How to get Adobe Illustrator for Students and Scientists
Learn More About Simplified Science PublishingAdobe Illustrator is widely considered the best tool for creating professional scientific figures and diagrams for research presentations and academic publications.
There are three main ways that you can get Adobe Illustrator on your computer:
- Your institution or laboratory can share their Schools & Universities license with you.
- You can purchase an individual student license for $19.99/month and a non-student license for $20.99/month.
- You can start a 7-day free trial.
Below are detailed suggestions on the three main ways to get the latest version of Adobe Illustrator if you are a scientist or student seeking to learn how to use the tool. (Instructions, costs, and links are from March 2021).
How to Get Adobe Illustrator Through Institution or Lab
Many academic institutions support their students and researchers with the tools they need to succeed in creating quality scientific publications. This includes purchasing software licenses for Adobe Illustrator which is widely considered an essential tool for creating quality figures for high tiered journals and presentations.
If you are unsure whether your institution or lab already has an Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Creative Cloud license, then the first step is to ask. Contact the head of your academic program, your Principal Investigator, and your institution's library to see if they already own a sharable license. Your institution may also have a computer laboratory where you can go to use the software for free.
How to Purchase an Individual Adobe Illustrator License
If you plan to use Adobe Illustrator for both research and personal use frequently, then you can also consider purchasing an individual or student Adobe Illustrator License. Below are some common options for purchasing an Adobe Illustrator license:
- Monthly plan: If you want to save costs and you only plan to use Illustrator for a few months out of the year, you can choose a monthly plan and only turn on the subscription and payments for the months that you know you will use it heavily.
- Annual Plan: If you know you plan to use the software more than 8 months out of the year, then you should choose to purchase an annual plan.
- Student Plan (Monthly or Annual): If you are a student, then you can get the entire Adobe Creative suite of applications for a cheaper monthly and annual cost.
How to Get a 7-day Free Trial
- LinkedIn Learning has affordable certificate courses for Adobe Illustrator
- Simplified Science Publishing offers individual training courses using Adobe Illustrator that are customized for scientists who want to learn how to create their own figures, posters and scientific illustrations.
- NYU Health Sciences Library has a great list of recommended Illustrator tutorial links: https://hslguides.med.nyu.edu/illustrator.
Adobe Illustrator FAQ
- What is the difference between Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Illustrator subscription?
- The full Creative Cloud subscription gives you access to all of the Adobe tools such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Premier Pro and many others. If you don't plan to do video, animation and photo editing work, then you will only need to subscribe to the single app for Adobe Illustrator for quality figure creation.
- How do I know if my computer can run Adobe Illustrator?
- Click this link to show the minimum computer system requirements for running Adobe Illustrator
- What if you don’t have access to Adobe Illustrator through an institutional license or cannot afford it?
- Consider using the free alternative called Inkscape. (Note: Simplified Science Publishing does not offer Inkskape training).
- Can I use Adobe Illustrator to become a scientific illustrator?
- Yes, and here is a great resource to learn how to become a scientific illustrator.
Create professional science figures with illustration services or use the online courses and templates to quickly learn how to make your own designs.
Interested in free design templates and training?
Explore scientific illustration templates and courses by creating a Simplified Science Publishing Log In. Whether you are new to data visualization design or have some experience, these resources will improve your ability to use both basic and advanced design tools.
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