Graphic Designers of the world are waging a digital war.  Their weapons are a steady stream of software titles that claim to increase work flow and improve artwork. However they are complex and a pain to learn how to use.  In the end learning new software and interfaces takes more time than completing the artwork.
The best advice I can offer is try out as many programs as you can and find the one that fits you the best. Some programs do things better than others. For example Corel Draw can change a vector image into and bitmap without having to export it to your hard drive, Photoshop and illustrator can’t. This little tip saves time and increases work flow.
However if you already have a bitmap that needs some touch ups, Photoshop offers more filters and brushes than Corel Photo Paint.
In many cases you will find that you will need more than on title. I use Corel Draw X3 to do most of my layout and prep work. In fact every piece of art you find on this website was created using Corel Draw.
I use Photoshop for retouches and photo restoration.
In my opinion Corel Draw beats Photoshop hands down for graphic designers that create logos, business cards, t-shirts, and websites. Below I list some of the advantages Corel has over Photoshop. These advantages offer time saving work flow creating solutions.
However Photoshop CS4 is a complete graphic design package, it comes with programs that Corel just doesn’t have, like Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks. Adobe is the leading software in the market today, everyone has seen and used a PDF and if you have ever been on a flash website chances are you have the flash player installed on your computer.
But still if you were to ask me what program I use the most I would say Corel hands down. The freedom it offers the time it saves and the work flow you can get can’t be beat.
Price category:

• Adobe Creative Suite 4 1,799
• Corel Draw X4 349.00

Export Options:

• Adobe CS4 has stander export options in the type of program you’re using.
• Corel Draw exports all major file formats including PSD form one program. (Saves time and Resources.

Work Flow: is simply the amount of work you can do in any given time. The more you can do without being slowed down by complicated software the more work you can do, which leads to more money you can make.
Adobe CS4:

• Zoom restricted to keyboard short cuts and the zoom tool. (Slows down workflow and can degrade the artwork.)
• Common used tools are hidden in menus and keyboard shortcuts.
• All work is done in layers, this can become confusing.

Corel Draw:

• Zoom located on the center wheel of the mouse. (Extremely fast at creating greater detail.)
• Common used tools are located on a tool bar
• All work is done in an open environment, there is no need to worry about layers until the artwork is done and ready to be exported.

Here are some screen shots explaining in more detail.