Illustrator/Inkscape for web design

[NeonBible]

Anyone use it?

There seems to be a niche group of people who prefer to use vector program to design web layouts over something like Photoshop or GIMP.

I would like to know which type of application is better.

[perfecttao]

I don't really do much design, but I find it advantageous to use different tools for different purposes, as each product has it's own advantages and disadvantages. If I am doing any design work, I quite often flit between Inkscape and the GIMP....

[spupy]

I am not a web designer, but right now I am making the design for a small website me and my friends are making, and did a 2-3 websites some time ago. At first I was going to say that Inkscape is superior in my eyes. But actually I use Inkscape and GIMP, in that order.

First I use Inkscape to resize the vector images, align them correctly, and edit them more precisely. I always start the design in Inkscape. I just find the svg format better suited for that stage.

I later export the pics to GIMP. There I do more fancy effects like shadows and gradiends. I know I can do this in Inkscape, too. But I hate editing gradiends or using layers in Inkscape. These two things just suck in that program.

[duckgoesoink]

The advantage of using a vector program like Inkscape or Illustrator to design the layouts and graphics, is that it's really easy to make adjustments as the design evolves (I'm always making changes once I've put something down, so for me that is important). You can quickly change colours and proportions of different elements without losing crispness or detail.

I export .png files of the final page and/or graphic elements and slice them in GIMP (you can do it in Inkscape too if you prefer).

Obviously it depends on what style websites you intend on making - a grungy style site might be better done in GIMP.