As a graphic designer, it’s always good to know free software and free designs. In this article, you will discover some of the excellent free graphic design software which comes with many awesome tools that everyone needs for creating a variety of graphics for different purposes.
You may wonder whether it’s worth going for premium software since the prices are usually steep. Today, you can rely on a ton of free graphic design software to create and design your graphics. In this article, I am sharing with you some of the best free graphic design software that you can use for your next project.
Clip Studio Paint
Price:- After Free Trial, $49.99
Compatibility:- Windows, Android, Chromebook, macOS, iOS
Clip Studio Paint is amongst the best free drawing software with professional-level features. This drawing app is widely used for animation, illustration, and comic creation owing to its impressive features, advanced capabilities, and enhanced flexibility. Clip Studio comes with powerful vector tools and an extensive array of coloring tools that give superior responsiveness when it comes to creating artwork.
Clip Studio Paint gives you the freedom to choose from multiple preset brush options or create and use your customized brushes to accomplish a certain effect in your illustration.
The latest version of Clip Studio comes with excellent animation capabilities and supports all major file formats, making it one of the good drawing apps for PC.
Key Features of Clip Studio Paint
- The software is very easy to use with its simple and clean interface
- If you face any issue with the software then you can simply check the website and learn every aspect
- You can easily customize brushes according to your needs
- The software lets you create concept art/ painting/ character art/ illustration and animation
Pros
- Powerful vector tools.
- Highly customizable brushes.
- Excellent coloring options.
- Massive user base and community.
Cons
- Animation with no audio support.
- Confusing Interface.
Inkscape
Price:- Free and Open-Source
Compatibility:- Linux, macOS, Windows
Inkscape is the best free drawing software for graphic designers created by a team of very talented artists and enthusiasts. This free drawing software for Windows is loaded with outstanding features and excellent tools, making it a powerful alternative to premium tools like Adobe Illustrator.
Inkscape comes with a simple and customizable interface, easy node editing, well-designed vector editing tools, and filters, advanced effects, Creative Commons metadata, generous export options, wide range of snapping tools, etc. for rich image creation experience. It is especially useful in cases when there are hundreds of different pictures on the webpage.
Notable Features of Inkscape
- You can easily import or export in various file formats as the software is compatible with most of the file extensions
- The software has flexible drawing and text tools to make your work easy
- You get shape, drawing, objection creation, pencil, pen, and calligraphy tools
- The software is even compatible with path insetting and outsetting
Pros
- Vast range of vector managing tools.
- Multiple file formats support.
- Optimized speed
- Great International community.
Cons
- Unsuitable for highly experienced designers.
- Cluttered Interface.
- Text tools lack flexibility.
Corel PaintShop Pro
Price:- $7.99/ month
Compatibility:- Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
First up on our list of drawing software for Windows is Corel PaintShop Pro. The software offers some of the best features which make the work easy for every user. Irrespective of your work you can use this software to create the best art. It offers flexible and cost-effective licensing. It offers many other features which can help you in creating animation and images.
The software can create animation with just three steps easily. While for transforming images you can use the Photoshop brush. It offers integration with Photoshop which makes it easy for you to work with the tools. It offers three versions which include PaintShop Pro, PaintShop Pro Ultimate, and Photo Video Bundle Ultimate. You can choose whichever version you like as per your genre of work.
Notable Offerings of Corel PaintShop Pro
- The software supports a majority of file formats for import and export
- It offers various brush formats of Adobe, PaintShop, and Jasc
- Photo Video Bundle Pro is a one-stop solution for photos and videos editing
- With every update, the software gets new tools and features
Pros
- All files format supported
- Offers a variety of brush formats
- Regular updates to make the software user friendly
- Free trial available for new users
Cons
- The price of the software cannot be considered as budget-friendly
- It does not support older versions
GIMP
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows
GIMP is a powerful and flexible open-source image editor tool. Its professional-quality features allow the user to easily fine-tune their illustration or create an image from scratch, making it the best free drawing software. With practice, it can certainly work like Photoshop.
GIMP provides top-notch tools for high-quality image manipulation such as automatic image enhancement, color adjustment, customizable brushes, cloning, filters, and much more. GIMP allows easy integration with several programming languages such as Python, Perl, Scheme, etc. Its highly customizable UI gives artists the power and flexibility to create their unique designs.
Notable Offerings of GIMP
- The software can be easily customized according to the requirements
- Unlike other software, you can manipulate the photos in high quality
- It also has graphic design elements
- The software lets you create mockups for re-use
Pros
- Professional features for image editing like the smudge tool, dodge and burn tool, fuzzy select tool, healing brush, etc.
- High customization.
- Offers extensibility with custom plugins.
- PSD support.
- Supports loading and saving of virtual files.
Cons
- The UI is overwhelming for new users.
Krita
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- macOS, Linux, Windows
Krita is fast, flexible, and the best free drawing software for Windows. Its pro-level set of tools provides an innovative solution to both amateur and professional artists. Krita is one of the best drawing apps for PC with powerful 2D and 3D animation.
Krita has a highly intuitive interface that allows designers to create a customized layout. In addition, Krita comes with many advanced features for image editing like the brush stabilizers, drawing assistants, professional effects, vector tools, smooth layer management, mirroring tools, etc.
Krita is an extraordinary computer drawing program that makes the process of creating digital drawings very realistic. The Resource manager lets artists share brush and texture packs and expand their toolset.
Notable Offerings of Krita
- Using the software you can easily import brush packs and texture from anywhere, you can even export them to other artists
- It offers a handy wrap-around mode to help users easily create textures and patterns
- The software has 9 brush engines that can be customized and changed according to the requirements
- For all the users who has shaky hand, this software offers brush stabilizer that can help you work easily
Pros
- Intelligent and unique 9 brush engines.
- High customization.
- PSD files support.
- Skilled Wrap-around mode.
- HDR image Support.
- Enhanced OpenGL provides increased canvas size and speed.
Cons
- Cumbersome text tool.
- May experience a few lags after updating.
Conclusion:
If you are interested in designing software programs, you should definitely check out my article on graphic design software downloads. Graphic design has been around for decades, and so the technology is quite good. Also, there are multiple programs available to help you begin your journey into design.