Adobe Illustrator is a vector based software from adobe creative suite family. Main purpose of it is drawing (vector based objects) but you can work with bitmap images (pictures-pixel based) too. You can do many things with Illustrator, design web page for example, design logos and so on.....
There are two fundamentally different types of graphics image - Vector images and Bitmap images. Vector images are made up of lines, polygons etc. Bitmap images are made up of pixels of color. The type of package used depends on the type of image you're trying to work with. Whilst there is some overlap between the two, ie you can create some vector artwork in photoshop and you can do some minimal bitmap work in illustrator, in essence illustrator is a vector graphics package where you draw your image with lines etc. Photoshop is a fully featured bitmap editing package
Illustrator is usually used to create vector images and 3 dimensional images. It currently comes as an attachment with Photoshop CS3 and CS4
CorelDRAW is a vector drawing illustration application, while Photoshop is a raster (or bitmap) image editing and painting application. Vector drawing uses mathematical equations (inside the program, the user doesn't have to worry about the math) to define the lines, curves, angles, etc. of a line drawing or collage style image. Raster or Bitmap images define the color properties of each individual pixel of an image, for pictures more like paintings or photographs. Vector drawings can be less "realistic" looking and more illustrative. Vector drawing is ideal for line drawings, logos, diagrams, plans, charts, maps, and so on. Due to their mathematical properties, vector drawings also scale without loss or distortion, while bitmap images become distorted (pixelated, jaggy) if they are enlarged or reduced (much).
Photoshop is a raster image editor. Raster and Bitmap are two words for the same thing, so Photoshop is raster or Bitmap image editor, somewhere you will see raster, somewhere bitmap as explanation but it is basically same thing. Photoshop is primarily designed to work with bitmap images which are raster images in other words.
There are two types of images you can work with, vector images and pixel(raster or bitmap images).Vector based software are Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw and you can work both image types, but you have more capabilities to work with vector images, primer for pixel based software is Photoshop in which you can also work with both image types but you have more capabilities to work with pixel images.
Adobe Systems, Inc. has produced Adobe Illustrator since 1986.
Adobe illustrator (AI) is a vector file format to save vector illustrations. It is the default format for Adobe illustrator. Photoshop cannot save the images in to AI format but it can be opened in Photoshop.
The Apple Software Company sells Adobe Illustrator.
Adobe
Adobe Illustrator and other Adobe products can be purchased directly from Adobe's store. Adobe Illustrator can also be purchased in electronics stores, such as Best Buy or WalMart.
The different types of drawing software include professional software like CAD as well as vector and bitmap software. Some software includes 3D and technical drawing abilities. Most computers come with the free bitmap drawing program, Microsoft Paint.