiar with the Adobe Suite, you can produce high-quality content from the start of your career and create a broader range of creative solutions.

If you’re interested in Graphic Design, you can find more information about the courses here.