Adobe Illustrator CS3 is a vector-based drawing creator which has become the standard application regarding professional-quality digital drawings or (as its name says) illustrations.
This fully featured software has the ability to convert bitmap images into vector-based illustrations, which means that you can turn photos into vector-based images and apply colour to any area, convert 2D figures into 3D objects, have control over fonts, create realistic distortion, etc.
This new version has one remarkable change, which basically affects the interface design: as it shifted from the old palettes to a panel-based interface, these panels can be reduced (or minimized) to small icon docks. When you click on one of them, it opens up the referred palette, which is different from clicking on the arrow that is placed at the top and opens all the palettes. To sum up, this means that you will have no palettes blocking your workspace.
Another interesting feature is colour management: you can group colours as you like, with Illustrator making suggestions on similarity or relation. There is even a new function called "Live Color", which allows you to change your existing image colours.
All in all, the application's features and functionality are unique and are a must have for professional and serious illustration creators. Nevertheless, Illustrator is not a simple program as it is not for everyone because its system requirements, cost, and learning curve may be discouraging.
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