Graphic design software for beginners is software that can be used by people to make their own designs. It enables the users to save money that would have been spent on hiring graphic designers to decorate their materials.
Graphic design software is used to aid graphic designers from all over the world in their creative projects. Whether you wish to learn more about it, know how to use it or are just curious about what graphic design software there is, this is the article for you. There are many benefits of using graphic design software and if you are interested in finding out what they are then continue reading.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is easily the most recognizable of the graphic design software. From basic cropping that your grandmother could figure out to more complex raster designs, when it comes to image manipulation Photoshop can do it all. Photoshop is known for classic features like the pen tool, layers and masks, but the most recent version adds some cool tricks such as a Frame tool for easy masking and a new Content-Aware Fill workspace. With a potentially limitless skill ceiling, Photoshop is a great graphic design skill to start learning.
When it comes to image manipulation Photoshop can do it all.
Best used for: image editing
Cost: Adobe now offers a subscription service for its products with a 30-day trial available. The Photography plan for individuals (lightroom, lightroom classic, Photoshop, 20GB of cloud storage) comes in at $9.99/month, with the full Creative Cloud costing $52.99/month. However, there are different prices for students and teachers, businesses and teachers, and schools and universities.
Skill level required: beginner to advanced
Pros:
- Nearly limitless skill ceiling
- Integrated stock library
- Plenty of design tools for image editing
Cons:
- Interface can be tough to get used to
- Less-than-perfect updates
- Can’t create true vector files
Sketch
A vector-based tool only available on Mac, Sketch is a program focused mainly on web, app and interface design. It’s recently put a dent in the graphic design competition, with some developers preferring Sketch files from designers rather than layered Photoshop files. Though Sketch isn’t meant for photo editing or print work, it’s great for designing icons and interfaces that you’ll see on websites and mobile apps. Designers can also create live comps that developers can preview by tapping or swiping through to see what they’ll look like once published.
Best used for: user interfaces
Cost: $99 per year per device
Skill level required: beginner
Pros:
- Low learning curve
- Less expensive than other popular programs
Cons:
- Mac only
- Not suitable for print designs or illustrations
Adobe Illustrator
Photoshop and Illustrator share some similar tools and functions, but Adobe Illustrator is centered around vector design. Put together beautiful logos, typography, icons and sketches with Illustrator’s mesh tool, pen tool, swatches and colors, or Shape and Pathfinder tools. Though it’ll take some extra time to learn, the nearly limitless potential for creating vector designs is worth the effort.
I mainly use Photoshop and Illustrator. I did away completely with pen and paper, I do all my sketches in Photoshop and then I draw the design in Illustrator, where I also prepare it for animations, if that’s the project. – Ocelittle
Best used for: vector images
Cost: Illustrator alone will come in at $20.99/month, with the full Creative Cloud costing $52.99/month.
Skill level required: Advanced
Pros:
- Helpful user interface
- Wide variety of tools
- Supports precise editing
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
Affinity Designer
The Affinity Designer is a cheaper alternative to illustrator, which is especially suitable for someone who is in the early stage of design career. The software is known to work smoothly, which can improve your workflow and make you express your creativity more freely. You can move and zoom your artwork at 60fps; see the gradients, effects, and adjustments changing live along with the transforms and curve edits.
Affinity Designer lets you work on both vector and raster workspaces, and you can switch between them easily. This software can work on any device, and you can create unlimited artboards within it. Affinity designer provides a graphic design app for the iPad with the same features offered on the desktop versions. Advanced color controls are provided where you can work in RGB or LAB color spaces with up to 32-bits per channel. You can find a wide range of toolset in the program which can be used to achieve a high level of accuracy and productivity. The grids and guides are fully customizable, where you can change the spacing, sub-divisions, gutters, angles, etc. Another powerful feature of Affinity designer is that you get floating-point accuracy by zooming your artwork, even by more than a million per cent.
Platform: Windows, iPad, and Mac
Adobe InDesign
Another software by Adobe that can be used to create designs is the Adobe InDesign. This graphic design software is used primarily in the publishing industry because you can design magazines, info sheets, books, posters, interactive PDFs, brochures, etc. with it. With the ‘adjust layout’ option that InDesign provides, you can change the text of your document, and the graphic will adjust accordingly.
The properties panel has been redesigned to give you more intuitive control over the tools. The Sensei technology integrated into InDesign makes the automatic arrangement and resizing of images. Beginners can quickly learn this graphic design software because it has a low learning curve. To work with other members of your team in creating a design, you can use Adobe InCopy. The Creative Cloud Libraries can help you share text, colors, and graphics with other members.
Platform: Windows and Mac
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019
CorelDRAW was earlier built only for Windows OS; it is now available for Mac as well. With this graphic design program, you can create professional vector illustrations. There are powerful design tools to help you work faster and smarter. You will find numerous customization options, whether you are working on logos, web design, or print projects. CorelDRAW now uses AI technology to provide you with LiveSketch, which converts sketching into precise vector curves. The suite contains tools for graphic design as well as layout. It has Photo-Paint and Corel Font Manager for photo editing and font management.
The software has web graphic tools and presets to develop creative web content; you can publish directly into your WordPress site through it. The file compatibility is also overwhelming; the program supports over 100 file formats.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Xara Designer Pro X
Xara Designer is built for both bitmaps and vectors. The program can handle desktop publishing, graphic design, illustration, photo editing, all in one place. The graphic design software provides you with hundreds of template layouts, design elements, and over a million archive photos to get you started quickly. While drawing any shape, lines, or curves using vectors, you would not face any loss in quality when you scale it up. You can create custom design elements and use them in any of your designs. Tools like gradients, outlines, and transparency in the software will give your artwork a special touch.
Platform: Windows
GIMP
GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is the perfect alternative to Adobe Photoshop. In fact, the professional graphic design tools make it ideal for not just graphic designers but photographers as well. The photo manipulation feature of this software is highly used to craft crystal-clear graphics. However, once you start using GIMP, it will definitely achieve the pedestal of being your main desktop publishing tool. The GIMP interface is totally customizable. On the other hand, the full-screen mode allows you to view and edit at the same time. However, it does not include all the extensive features. But, there are many notable features that will provide you a great designing experience. GIMP runs on GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows, and other OS. Being a cross-compatible graphic design software program, it has a strong support community. This is, hands down, one of the prime choices when selecting the best graphic design software for beginners. You can check the difference GIMP vs Photoshop
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.
Conclusion
The best graphic design software to become a graphic designer. Many people who use this software are self-taught and others have gone on to be successful in the field of graphic arts.