Vector Graphics Design Software

How would you like a chance to find amazing graphic design software, free of charge? This selection of cool image and photo editing software is your 12-way ticket to create cool vector graphics, graphic design artworks, digital sketches and paintings, photo manipulations, logos, original clip art, cartoons, animations and web graphics. Mar 13, 2019  Whether you are a professional graphic designer or just want to dive into high-end design, this the graphic design software you need to master. Illustrator CC is the best vector-graphics. How would you like a chance to find amazing graphic design software, free of charge? This selection of cool image and photo editing software is your 12-way ticket to create cool vector graphics, graphic design artworks, digital sketches and paintings, photo manipulations, logos, original clip art, cartoons, animations and web graphics.

This graphic design software offers a powerful tool for not just photo designing an editing but, one can also use it for producing creative logos, animations, posters and more. Just because of its oodles of illustrative features, it has been ranked as the top graphic design software by Toptenreviews. By providing a rating of 9.2 out of 10, the. Open source vector graphics editor Inkscape is widely known as the free counterpart to Adobe Illustrator – and for good reason. GIMP is the free photo editing and graphic design software we. Apr 11, 2018  A real vector graphics program will embrace your creativity from the ground up and allow you to create almost anything you can imagine. Because there are so many different possible uses for a vector graphics program, I decided to split the award for best vector graphics software in two: best for graphic design and best for artistic freehand.

A number of vector graphics editors exist for various platforms. Potential users of these editors will make a comparison of vector graphics editors based on factors such as the availability for the user's platform, the software license, the feature set, the merits of the user interface (UI) and the focus of the program. Some programs are more suitable for artistic work while others are better for technical drawings. Another important factor is the application's support of various vector and bitmap image formats for import and export.

The tables in this article compare general and technical information for a number of vector graphics editors. See the article on each editor for further information. This article is neither all-inclusive nor necessarily up-to-date.

  • 5File format support

Some editors in detail[edit]

  • Adobe Fireworks (formerly Macromedia Fireworks) is a vector editor with bitmap editing capabilities with its main purpose being the creation of graphics for Web and screen. Fireworks supports RGB color scheme and has no CMYK support. This means it is mostly used for screen design. The native Fireworks file format is editable PNG (FWPNG or PNG). Adobe Fireworks has a competitive price, but its features can seem limited in comparison with other products. It is easier to learn than other products and can produce complex vector artwork. The Fireworks editable PNG file format is not supported by other Adobe products. Fireworks can manage the PSD and AI file formats which enables it to be integrated with other Adobe apps. Fireworks can also open FWPNG/PNG, PSD, AI, EPS, JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF file formats, and save/export to FWPNG/PNG, PSD, AI (v.8), FXG (v.2.0), JPG, GIF, PDF, SWF and some others; recently, also some support for exporting to SVG has been added (via a free Export extension).
  • Adobe Flash (formerly a Macromedia product) has straightforward vector editing tools that make it easier for designers and illustrators to use. The most important of these tools are vector lines and fills with bitmap-like selectable areas, simple modification of curves via the 'selection' or the control points/handles through 'direct selection' tools. Flash uses Actionscript for OOP, and has full XML functionality through E4X support.
  • Adobe FreeHand (formerly Macromedia Freehand and Aldus Freehand) is mainly used by professional graphic designers. The functionality of FreeHand includes flexibility of the application in the wide design environment, catering to the output needs of both traditional image reproduction methods and to contemporary print and digital media with its page-layout capabilities and text attribute controls. Specific functions of FreeHand include a superior image-tracing operation for vector editing, page layout features within multiple-page documents, and embedding custom print-settings (such as variable halftone-screen specifications within a single graphic, etc.) to each document independent of auxiliary printer-drivers. User-operation is considered to be more suited for designers with an artistic background compared to designers with a technical background. When being marketed, FreeHand lacked the promotional backing, development and PR support in comparison to other similar products. FreeHand was transferred to the classic print group after Macromedia was purchased by Adobe in 2005. On May 16, 2007, Adobe announced that no further updates to Freehand would be developed but continues to sell FreeHand MX as a Macromedia product.[1] FreeHand continues to run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (using an Adobe fix) and on Windows 7. For macOS, Affinity Designer is able to open version 10 & MX Freehand files.[2]
  • Adobe Illustrator is a commonly-used editor because of Adobe's market dominance, but is more expensive than other similar products.[3] It is primarily developed consistently in line with other Adobe products and such is best integrated with Adobe's Creative Suite packages. The ai file format is proprietary, but some vector editors can open and save in that format. Illustrator imports over two dozen formats, including PSD, PDF and SVG, and exports AI, PDF, SVG, SVGZ, GIF, JPG, PNG, WBMP, and SWF. However, the user must be aware of unchecking the 'Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities' option if he or she desires to generate interoperable SVG files.[4] Illustrator has been criticized[by whom?] for having a steep learning curve.
  • Affinity Designer by Serif Europe (the successor to their previous product, DrawPlus) is non-subscription-based software that is often described as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator.[5][6][7] The application can open Portable Document Format (PDF), Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator files, as well as export to those formats and to the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Encapsulated PostScript(EPS) formats.[8] It also supports import from some Adobe Freehand files (specifically versions 10 & MX).[2]
  • Apache OpenOffice Draw is the vector graphics editor of the Apache OpenOffice open source office suite. It supports many import and export file formats and is available for multiple desktop operating systems.
  • ConceptDraw PRO is a business diagramming tool and vector graphics editor available for both Windows and OS X. It supports multi-page documents, and includes an integrated presentation mode. ConceptDraw PRO supports imports and exports several formats, including Microsoft Visio and Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Corel Designer (originally Micrografx Designer) is one of the earliest vector-based graphics editors for the Microsoft Windows platform. The product is mainly used for the creation of engineering drawings and is shipped with extensive libraries for the needs of engineers. It is also flexible enough for most vector graphics design applications.
  • CorelDRAW is an editor used in the graphic design, sign making and fashion design industries.[9] CorelDRAW is capable of limited interoperation by reading file formats from Adobe Illustrator.[10] CorelDRAW has over 50 import and export filters,[11] on-screen and dialog box editing and the ability to create multi-page documents. It can also generate TrueType and Type 1 fonts, although refined typographic control is better suited to a more specific application. Some other features of CorelDRAW include the creation and execution of VBA macros, viewing of colour separations in print preview mode and integrated professional imposing options.
  • Dia is a free and open-source diagramming and vector graphics editor available for Windows, Linux and other Unix-based computer operating systems. Dia has a modular design and several shape packages for flowcharting, network diagrams and circuit diagrams. Its design was inspired by Microsoft Visio, although it uses a Single Document Interface similar to other GNOME software (such as GIMP).
  • DrawPlus, first built for the Windows platform in 1993, has matured into a full featured vector graphics editor for home and professional users. Also available as a feature-limited free 'starter edition': DrawPlus SE. DrawPlus developers, Serif Europe, have now ceased its development in order to focus on its successor, Affinity Designer.[12]
  • Edraw Max is a cross-platform diagram software and vector graphics editor available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It supports kinds of diagram types.[13] It supports imports and exports SVG, PDF, HTML, Multiple page TIFF, Microsoft Visio and Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Embroidermodder is a free machine embroiderysoftware tool that supports a variety of formats and allows the user to add custom modifications to their embroidery designs.
  • Fatpaint is a free, light-weight, browser-based graphic design application with built-in vector drawing tools. It can be accessed through any browser with Flash 9 installed. Its integration with Zazzle makes it particularly suitable for people who want to create graphics for custom printed products such as T-shirts, mugs, iPhone cases, flyers and other promotional products.
  • GIMP, which works mainly with raster images, offers a limited set of features to create and record SVG files. It can also load and handle SVG files created with other software like Inkscape or Sodipodi.
  • Inkscape is a free and open-source vector editor with the primary native format being SVG. Inkscape is available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X (using XQuartz) and other Unix-based systems. Inkscape can import SVG, SVGZ, AI, PDF, JPEG, PNG, GIF (and other raster graphics formats), CDR (CorelDraw), VSD (Visio) file formats and export SVG, SVGZ, PNG, PDF, PostScript, EPS, EPSi, LaTeX, HPGL, SIF (Synfig Animation Studio), HTML5 Canvas, FXG (Flash XML Graphics) and POVRay file formats. Some formats have additional support through Inkscape extensions, including PDF, EPS, Adobe Illustrator, Dia, Xfig, CGM, sK1 and Sketch. The predecessor of Inkscape was Sodipodi.
  • Ipe lets users draw geometric objects such as polylines, arcs and spline curves and text. Ipe supports use of layers and multiple pages. It can paste bitmap images from clipboard or import from JPEG or BMP, and also through a conversion software it can import PDF figures generated by other software. It differentiates itself from similar programs by including advanced snapping tools and the ability to directly include LaTeX text and equations. Ipe is extensible by use of ipelets, which are plugins written in C++ or Lua.
  • LibreOffice Draw is the vector graphics editor of the LibreOffice open source office suite. It supports many import and export file formats and is available for multiple desktop operating systems. The Document Foundation with the help of others is currently developing Android and online versions of the LibreOffice office suite, including Draw.
  • Microsoft Expression Design is a commercial vector and bitmap graphics editor based on Creature House Expression, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2003. It was part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite. Expression Design is discontinued, but the final version is available free from Microsoft. It runs on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 8, and on Windows 8.1 and 10 released after it was discontinued.
  • Microsoft Visio is a diagramming, flow chart, floor plan and vector graphics editor available for Windows. It is commonly used by small and medium-sized businesses, and by Microsoft in their corporate documentation.
  • OmniGraffle, by The Omni Group, is a vector graphics editor available for Macintosh. It is principally used for creating flow charts and other diagrams. OmniGraffle imports and exports several formats, including Microsoft Visio, SVG, and PDF.
  • PhotoLine is mainly a raster graphics editor but also offers a comprehensive set of vector drawing tools including multiple paths per layer, layer groups, color management and full color space support including CMYK and Lab color spaces, and multipage documents. PhotoLine can import and export PDF and SVG files as well as all major bitmap formats.
  • sK1 is a free and open-source vector editor for Linux which is oriented for 'prepress ready' PostScript & PDF output. The major sK1 features are CMYK colorspace support; CMYK support in Postscript; Cairo-based engine; Color management; Universal CDR importer (7-X4 versions); Modern Ttk-based (former Tile widgets) user interface. sK1 can import ai postscript-based, CDR, CDT, CCX, CDRX, CMX, PS, EPS, CGM, WMF, XFIG, SVG, SK, SK1, AFF, PLT file formats. It can export ai, SVG, SK, SK1, CGM, WMF, PDF, PS, PLT file formats.
  • Sketch is a commercial vector graphics application for OS X.
  • SketchUp is a free vector graphics program with a paid pro-version. SketchUp is focused primarily on 3D sketching, with many features specifically designed to simplify architectural sketching. Google integrated an online model sharing database called 3D Warehouse to allow sharing of 3D sketches. SketchUp was purchased by Trimble on 1 June 2012.
  • SVG-edit is a FOSS web-based, JavaScript-driven SVG editor that works in any modern browser.
  • Synfig Studio (also known as Synfig) is a free and open-source 2D vector graphics and timeline-based computer animation program created by Robert Quattlebaum. Synfig is available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X. Synfig stores its animations in its own XML file format, SIF (uncompressed) or SIFZ (compressed) and can import SVG.
  • Xara Photo & Graphic Designer and Designer Pro (formerly Xara Xtreme and Xtreme Pro) are vector graphics editors for Windows developed by Xara. Xara Photo & Graphic Designer has high usability compared to other similar products and has very fast rendering. Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (and earlier product ArtWorks) was the first vector graphics software product to provide fully antialiased display, advanced gradient fill and transparency tools. The current version supports multi-page documents, and includes a capable integrated photo tool making it an option for any sort of DTP work. The Pro version includes extra features such as Pantone and color separation support, as well as comprehensive web page design features.
  • Xara Xtreme LX is a partially open source version of Xara Photo & Graphic Designer for Linux.

General information[edit]

This table gives basic general information about the different vector graphics editors:

SoftwareCompanyFirst ReleasedLatest VersionList Price (USD)License
Adobe IllustratorAdobe Systems1987CC 2019 (23.0) / 15 October 2019$19.99 / month (1 year contract) or $29.99 / monthProprietary
Affinity DesignerSerif Europe20141.7.2 (August 2019)$49.99Proprietary
Apache OpenOffice DrawApache Software Foundation20004.1.6 (2018-11-18)FreeLGPL, Apache license for later versions
ConceptDraw PROCS Odessa199910.0 (August 2014)$199Proprietary
CorelDRAWCorel19892019 (21)$499, $199 upgrade (includes Photopaint)Proprietary
DiaThe GNOME Project19980.97.3 (5 September 2014)FreeGPL
DrawPlusSerif Europe1994X8 (23 March 2015)$119.99Proprietary
Edraw MaxEdrawSoft20048 (10 March 2016)Free, $99 premium subscriptionProprietary
EmbroidermodderEmbroidermodder Team20041.70 (2012)FreeGPL, zLib
KritaKDE20054.2.0 (2019-01-25)FreeGPL
InkscapeInkscape Team20030.92.4 (2019-01)FreeGPL
LibreOffice DrawThe Document Foundation20106.1.5 February 7, 2019; 7 months agoFreeMPL, LGPL
Macromedia FreeHandAdobe Systems1988MX (11)$399, $99 upgradeProprietary
Microsoft VisioMicrosoft199212.0$560, $350 upgrade (Pro), $260, $130 upgrade (Standard)Proprietary
OmniGraffleThe Omni Groupc. 20007.8.2 (2018-09-05) for OS X, 3.7 for iOS (2019-09-17)Standard: $99, Pro: $199, iPad $49 (Pro:$99) USDProprietary
Pencil2DPascal Naidon, Patrick Corrieri20050.6.3 (2019-03-17)FreeGPL
PhotoLineComputerinsel GmbH199521.01 (2018-08)€59, €29 upgradeProprietary
sK1sK1 Team20090.9.3 (2015) 2.0RC2 (2016)FreeGPL, LGPL
SketchBohemian Coding201039.1$99[14]Proprietary
SketchUpTrimble (previously owned by Google; originally by Last Software)201318.0 (2017-11)SketchUp Make 2018: Free for non-commercial use only, Pro: $495Proprietary
SVG-editThe SVG-edit community20094.0.3 (2019-04-03)FreeMIT
SynfigSynfig Team20051.2.2 (2018-09-15)FreeGPL
Xara Photo & Graphic DesignerXara199511 (June 2015)$89.99Proprietary

Operating system support[edit]

This table lists the operating systems that different editors can run on without emulation:

SoftwareWindowsmacOSUnix and LinuxiOSAndroid
Adobe IllustratorYesYesDropped (v 5.5)NoNo
Affinity DesignerYesYesNoYes (iPad)No
Apache OpenOffice DrawYesYesYesNoNo
AviaryYesYesYesNoYes
ConceptDraw PROYesYesNoNoNo
CorelDRAWYesYesDropped (v. 9)NoNo
DiaYesYesYesNoNo
DrawPlusYesNoNoNoNo
Edraw MaxYesYesYesNoNo
InkscapeYesYesYesNoNo
LibreOffice DrawYesYesYesNoUnder development
Macromedia FreehandYesYesNoNoNo
Microsoft Expression DesignYesNoNoNoNo
Microsoft VisioYesNoNoNoNo
OmniGraffleNoYesNoYes (iPad)No
PhotoLineYesYesNoNoNo
sK1YesYes (user must compile)YesNoNo
SketchNoYesNoNoNo
SketchUpYesYesNoNoNo
SodipodiYesNoYesNoNo
SVG-editYesYesYesNoNo
SynfigYesYesYesNoNo
Xara Photo & Graphic DesignerYesNoNoNoNo
Xara Xtreme LXNoNoYesNoNo
Best graphics design software

Basic features[edit]

SoftwareMaximum Page SizeMaximum ZoomColor Management for PrintScripting Support
Adobe Illustrator5.7785 × 5.7785 m64000%YesYes
Affinity DesignerNo maximum size.1000000%+YesNo
Apache OpenOffice Draw119 × 119 cm3000%NoYes
Aviary?400%NoNo
ConceptDraw PROScreen resolutionPage widthNoYes[a]
CorelDRAW45.72 × 45.72 m260000% (estimated)YesYes
DrawPlus10,000 x 10,000 cm5000%YesYes[b]
Edraw MaxScreen resolution400%NoYes
Embroidermodder??NoYes
Fatpaint8000 × 8000 pxDepend on the page size.NoNo
Inkscape1000 × 1000 km25600%NoYes
LibreOffice Draw300 × 300 cm3000%YesYes
Macromedia Freehand5.6388 × 5.6388 m25600%YesYes
Microsoft Visio2147483647 sq. in.3098%NoYes
OmniGraffle2,147,483,648 × 2,147,483,648 km800%YesYes[b]
PhotoLine1,400,000,000 × 1,400,000,000 px6400%YesYes
sK150 × 50 m3000%YesYes
SketchUp250,000 × 250,000 m250000%NoYes
SVG-edit?10000%NoYes
Xara Photo & Graphic Designer2.75 × 2.75 m25601%YesNo

Notes

  1. ^ConceptDraw Basic Script only
  2. ^ abActionScript only

File format support[edit]

Import[edit]

SoftwareAICDRODGPS/EPSPDFSVGSWFDXFWMF/EMFXAMLVSDX
Adobe IllustratorNativePartial[15]NoYesYesYesNoYesYes
Affinity DesignerYesNoNoYesYesYesNoNoYesNoNo
Apache OpenOffice DrawNoNoNativeYesPartial[a]Partial[a]NoYesYes
AviaryNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
ConceptDraw PRONoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNo
CorelDRAWYesNativeNoYesYesPartial[b]NoYesYesNo
DiaNoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYesNo
DrawPlusYesNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYesNo
EmbroidermodderNoNoNoNoNoPartialNoPartialNo
FatpaintNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
InkscapeYesPartial[c]NoYes[d]YesNativeNoYes[16]Yes[e]Partial
Karbon[17]NoNoYesYesNoYesNoNoYes
LibreOffice DrawPartial[18][19]YesNativeYesYesYesNoYesYesYes
Macromedia Freehand[20]YesPartial[20]NoYesYesNoYesYesNoNo
Microsoft Expression DesignPartialNoNoYesNoNoNoNoYesNo
Microsoft Visio 2002YesPartial[21]NoYesNoNoNoYesYes
Microsoft Visio 2003NoNo[22]NoNoNoYesNoYesYes
Microsoft Visio 2013NoNo[23]NoNoNoYesNoYesYesNative
OmniGraffleNoNoNoNoYesNo[f]NoNoNoYes
PhotoLineYesNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
sK1Yes[g]YesNoYesNoYesNoYesYes
SketchUpNoNoNoNoYesNoNoYes[h]No
SodipodiNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
SVG-editNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
SynfigNoNoNoNoNoPartial[i]NoNoNo
Xara Photo & Graphic DesignerYes[j]NoYesYesYesNoNoYes
Xara Xtreme LX[24]PartialNoNoYesYesPartialNoNoNo

Notes

  1. ^ abVia an extension
  2. ^Not all features are supported. Some Inkscape-generated plain SVG files yield corrupted results
  3. ^Via an extension using UniConvertor. Text elements not converted
  4. ^Via an extension using Ghostscript
  5. ^Via an extension using UniConvertor
  6. ^It can export to SVG but cannot import from SVG
  7. ^AI postscript-based up to 9 ver.
  8. ^Pro version only
  9. ^Only SVG 1.0 Specification is supported since Synfig 0.62.00
  10. ^Imports only up to version 8.0 AI files, newer AI file versions needs to save as 'AI (V8.0)' or PDF files

See also[edit]

  • Raster graphics

Notes[edit]

  1. ^'Adobe Store-North America: FreeHand MX'. Adobe. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  2. ^ ab'Import and export file formats - Affinity Designer Help'. affinity.help. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  3. ^toptenreviews.com
  4. ^'Inkscape FAQ'. inkscape.org.
  5. ^'Why I Use Affinity Designer Instead of Illustrator for Motion Design'. School of Motion. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  6. ^'Affinity Designer vs Adobe Illustrator CC 2018 Comparison | FinancesOnline'. Financesonline.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  7. ^'Affinity Designer vs. Adobe Illustrator: can Designer replace Illustrator? - 99designs'. 99designs. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  8. ^Martin, Keith (November 27, 2014). 'Serif Affinity Designer'. Expert Reviews. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  9. ^Arah, Tom (January 2008). 'Product Reviews: CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4'. PC Pro. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  10. ^'CorelDRAW X7: support for Adobe Illustrator (AI) files, CorelDRAW X7 Help'.
  11. ^'CorelDRAW X7 supported file formats, CorelDRAW X7 Help'.
  12. ^'Digital Craft: Serif discontinues its Pageplus, Drawplus and Photoplus designing software to focus on its(Serif) new Affinity range of Professional graphic design software - ANINO'. ANINO. 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  13. ^'Edraw vector graphics types'. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  14. ^Bohemian Coding - Sketch 3
  15. ^'Supported file formats in Illustrator CS4 and CS5'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. CorelDraw 5,6,7,8,9,10
  16. ^Inkscape 0.47 release notes
  17. ^'Karbon14 Features'. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  18. ^'Media Support/Linux/Images'. The Document Foundation. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  19. ^'Media Support/Windows/Image Tests'. The Document Foundation. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  20. ^ ab'Adobe Freehand MX 11.0 - Minimum System Requirements'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. CorelDraw 7, 8
  21. ^'Visio2000: File Formats That Can Be Imported into Visio'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. You can import the following file formats into your Visio drawings: CorelDRAW! Drawing File versions 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 (.cdr), Corel Clipart (.cmx)
  22. ^'What you won't find in Microsoft Office Visio 2003'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. The following file formats and converters are no longer supported:CorelDRAW! 3,0-7.0, Corel Clipart Format, CMX
  23. ^'What you won't find in Microsoft Office Visio 2003'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. The following file formats and converters are no longer supported:CorelDRAW! 3,0-7.0, Corel Clipart Format, CMX
  24. ^'What can Xara Xtreme for Linux do now?'. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
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A visually appealing site is a dream of both a website owner as well as a user. The real task is of the graphic and web designers to make the dream turn into reality. It is possible with best graphic design software.

Gone are the days when people only indulged in reading content online. Nowadays, more than the words, the site has to look interesting too. With eye-catching visuals and gripping content, the user gets convinced to stay on the website and use it, especially in the case of e-Commerce sites. The graphics play a major role in creating the outlook of your website. As a graphic designer, this is your territory. In order to create a website with such intriguing visuals, you will require a graphic design software and tools that will help you improvise the images, models, and text that is to be shown on the website. If you’re a newbie in the field of graphic designing. Here at TemplateToaster website builder blog check out the list of 6 Essential graphic design software for beginners (both paid and free) that will render a professional look to your website graphics.

List of best Graphic design software for graphic designers (2019)

1. PhotoShop

2. GIMP

3. Illustrator

4. Inkscape

5. CorelDraw

6. Adobe InDesign

7. Serif Drawplus

8. Xara Xtreme

Best Graphics Design Software

9. Coral paintshop

10. Coral photoimpact

Best Graphic design software for graphic designers (Review)

1. Photoshop

The road which led to photo editing was never so interesting. The automatic options infuse life to your images making your work ‘the talk of the town’ even if you are a newbie. With Photoshop you can easily combine multiple images and even remove unwanted objects from the image. It offers basic features like perspective correction, channel mixing, and clone stamp tool. Photoshop runs on both Windows and Mac. Photoshop is also considered as one of the best graphic design software for beginners as it comes with simplified options like:

  • Basic: Cropping, straightening, rotating and flipping.
  • Auto-Fix: One touch adjustment.
  • Blemish Removal: Ability to remove any spot or dirt from the image.
  • Colour: Slide controls to enhance the colors of the image.
  • One-Touch filter: 20 eye-catching effects to choose from.
  • Image Rendering: Panoramic image option.
  • Borders: Add your personal touch.
  • RAW photo support: RAW format support.
  • Sharing: via sites like Facebook, Revel, Twitter, Tumblr, and more.

Pros of best graphic design software

  • Video editing is smooth.
  • The crop tool is quite effective.
  • Performance is highly improved.

Cons

  • No perpetual license.
  • The interface is crushing.
  • Some tools lack progress bar visibility.

2. GIMP

GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is the perfect alternative to Adobe Photoshop. The professional tools make it ideal for not just graphic designers but photographers as well. The photo manipulation feature is highly enhanced. The flexibility of the tool allows you to create crystal-clear graphics. Once you begin using GIMP, it will definitely achieve the pedestal of being your main desktop publishing tool. The interface is totally customizable and the full-screen mode allows you to view and edit at the same time. Yes, not all the extensive features are available. Still, there are many features that will provide you a great experience. GIMP runs on GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and other OS. Being a cross-compatible graphic design software, it has a strong support community. This is, hands down, one of the prime choices when selecting graphic design software for beginners.

Pros of graphic design tool

  • The UI is bright and modern.
  • Very easy to use.
  • Comes with single windows usage.

Cons

  • Have a few bugs.
  • Struggles with Cintiq tablets in the initial stage.

3. Illustrator

If you want to use vector art to create logos, sketches, typography, icons or even complex illustrations for videos or mobile then Illustrator is the tool for you. You can create artwork with seamless alignment by drawing pixel-perfect shapes. With Illustrator designing could never be faster. Illustrator comes with its own plugins that help in making a blank web page into a brilliant looking web page. Some plugins are made for older versions of Ai and have a zest of new features for new versions like Creative Cloud, making it an ideal graphic design software. Being part of Creative Cloud, you get to use the app on both your desktop and Mac.

Pros of graphic design software

Design
  • Touch-type tool is awesome.
  • The Free Transform tool is very simple to use.
  • Availability for Windows and Mac.

Cons

  • The price is high.

4. Inkscape

Inkscape is a professional tool ideal for vector art lovers and graphic designers who use SVG file format. The tool is perfect for Windows, Linux, OS, and Mac as well. It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional or just a person who wants to create vector images for a personal blog. In terms of sketching, coloring or making illustrations Inkscape is very easy to use. With the Ghostscript extension .eps files are easily readable. It also comes with awesome features like:

  • Ability to directly edit the source code.
  • Keys to move screen pixels.
  • Edit clones on the canvas.
  • Edit gradients.
  • Fill paint-bucket with one click.

Pros

  • Absolutely free.
  • Endless Filters.
  • New effect tools as a bonus.

Cons

  • Extremely slow.

5. CorelDraw

Are you an aspiring web designer and looking for a graphics editor that gives you the ability to create infinite designs without any restrictions while honing your skills at the same time? If so, you might want to check out CorelDraw, a vector graphics editor, that is hands down one of the most popular Industry Standard editors presently. CorelDraw has some cool productive functions and such an ease of use that no other vector editor can match up to.

The tools give you full control so you can get fast and dynamic results. With CorelDraw version X5 and above, you get an inbuilt organizer (Corel CONNECT) also.

With tools like Twirl, Smear, Repel and Attract – vector object editing was never so easy. The Alignment guide enables you to position objects as per your requirement. CorelDraw works smoothly with large files in Corel Photo-Paint, making it a must-have in the graphic design software list. It also supports apps like Barcode wizard, Duplexing wizard, Bitstream Font Navigator, etc.

Pros

  • The interface customization is ideal.
  • The design is very fresh.
  • The training videos are very helpful.
  • Choose from perpetual license or subscription.
  • The right-click gives awesome vectorization.
  • Shaping docker gives maximum usage.

Cons

  • No Mac version.
  • Tools are hard to learn for newbies.
  • Navigation is not easy.
  • Navigation board is not visible.
  • The freehand brush is hard to use.

6. Adobe Indesign

Backed by the Adobe brand, InDesign is the business leader for creating clean layouts for desktop and mobile devices alike. Adobe InDesign is ideal for layout design usage like online magazines. Whether you want to create layouts for printed books, brochures or digital magazines Adobe InDesign is the tool you need. The flexibility is great as it allows you to easily drag-drop isolated layers and you can resize images with ease. Being part of Creative Cloud you get easy access to the desktop app for PC and Mac. You also get the comparison app Comp CC available for tablets and Smartphone devices including 29 desktop apps and 10 mobile apps.

You can also use Behance and Typekit services that enable you to connect your workflow between photography, videos, designing and web or app development. With Adobe Creative Sync you can share or sync all your work between your desktop and mobile apps so you can work efficiently. Once you join as a member you will get the latest updates and new features with installation decision being solely yours.

Pros

  • The combining of text and graphics becomes easy.
  • The learning curve is very low, ideal for newbies.
  • The features that come with InDesign are unbelievable.

Cons

  • Limited tools for creating graphics.
  • The graphic design tools are not as powerful.
  • The adjustment of photos is limited as this is not a photo-editing software.

Bonus Graphic design Tools

7. Serif Drawplus

This graphic design software offers a powerful tool for not just photo designing an editing but, one can also use it for producing creative logos, animations, posters and more. Just because of its oodles of illustrative features, it has been ranked as the top graphic design software by Toptenreviews. By providing a rating of 9.2 out of 10, the site has given it a marker of being the best in its league.

It has a low learning curve making it approachable by both graphic designers as well as beginners. With this full-featured software, one can even work on intricacies very easily.

One can not just work on 3D animations, add effects to the images but also, create vector illustrations.

Pros

  • Can create a customizable workspace based on your preference.
  • Provides extensive support an option to share.

Cons

  • Lacks some photo effect features like panorama merging, HDR imaging etc.

8. Xara Xtreme

This software offers a wide variety of photo editing features and illustration tools. It has extensive features that can assist you in maneuvering color and texture of your images. You even have the possibility of removing any distortion caused by the lens, whatsoever.

The main page offers the basic tips and guidelines so as to understand the functioning of the design software. It has certain masking tools available as well.

The resizing of images can also be done without having to put the quality at stake. This software has a pretty robust support page that addresses user’s issues and provides solutions for the same.

Pros

  • Tools are available for both vector and raster images.
  • Can export directly to any social media website.

Cons

  • No history log available; use of undo button to reverse actions.

9. Corel PaintShop

The Paintshop Pro 9 is the latest version released by the Coral team. It is a seemingly impressive photo editing tool that even helps in photo management. It even possesses professional grade tools that can be easily used by both professionals and newbies. It provides video tutorials and other forms of support forums to better the understanding of the software.

It has more than 90 creative filters that can be used to improve the texture and color of your image. It is compatible with image files like RAW, JPG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, PSD and PDF.

Pros

  • Auto edit option.
  • A supporter of batch processing, i.e, multiple files can be edited at the same time.

Cons

  • Only compatible with windows.

10. Corel PhotoImpact

This graphic design software provides an easily navigated and friendly interface. The Corel PhotoImpact X3 provides one with a wide collection of designing and editing tools made easily accessible to you. This can make it appear tricky, hence, it has been divided into eight operative fields. ExpressFix or Full Edit mode serve the purpose of editing the photos. ExpressFix provides the option to adjust exposure, color, skin tone and focus with just a click. Whereas, Full Edit has the editing options like portrait touch-ups, enhancements and effects.

It has an interesting combination of both basic and advanced tools. It holds the compatibility with 32 file formats inclusive of RAW, JPG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, PSD and animated GIFs.

Pros

  • Availability of panorama and HDR imaging tools to create visually captivating effects.
  • It offers an extensive support system.
  • It has the main docked panel to hold all the other panels and swiftly hide and show them as per requirement.

Cons

  • Limited sharing features.
  • Sluggish development in its software.
  • Apart from the above-mentioned graphic design tools which had broad.

11. Cyberlink

Features

  • A bunch of tools to offer under these tabs, namely, Library, Adjustment, Edit, Layers, Slideshow, and Print.
  • A pen tool to draw colored pixels on photo layers.
  • History log: serve the purpose of undoing the unwanted changes.
  • Provides a strengthened support system like support forums, telephone support, video tutorial, user guides, etc.

12. Sumopaint

Features

  • Options like Classic Layer Effects, 3D effects, Light Effects, Edge detection etc provides it an edge over other apps.
  • Offers professional painting tools; over 300 brushes, Animated Brushes, and advanced options like scattering and random rotation are also available.

13. Vector

Features

  • Not just a standalone app but a web-based app as well.
  • It has a low learning curve.
  • Its basic graphics editor is free.

14. Google Sketch-up

Features

  • A 3D modeling software with full of ease.
  • Can conveniently customize everything.
  • One can stretch, rotate, copy, paste & even draw lines and shapes.
  • One can add model views to pages by using the Pro version.

15. Cinema 4D

Features

  • It comes in four levels: Prime, Broadcast, Visualize and Studio.
  • Involve 3D animation without any formal training.
  • Amazing support for materials and textures.
  • Accessible user interface.
  • Smooth learning curve.

16. Affinity Designer

Features

  • Allows an intrinsic zoom-in experience.
  • Functions in any color space like RGB, CMYK, LAB, Greyscale.
  • Possess CMYK workflow along with ICC color management.
  • Compatible with macOS and Windows.

17. ACDSEE Photo Editor

Features

  • Availability of numerous standard photo editing tools.
  • One can draw their own designs or use the software’s pre-designed templates.
  • Better sharing options to offer.
  • With 3200% as the maximum zooming option. It has a lot of basic editing tools at hand.
  • It offers to import and export options as well.

18. Paint.net

Features

  • A tabbed document interface is used to manage multiple images.
  • Highly responsive and said to be one of the “fastest image editor available”
  • Has layers for enriched image composition experience.
  • Intuitive and a creative user interface.

Which graphic design software or tools do you use for designing?

As a graphic designer, knowing which graphic design software to use is crucial. With so many software available in the market, it is not easy to pick the correct one out. Designing a website and doing away with the burdensome coding can lead you to develop some highly intriguing & professionally looking websites. With TemplateToaster web design software you can design such websites in a matter of minutes. In practically three steps you can bring life to your vision. This website theme designer tends to be compatible with almost all graphic design tools making it flexible to work with. And hence, generate websites that are no less than visual masterpieces.

Vector Based Graphic Design Software

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