There are dozens of fantastic graphic design software for you to use for free. I’ve been a graphic designer for over 20 years and I’ve tried pretty much every free design program around. The selection varies with each update, so I thought it would be a good idea to regularly add the latest. After all, it can be hard to find time to learn design when you’re working full-time and trying to manage your personal life!
Here are a good number of softwares to try out today.
Microsoft Paint 3D
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- Windows 10
Paint 3D is a free computer drawing program that comes by default with a Windows 10 system. Paint 3D is an easy, kid-friendly software from Microsoft. It enables creating a three- dimensional object and adding animation to it with ease.
With 3D object creation in Microsoft Paint 3D, you can either choose a model to import from the displayed options or draw your own shape and turn it into a 3D model. The 3D model can be rotated with precision and adding animations to it is very straightforward. Paint 3D allows adding a finish and lighting effects to the created 3D image. These 3D images can be easily used with other Microsoft Office apps like Word, PowerPoint, and the like.
Key Features of Microsoft Paint 3D
- The new update brings more security to the user’s data
- Using the new tube brush you can create short dollops and ribbons
- Easily select the shape that you wish to create
- You can easily copy your 3D model and paste them into any Microsoft Office app
Pros
- Variety of paint effects.
- Easy 3D image editing.
- Kid-friendly software.
Cons
- Standard picture editing tools missing.
ArtWeaver Free
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- Windows
ArtWeaver is one of those computer drawing programs that have a close similarity to Photoshop. It has creative built-in editors that enable efficient photo-editing.
ArtWeaver is a full-featured tool with a wide range of realistic brushes, user-friendly interface, additional editing filters, and great ability to work with layers. This free drawing software comes with a feature to draw textures to create beautiful digital artwork.
ArtWeaver is among useful and easy drawing apps suitable for kids as it has a highly configurable brush editor. Additionally, it allows working together as a team with other artists over the internet.
Notable Features of ArtWeaver Free
- Using this software you can easily work with other artists on the same project
- It offers very easy to use tools to create your favorite artwork
- You get seamless editing and painting experience with its powerful tools
- It has many realistic brushes that you can use
Pros
- Ultra-realistic effects.
- Configurable brush editor.
- Creative editing tools.
- Kid-friendly software.
- Intuitive interface.
Cons
- Lesser text features in comparison to others.
Vectr
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- Windows
Vectr is one of the best free drawing software for Windows for creating cards, logos, icons, brochures, and other digital illustrations with fewer details. It is a vector-based tool with a comprehensive toolset for image editing, built-in version control, real-time collaboration and sharing of designs, and a clean interface.
Vectr comes with great tools for applying layers on the image, modifying the shape and color of the image, exporting and printing of images without compromising on quality, and sharing artwork on social media apps like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Vectr can be used online or on your desktop across multiple platforms. It is a well-designed app with many free tutorials making it easier to learn and use.
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Key Features of Vectr
- It is a very easy to use software that takes no time to adapt
- The pen tool is one of the tools which make Vectr better than other competitors. Using the tool you can easily draw and write
- You can find gradient tools in the software which helps in manipulating colors and vectors
- For any assistance, it has tutorial videos that you can watch and learn
Pros
- Built-in version control.
- Printing made easy.
- Social media access.
- Collaboration and sharing of graphics.
- Great tutorials.
Cons
- The presence of ads slows down the working speed.
- Suitable only for simple graphic projects.
Expression Design
Price:- Free
Compatibility:- Windows
Microsoft Expression Design is a professional-level graphics editing software built for creating web-based graphics, UIs, and other vector graphics with fewer visual effects. It is a lightweight and easy to use tool with an option to create a personalized workplace for future use. It comes with powerful composing tools like B-Spline with full curve control, Slice tool to select and hide parts of an image, and full layer support to slice and blend images.
Expression Design has plenty of basic image editing options for creative developers and supports a variety of file formats including bitmap export option.
Pros
- Super preview tool to see the website in multiple browsers simultaneously.
- Bitmap export.
- Powerful composing tools like B-Spline, Bezier, etc.
Cons
- Lacks advanced image editing features.
Paintstorm Studio
Price:- $19.00
Compatibility:- Windows, iPad, macOS
Paintstorm Studio is one of the professional level drawing apps for PC that brings powerful features to create excellent artwork effortlessly. It is a good drawing software for Windows with advanced symmetry tools, a dynamic interface, and completely customizable brushes to play with.
A free trial version of Paintstorm Studio is available in which you can launch the app 30 times before it expires. Furthermore, Paintstorm Studio can be purchased for a lifetime license for just $19.00.
Notable Features of Paintstorm Studio
- The software offers bristle brushes for every need and requirement
- The brushes offered are fully customizable as per needs
- It has a dynamic interface where you get to each and every tool easily
- You can easily work on various layers
Pros
- Dynamic interface.
- Advanced symmetry tools.
Cons
- Limited free trials.
SketchBook
Price:- Free, $85/ year
Compatibility:- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Autodesk Sketchbook is the next drawing software that can be used for creating amazing art/ drawings. The software offers a beautiful interface that offers the user enough space for creating their artwork. Irrespective of the device the user has it offers a great space to work. It can be the ideal software for product designers, automobile designers, architects, and industrial designers.
Using the software one can even refine their sketches to an illustrated art. Other than this the user can use the camera to scan, sketch and import files.
Notable Features of SketchBook
- The software supports various types of files formats including JPG, BMP, TIFF and BMP
- You can use this software in various platforms as it has cross-platform compatibility
- It offers more than 190 customizable brushes
- While you draw or paint the software predicts the future move which save a lot of time
Pros
- Loads of brushes
- Multiple layers can be added
- Large working space in every device
- Compatible with almost every device
Cons
- Not an ideal software for beginners
- Subscription for the enterprise license
Mischief
Price:- Free, $25
Compatibility:- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Next on the list of animation software, we have Mischief. The software offers a similar experience as you are using a real pencil. It moreover offers an infinite zoom and infinite canvas feature too. All the users using tablets can use this amazing app to create realistic artworks and export them into various formats. The user can export the files in PNG, JPG, or PSG format.
Pros
- Dock the brushes as per need
- Infinite canvas and zoom feature
- Infinite Undo and redo option
- The user can even control the transparency of the canvas
- Free to use software
Cons
- The free version offers limited features
Adobe Creative Suite
If you’re serious about pursuing graphic design professionally, Adobe Creative Suite contains much of the standard software you’ll use as a graphic designer—including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. Sure, these applications might take a little extra time to learn, but if they help you land a job, it’ll be worth your investment. You can start with a 30-day free trial and then pay on a monthly basis after your trial ends. Plus if you decide to go all in and study graphic design, Adobe offers all students a 60% discount on their Creative Suite software.
GIMP
GIMP—short for GNU Image Manipulation Program—is one of the most popular free (and open source) alternatives to Photoshop. Compatible with Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems, GIMP includes a comprehensive set of tools for everything from image editing and retouching to full blown creation of artwork, icons, and other graphic design elements using layers, masks, and more. GIMP supports all popular file formats (and a few rare ones too) and is easy to use, even if it’s your first graphic design software.
Inkscape
A strong alternative to Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape is another free and open source graphic design software program. It’s a vector graphic editor that works for Windows, Mac, and Linux with a relatively simple interface and flexible tools for print, logo, and web design. These tools allow object creation, object manipulation, fill and stroke, text formatting, and operations on paths. (Many designers find cloned objects particularly useful.) Inkscape is primarily for working with SVG, but allows for export to PNG, PDF, EPS, PostScript, and more.
Affinity
Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer are relatively new competitors in the world of graphic design software. As you might expect, Affinity Photo is focused on photo editing, while Affinity Designer is vector graphic design software great for branding work, concept art, print projects, icons, and web mockups. Affinity software is designed to be fast regardless of the size or complexity of your work. It’s also highly customizable, with an intuitive, modern interface, advanced layer controls, the ability to undo up to 8,000 steps, and standard file format compatibility. This software is available on Windows or Mac at the reasonable price of $50 each.
Sketch
While it’s only available for Mac users, the vector editor software Sketch is quickly becoming a favorite for many in the design industry, especially those focused on web, app, user experience, or interface design. Priced at $100, this graphic design software is comparable in many ways to Illustrator and, in some aspects, Photoshop as well. Features include support for multiple pages and artboards, symbols and styles that can be easily repeated and updated across a design, and the ability to edit and merge vectors without destroying their original shapes. Sketch however is not a photo editing tool or ideal for print work, so you’ll have to rely on something else for that.
Conclusion
There are a ton of free graphics software programs out there that can help you accomplish your design projects. If you’re looking to acquire some new software and don’t want to pay an arm and a leg, it’s definitely worth trying out some of the options listed above.