Graphic design is what you see in the background of a video, the logo on your clothing and the structure of your favorite websites. The right images or design can have a profound effect on a person’s decision or change their opinion entirely. However, graphic design takes quite a bit of skill and practice (requiring a blend of tools) to perfect. If you’re just starting out in graphic design you don’t have to run out and buy expensive programs such as Photoshop or Illustrator straight away.
There are some great free graphic design software programs available online that will help you get started.
Krita
Best for: Drawing
Platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS
According to the Krita user manual, Krita is a sketching and painting program designed for digital artists. If you’re an illustrator looking for a free digital tool, Krita is one to check out.
You will have to download the software to try it out because there is no browser version available. To download Krita, visit this page. Be sure to check the system requirements before downloading because you will need the right version for your operating system as well as a good amount of storage on your device.
Once you download Krita, you’ll find that the interface is intuitive and customizable. You’ll also find a variety of free tools available including a selection of brushes and brush stabilizers, vector and text tools, a wrap-around mode for seamless textures and a simple 2D animation tool. For a full list of Krita’s features, check out the company’s website.
Pixlr
Best for: Mobile editing
Platforms: Web browser, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Pixlr is another great free graphic design software worth checking out. There are different editors available including Pixlr X for quick and easy graphic design and Pixlr E for advanced photo editing. When I tried out Pixlr, I used Pixlr X. It included all of the basic features you’d need for graphic design including layouts, templates, text, effects, filters, additional elements and more.
One feature that stood out to me about PIxlr was the “Remove Background” tool. If you need to remove the background of an image, you can visit this page to use the tool. PIxlr’s templates are definitely another one of the editor’s highlights, and you’ll find plenty available for free. Pixlr’s templates include YouTube thumbnails, Instagram stories and other social media elements. You’ll also find PowerPoints, resumes, business cards, newsletters, invitations, photo collage templates and more.
You can use Pixlr to create or edit images in your web browser or you can download the desktop version of the software. If you’re more interested in using your mobile device for creating and editing graphics, you can also check out Pixlr Mobile. The app has a 3.7-star rating out of 1.1K reviews on The App Store and a 4.3-star rating out of 1.2M reviews on Google Play.
Crello
- 50k+ static and animated templates
- User-friendly interface
- Integrated media library of video and audio files
- Built-in drag-and-drop editor
- Features are limited for those with free accounts
Crello is free graphic design software for those willing to create unique visual content of all kinds. Don’t hesitate to use their numerous instruments for uploading extra illustrations, removing image backgrounds, resizing, adding animations, removing objects, changing fonts or colours, and more.
Luckily, Crello’s massive library of professional pre-designed templates allows creating impressive graphic materials fast and easy.Use Free Crello Software from here.
Blender
- 3D modelling, visual effects, Sculpting & Animations
- Skin Modifier
- Camera & Object Motion Tracking
- Allows Masking
- Need Enough Knowledge to Draw Curves
- Cluttered Menus
Blender is another open-source 3D graphic designing software with a vast range of toolset that also offers a free version. You can use this software to create visual effects, 3D models, interactive 3D apps & animations. The list of features of Blender includes rendering, high-end production path tracer, video editing, phyton scripting, simulation, modelling and much more.Get Free Blender Software from here.
Krita
- Customizable User Interface
- Drawing Aid for Your Assistance
- Selection Mask Tool
- Resource Manager
Krita is a commendable free & open-source graphic designing software that provides professional visual designing tools to professional graphic designers. Krita supports all operating systems including Windows, Linux & macOS.
In short, this free graphic designing software is best for designing conceptual art, textures, illustrations & comics. It provides a customizable and interactive user interface for the ease of users. The resource manager helps to import brushes and textures to extend the tools list on Krita.Get Free Krita Software from here.
Inkscape
- Creates Praiseworthy Vector Art
- Best Free & Open Source Graphic Designing Software
- Cross-Platform with helpful Community
- Accessible to Use Graphic Designing Software
- Slow Responding Software
- Control System can be Improved
Inkscape is one of the best free graphic design software because of its exceptional features and tools. It provides a useful mechanism for designing vector imagery and helps illustrator designers to develop attractive designs and themes effectively. Inkscape provides flexible drawing tools with broad file format compatibility.
Moreover, there are a lot of features of Inkscape to draw and manipulate models using shape tools, pencil tool, transformations and many other tools.Get Free Inkscape Software from here.
SketchUp
- 2D Modeling
- 3D Modeling
- Quick Customer Support Service
- Ease of Use
- Limited Storage for Free Services
- Does Not Support iOS & Android
SketchUp is also considered one of the best graphic designing software, and it provides free services for personal use. For professional use & extraordinary features, its starting price is 119$ per year. SketchUp offers a platform for beginners to create & design 2D and 3D designs easily. The main features of SketchUp include textures, 3D models, lighting effects, 2D models, layer managers, animations and much more. It provides 10GB of cloud storage for free users.Get Free SketchUp Software from here.
Gimp
- Supports Linux, Windows, macOS & Sun OpenSolaris
- Digital Retouching
- Wide Range of Plugins
- Supports all file formats
- Does Not Support Photoshop Plugins
Gimp is a well-known free graphic design software that is free & open-source for users. The remarkable features of Gimp allow the users to edit raster images quickly & effectively. Designers can also create artworks from scratch. You can also experience advanced features of Gimp, i.e. curves, layer masks, animation package, etc.
It provides a customizable interface for a better user experience. Photo enhancement tool helps a lot to edit images by fixing perspective distortion, etc. On the contrary, if you want to see how GIMP compares to Photoshop, read this in-depth GIMP vs. Photoshop comparison by Anne Mirrop.Get Free Gimp Software from here.
Adobe Spark
- Adobe Product Integrations
- Easy to Use Interface
- A Huge Range of Templates is available
- Posters and Videos can be created easily
- Limited Feature Set
Adobe Spark is one of the most popular graphic designing software which provides free design features and tools to the users. This fantastic graphic designing software lets you design attractive graphics for websites and social media in minutes. Though it is not a complete alternative to Adobe Illustrator but it could be beneficial for beginners. However, if you are still interested in features that Adobe Illustrator offers but don’t want to pay for its subscription then install and test one of Adobe Illustrator alternatives that are cheaper or even free.
You can also create video stories easily by using templates provided by Adobe Spark. Adobe Spark is the best software for newbies because it allows you to use templates and learn the basics of designing.Use Free Adobe Spark from here.
MyPaint
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- Linux, Windows 10 or above, macOS
MyPaint is a free and stable open-source graphic editor, mostly used by digital painters. It is an easy-to-use, lightweight, and productive tool with a focus on painting and one of the best drawing apps for PC.
MyPaint is one of the best free drawing software with a highly configurable and versatile brush engine, smooth brush flow, unlimited canvas size, distraction-free Fullscreen mode, and many more. It supports pressure-sensitive drawing, layer management, and basic color adjustments.
It is easy to create an expressive artwork with MyPaint as it emulates the effects of pencils, paints, ink, and charcoal.
Additionally, MyPaint has an interesting tool called Notepad, where you can try different brushes before actually using them to paint.
Key Features of MyPaint
- MyPaint has a full-screen view which allows you to view even the minute elements
- It offers a huge list of painting tools that can help you in creating your art
- You can easily add shortcuts to enhance the workflow
- Using the software you can create whichever art you want as you get infinite canvas size
Pros
- Gamut masking coloring wheel.
- Dynamic brush library.
- Infinite canvas size.
- Simple and user-friendly interface.
Cons
- Slow Undo function.
- No animation tools.
MediBang Paint
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
MediBang Paint Pro is one of the good drawing programs that are appealing and ingenious to create comics, manga, and digital art with a realistic presentation. Like other computer drawing programs, it comes loaded with features like great layer management, smooth workflow, easy comic panel, good community support, etc.
MediBang Paint has a library with over 800 pre-installed backgrounds and templates, wide variety of customizable brushes, multiple fonts and styles to choose from to create an illustration as per your imagination.
MediBang Paint has a built-in tool to upload your artwork on the cloud for free, thus saving space on your device and transferring your art between different devices effortlessly.
Read More: Best Free Animation Software Programs For Windows
Key Features of MediBang Paint
- It lets you work on multiple pages and save them all in one place
- You can easily add the files from other applications and devices
- You get a stabilization tool to draw with your shaky hands
- You get access to perspective grids for creating clean backgrounds
Pros
- Simple Interface.
- PSD file support.
- Versatile brush presets.
- Supports multiple platforms.
Cons
- Distracting ads pop-up when the app starts.
Conclusion
I hope that this article has helped you find the best free graphics editing software for your needs, whether you’re a professional designer or a budding amateur. Whatever the future holds for you, now you have more tools than ever to make it happen. Enjoy!