Vector-Based Software
Some cartoonists are skipping the drawing board completely and designing their work in vector-based software. Vector software is based on math rather than pixels. You can draw lines, create shapes, apply colors to the lines and the areas inside those lines, and complete a host of other visual effects presented to you as part of a toolbox. An advantage of vector-based software is that it is infinitely scalable — you can enlarge or reduce the art indefinitely without harming the image. There are two dominant software packages to consider: Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia FreeHand.
Macromedia FreeHand and Adobe Illustrator
These two are identical in terms of ability and ease of use. Files from either can be imported into Photoshop. FreeHand is also very compatible with Macromedia Flash, which is used in animation. Illustrator, on the other hand, has a virtually seamless interface with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Acrobat.
Some artists who use a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet to draw on their computer choose to draw in a vector-based software rather than a pixel-based one. In addition to producing sharp lines, vector software renders images that are easily resized and can be pasted into different backgrounds, allowing the artist to reuse the same drawing in several panels.
CorelDraw
CorelDraw is another vector-based image software package to consider. Files created in this software have enormous cross-compatibility with software such as FreeHand, Illustrator, and Photoshop, and excellent compatibility with Corel Painter. It's not one of the “name” software packages, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth your time to explore.
