To avoid having to create everything with a lot of detail in pixel based software like Photoshop, we suggest the following tips to keep it fun using Brushes in Illustrator.
Why is Illustrator having a slow performance while using Brushes?
All of our Brushes are built to show as much detail as possible while keeping the performance to a reasonable level. Even the newest versions of Adobe Illustrator combined with a high performance computer can slow down the performance because of the amount of data it has to process after each change.
- In contrast to our advice to keep duplicating your work when it’s vector, keep the amount of artboards and versions to a minimum. You can either be more selective with the sketches you want to keep or save it as multiple versions until you can delete these older files. This way you can minimize the amount of Brushes that needs to be processed to keep the performance high.
- Use multiple layers so you can switch them on/off to avoid the need for the processing of remaining Brush Strokes.
- Close as many unnecessary programs at that time as possible to let your CPU focus on the Brushes as much as it can.
- Avoid expanding Brush Strokes during the creation process as much as possible. This will affect your file size tremendously and we would advise to only do this after the artwork is final.
- Setting the first layer of strokes with a basic Stroke Brush is recommended. This way you already have the outlines of your work done without having the need of sketching this out with the heavier Brush Strokes.
In short it comes down to be as economical with your Brush Strokes as possible. Avoid having countless versions of your work within one file. You'll need to change your workflow a bit to use high detailed vector brushes but it’s definitely worth the effort.