Hi, I am Scott. I am a design photographer and marketer, who is a little different. I love technology and all of the creative possibilities that it brings. When I am not working with people or my animals, I am most likely found on my laptop helping people get their photos just right or writing about how to use apps to create amazing graphics design.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Graphic Designers
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulaiton Program
When it comes to customization, few software tools come close to GIMP. In addition to providing a free photo editor, GIMP offers a range of high-quality functions such as customizable brushes and automatic image enhancement tools.
With GIMP, you’ll be able to access the same features without paying anything.
Available on: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Pixlr X
Pixlr X is a free online editor tool with several advanced features. The best part is its simple interface, which makes it easy to use. Going a step ahead of other image editing tools, Pixlr X offers a number of cutting tools such as lasso, shape, drag, and magic.
Available on: Windows, iOS, Android, Browser
- Krita
Krita is an open-source tool that has been around for a while. It’s quite popular among illustrators and concept artists thanks to the various features it has on offer. More than editing, Krita is popular as a drawing tool.
Available on: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Vectr
Vectr is ideal when it comes to working collaboratively. That’s because it comes with synchronization and live collaboration options. This makes it easy for a team to connect and collaborate on the tool.
Available on: Windows, Linux, Chrome OS
- Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is a great option for vector graphics. Created by people behind Corel Draw, Gravit Designer is a free vector software with a clean interface and it can support most design tasks.
Available on: Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS
Best Paid Apps for Graphic Designers
There are several paid apps that are popular with designers. Graphic design software tools provide several advanced features that free tools don’t offer today. Let’s take a look at some of the best graphic design software options.
- Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is undoubtedly the best graphic design software and photo editor in the world. Designers and illustrators all over the world use this software for a host of tasks including 3D modeling, typography, and drawing. Designed to be intuitive, the user-friendly interface lets designers create their own layout panels. What’s more, it’s well suited for both mobile and web design.
Adobe has recently introduced AI tools that let users remove backgrounds in seconds. Adobe Creative Cloud regularly updates the software to update design tools.
Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Pricing: Purchased on its own as a subscription, Adobe Photoshop costs $22.99 a month. The Creative Cloud Photography plan costs $9.99 a month. Adobe also provides a 7-day free trial option.
See Also: Graphic Design Secrets Revealed: Trends to Make Your Site Irresistible (INFOGRAPHIC)
- Adobe Illustrator
When it comes to vector drawing and editing, Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard. From logos to artwork, Adobe Illustrator offers several features to help designers to accomplish a host of tasks. Since it’s part of Adobe Creative Cloud, you have to pay for a subscription. The software updates are free, though.
Available on: Windows, macOS
Pricing: Adobe Illustrator’s basic individual plan costs $19.99 a month. The business plan costs $29.99 a month.
- Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is an affordable alternative to Illustrator. As far as features are concerned, Affinity Designer has all the cool functionalities of Illustrator. In addition, it offers some of its own features such as one million percent zoom.
Available on: Windows, macOS
Pricing: Plans start at $24.21, a one-time fee. This one-time fee is for iPad, for Mac and Windows, it costs $60.54.
- Canva
Canva is a feature-rich editing tool. Ideal for making image adjustments such as resizing, cropping, and adding effects, Canva also provides features to do more. This includes a font combination picker, photo collage maker, and a color palette tool.
Available on: Browser, iOS, Android
Pricing: Canva comes with a free trial and free version. The paid plan starts from $12.99 a month.
- Autodesk Maya
Autodesk Maya is considered one of the best software tools for 3D work. It offers a number of features and tools such as remodeling, rendering, and animation to cover the entire 3D workflow. An advanced tool, it’s not for beginners who will require a steep learning curve before start using this.
Best graphic design software for beginners
1) Lucidpress
Best for online creation and manipulation of illustrations and images.
lucidpress-dashboard
Lucid Press is online graphic design software that you can use to create and manipulate images and illustrations. It has a large database of templates to start with.
Features:
An online tool that you can use anywhere.
A lot of templates to edit and customize.
Drag and drop usability.
Extremely simple user interface.
Cons: It does not have a comprehensive image database, especially PNG icons.
Verdict: This tool is great for people who want to create simple graphics for social media and basic brand identity. The image database is basic for those starting.
Price: Free Basic plan, Pro plan starting from $10 per user, Team plan starting from $12 for a team of 3 users, and a custom Business plan based on the number of users.
lucidpress-pricing
Website: Lucidpress
2) Adobe Photoshop
Best for top-notch photo manipulation and creation.
adobe-photoshop
This is one of the most popular graphic design software used for image creation and manipulation. It has extremely powerful features allowing you to design and edit any image as you wish.
Features:
Add text to images.
Correct colors on any image.
Select borders with ease.
Create incredible images from scratch.
Quickly organize photos for easy access.
Cons: It has a very steep learning curve and newbies will take time to master.
Verdict: If you want full control when editing images, this is the best tool to use. It also allows you to create stunning images from a blank canvas.
Price: License is available on Adobe Creative Cloud. Pay $20.99/Month for Adobe Photoshop alone for a single user.
adobe-photoshop-single-license
Website: Adobe Photoshop
3) CorelDraw
Best for designing fantastic vector images.
Coreldraw
This is a leading vector graphic design and manipulation tool that comes with several tools that allow you to create realistic and incredible illustrations.
Features:
Huge interactive sliders.
LiveSketch tool for sketching.
Import legacy workspaces.
Enhanced Vector previews, Handles, and Nodes for easy creation and editing.
Font search and addition.
Ability to use a touch stylus to draw on the screen.
Cons: This software is only available for Windows.
Verdict: When you want to create professional and life-like vector images, CorelDraw is the best graphic design software to use. It has a steep learning curve but quite wonderful once you master it.
Price: One-time purchase price is $785 or you can opt for an Annual Subscription of $399.
coreldraw-price
Website: CorelDraw
4) Inkscape
Best for basic to medium level vector graphics creation and manipulation.
inkscape
This is a free desktop vector graphic creation and editing tool. It is especially great for beginners who want to start learning vector graphic editing without paying anything.
Features:
Simple object creation using various shapes.
Curves can be used to draw intricate designs.
Powerful color picking tool for easy selection.
Operations along paths for accuracy.
Supports transparent PNG rendering.
Excellent text tools.
Cons: It has a steep learning curve although it is best for newbies who cannot afford professional graphic design software.
Verdict: Inkscape is great for those who know how to create vector graphics and have a low budget to buy graphic design software. It has features that allow you to create any type of vector graphics you want.
Price: Forever free; you do not have to pay a penny to use this graphic design tool.
Website: Inkscape
5) Adobe Illustrator CC
Best for advanced creation and editing of vector graphics.
adobe-illustrator
It is one of the leading vector graphic design and manipulation tools. It allows for tracing of photos into Vector Graphics.
Features:
Mathematical graphic creation instead of pixels ensures all graphics are crisp.
Access to more than 90 million stock images on the creative cloud.
Adobe font integration.
The small output file size makes it great for creating web images that will load quickly.
Cons: It has a steep learning curve and a challenging user interface.
Verdict: Adobe Illustrator CC is a fantastic graphic design tool for creating web images. It outputs high-quality images in small sizes, perfect for quick-loading websites.
Price: License available on Adobe Creative Cloud. When you want Adobe Illustrator alone on Adobe Creative Cloud, you will have to pay a subscription of $20.99/Month for a single user license.
Conclusion
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