Nowadays it’s important to learn graphic design. Graphic Design course is revolutionized and fascinated by the software editing that gives you plenty of new techniques and skills for the designing. But finding out the best graphic design software for beginners, graphic design software free download for windows 10 and other graphic design software free download is not an easy task. Therefore we present to you a list of best and free graphic design software tools.
These are the best Computer Software for Graphic Design to check out. If you have always wondered what’s the best graphic design software, then this article is here to help you find out.
Sketch
The sketch is a vector-based graphic design software only for Mac users. It is basically used for app, web, and interface design. Unlike Photoshop and other image editing tools, it isn’t built for photo editing purposes.
Key features:
- Low cost: It provides significantly lower prices than other software.
- Smart Layout: This feature allows objects to resize according to the content automatically.
- Screen Templates: Sketch offers an artboard library for iOS devices as well as responsive web design layouts. Designers need only choose an artboard and a device.
- Custom Plugins: It offers hundreds of custom plugins that designers can use for a specific project.
Pricing:
- Standard – US $9 per editor, monthly
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Easy collaboration with teammates | ➖ Only available for Mac users |
| ➕ Save changes automatically | ➖ While accessing the cloud screen doesn’t render in high resolution |
| ➕ Requires a low learning curve and is easy to use | |
| ➕ Optimized for screen designs |
Krita
Krita is a powerful vector graphics creator with a heavy focus on digital painting and illustration. It is mainly used to design comic books. It is free software with advanced templates and features.
Artists designed Krita for top-quality drawing software that is available to everyone. It can help design comic books, drawing such as smooth shapes, vanishing points, advanced selection functions, layer masks, etc. If you want to enter the illustration world, Krita is the best choice in the open-source category.
Gimp
Gimp stands for the GNU image manipulation program.
Gimp is one of the most popular and open-source graphics design and photo editing tools. It is a featured-packed graphic design suite and image editor. This tool is the same as Adobe photoshop layout. A fantastic tool for any beginner or advanced designer who primarily works with photos.
GIMP is a high-quality framework for scripted image direction amidst languages including C, Perl, C++, Python, etc.
It is a counterpart to Adobe Photoshop. If you are creating a digital painting or adjusting photos and compositing various elements, it is fantastic. Of Course, it doesn’t have all the features like photoshop, but whoever created this software has an enormous number of volunteers from across the world.
Highlights
- Packed with filters, masks, layers, and brushes
- Extend the features with the extensions
- Advanced photo editing features
- Truly inspirational designs are created. It means to render the flexibility to transform images the way you like them.
- An enormous number of graphical design elements, logos, interface components. It also contributes to top-notch color management features to ensure high fidelity color management.
Inkscape
Inkscape is much like Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw. It is also one of the powerful tools available free to everyone. It is also known as the counterpart of vector graphics creator adobe illustrator.
Inkscape basic and default file format is in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Inkscape is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems.
Highlights
- Styling objects
- Supports various types of file formats
- Operation depends on the path.
- Manipulation in the object can be done effectively.
- Ease of documentation
- Flexible user interface
Synfig Studio
Available on Windows, OSX, and Linux, Synfig Studio is a 2D animation software for all creative enthusiasts to bring their designs to life. Depending upon your drawing style, you’d be able to achieve just about any kind of vibe of animation you’re aiming for.
Check one of the complex animations created with this software:https://www.youtube.com/embed/PThy9_RZQ8c?feature=oembed
You can also create something light-hearted and simple if that’s your forte. As I said, it all boils down to what you’re looking to create, and consider it a nod from Synfig Studio.
Talking about the features, it gives you complete control over your vector artwork right from importing it to exporting the finished product. You can duplicate shapes, work with over 50 layers, add filters and apply gradients.
Apart from that, you can totally take over the bone system to accurately structure your design so that their movements look the way you want them to look. This can be easily achieved by utilizing their Skeleton Distortion layer, which helps you to apply complex deformations to bitmap artwork.
You can choose from two different versions – Stable and Development. The former is the one that’s well-tested and proven, while the latter is the newer one that has experimental features and additional bug fixes. Both of them are free to download as this is open-source software.
Dia
Dia was built on a single document interface (SDI) similar to Inkscape and GIMP. It is mainly used to create electronic circuit type networks, flowcharts, etc. It is integrated with many advanced features, i.e., using this to help draw relationship models in database structures, UML, simple electrical circuits. SVG and XML file formats are supported.
Using Dia, you can export SVG, EPS, DXF, PNG, JPEG all other well-known formats.
Blender
Blender is a 3D drawing creation software. The topmost famous animators use Blender to make short films, feature films, TV shows, etc.
Its interface is quite complex at first, but when you go forward to design, then it is easy. It has many customizable features; of course, you can also create your extensions and features that the way you want to design.
Using Blender, you can handle photorealistic rendering, sculpting(different types of brushes), game creation, and fast rigging.
If you are willing to spend, you should check out premium software to design 3D animation.
Pencil2D
Pencil2D is a drawing software; it is enabled to design hand-drawn animations using bitmap and vector graphics. It is straightforward to use, and it is integrated with a clearer interface and equipped with high-end animation tools.
So the Pencil2D drawing tool is might be the best way to know the fundamental principles of vector graphics and cartoon animation.
Skencil
Skencil is a vector drawing application. It is available in Linux/Unix/GNU-like operating systems. It enables us to create some great diagrams and illustrations and useful drawings. Skencil is built with an interpreted language, i.e., python, and it is very high-level object-oriented.
Highlights
- Ease of use.
- Gradient fills
- Write EPS files
- Blend Groups
- Transformed images and text
- Advanced rectangles and curves etc.
Font Forge
FontForge is a font editor, which supports many font formats for designers. It is lightweight and enables you to create smooth designs of your own-type, true-type, and postscript. It is free software developed by George Williams and written in C-programming language.
It uses FreeType rendering font creations on screen.
SVG-Edit
SVG-Edit can help to create vector graphics within the browser without any additional software installation on your system. It is a cross-browser javascript graphic design tool.
SVG-Edit consists of two interfaces, which include svgcanvas.js and svg-editor.js. These two components work mutually to create effective vector graphics.
Affinity Designer
As a cost-effective alternative for Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer works smoothly and is said to be faster than Illustrator, improving your workflow.
Affinity Designer is also suitable for beginners as it is easy to learn and use.
Key features:
- Grid Systems: This feature allows designers to set up grids when designing isometric game graphics and icons. Also, it allows for detailed layouts by giving designers complete control over angles, gutters, spacing, and subdivisions.
- Snapping Option: Designers can lock and place objects based on other objects’ grids, shapes, nodes, and so on.
- Dual Environment: Work in both pixel art and vector art environments in a single place.
- Zoom Feature: This software can zoom up to 1,000,000%, allowing designers to work with incredible precision.
Pricing:
- Mac – US $60.54
- Windows – US $60.54
- iPad – US $24.21
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Offers a wide range of colors and brushes | ➖ No vector eraser |
| ➕ Create smooth curves with rope and window stabilizers. | ➖ No perspective grid |
| ➕ Dynamic on-screen guides ensure accurate object layout | ➖ Missing tools available in Illustrator |
Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is another free vector-based graphic design tool. This software can be used for logo creation, photo editing, animation, etc. The user/designer can also customize this software according to individual needs.
Gravit Designer also has a pro version, which is paid and contains more advanced features.
Key features:
- Portability: Using cross-platform portability, users can port their work from one operating system to another. This will enable them to work on any machine or environment.
- Pages: This feature is a perfect blend of pages and artboards to accompany the canvas settings.
- Gravit Designer Dashboard: The dashboard makes it easy to navigate and switch between tabs and to easily set the width and height of a document.
Pricing:
- Gravit Designer – Free
- Gravit Designer PRO – US $49.00/Year
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Customizable, easy, and engaging user interface | ➖ No real-time collaboration |
| ➕ Support multiple file formats | ➖ Not available for offline use |
| ➕ Allows editing of scalable vector graphics | ➖ Can’t run prototypes on smartphones |
Conclusion
Design software can be a large field to explore, with lots of great options to choose from. However, we’ve only found programs that have stood out as the best of the best. Hopefully our ranking will help you find a program that’s right for you and your creative needs. If not, keep doing your research. It’s an exciting time to be a graphic designer!