Graphics tools are essential for web designers and graphic artists. These tools help make designing and illustrating easy. Graphics tools play a vital role in designing components and they are used to create illustrations, logo designs, and much more. There are a number of vector editing software available but some of the most common applications used by designers include Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Gravit Designer and Sketch.
Here are compiled results of the best vector editing tools from research that has been made over the years.
LibreOffice-Draw is the open-source vector graphics software that allows you to produce anything from a quick sketch to an elaborate plan. This tool acts as a means to communicate with graphics and diagrams. For creating technical drawings and general posters, you can use this tool with a maximum page size of 300cm by 300cm.
This free application is included in the LibreOffice suite that is developed by the Document Foundation. You can create simple and complex drawings and can export the same in the standard image formats. In your pictures, you can insert tables, charts, formulas, and other types of items. With this software, you can have a wide variety of graphical images. As per your preference, style, and formatting box you can arrange tools and in just one click you can put all your graphics styles.
(Source:LibreOffice-Draw)
Highlights:
- Vector Graphics- By using lines and curves, it creates vector graphics that are defined by mathematical vectors.
- 3D Objects- In LibreOffice Draw, this tool can create simple 3D objects such as cubes, spheres, and cylinders. It modifies the light source of the objects.
- Connect Objects- To show the relationship between objects; you can connect objects with distinct lines known as “connectors.”
- Grid and Snap Lines- In your drawing, you can align objects with the help of visual cues. You can snap an object to a snap line and grid line.
- Graphic File Formats- It can export many graphic file formats like BMP, GIF, PNG, and JPG.
- Gallery – It includes images, sounds, animations, and other types of items that can be inserted and used in your drawings.
- Displaying Dimensions- To calculate and display linear dimensions, you can use dimensions lines.
- Geometric elements- It stores and displays an image as an assembly of simple elements that include lines, polygons, and circles.
- Smart Connectors- You can effortlessly build flowcharts, organization charts, and network diagrams with intelligent connectors. It allows the conversion of images to a range of image and document formats with the help of a powerful engine.
Although the above mentioned free and open-source vector graphics software are valuable and of top-notch quality, you can give a try to one of the most popular software – AdobeIllustrator to enjoy the artistic work. Let’s move ahead to know this software in detail:
AdobeIllustrator (Famous)
AdobeIllustrator serves as the industry-standard vector graphics software. It allows you to create logos, icons, typography, drawings along with the illustrations for print, web, mobile, and video.
Millions of designers and artists involved in web icons and product packaging to book illustrations and billboards make use of this app to create everything. The designers who want to create digital graphics, drawings, and typography for all kinds of media will find this app perfect.
Graphic designers, web designers, visual artists, and professional illustrators create high-quality artwork with this app. You will find this app versatile and powerful for your graphic design needs.
Everywhere you can draw attention by creating a freehand drawing and by tracing and recoloring the imported photos to enjoy the work of art. Anywhere you can use illustrations that include printed pieces, websites, blogs, social media, and presentations.
(Source:AdobeIllustrator)
Highlights:
- Customizable toolbar – It allows you to add or remove tools so you can have your preference. You can group them as per your choice to enjoy the best outcomes.
- Presentation and Trim Preview- You can easily project and share by turning artboards into slides. With the edges trimmed off, you can see how documents with bleeds will look.
- Global editing- All at once, you can modify repeating text or objects across multiple artboards.
- Freeform gradients- You can give your objects and artwork a natural look and feel by easily creating rich color blends.
- Illustrator CC- It enables graphic designers to create sketches, illustrations, and typography.
- Tools – You will get all the drawing tools that allow you to turn simple shapes into sophisticated logos and graphics.
Inkscape
One of the most comparable substitutes to Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape has plenty of similar sketching, illustrating, and editing tools, including keys to move and rotate by screen pixels, bitmap tracing, color painting over objects, and edit gradients with handles.
You can create complex textures and gradients in Inkscape, too. Unlike some free tools, this tool allows layering, grouping, and locking objects so you can completely customize the look and feel of a project while maintaining a streamlined workflow.
Inkscape is a quality product for pro- or semi-pro web designers working within SVG file format. It also offers an open source vector graphics package, so if you have the technical skills, you can incorporate Inkscape into your other software programs.
Best for:
Pro and semi-pro illustrators and web designers
Platform:
Mac, Windows, Linux
GIMP
GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, has limited vector functions but has similar tools to Photoshop, making it an impressive image editor with powerful image manipulation options. Better still, GIMP provides options for customization and third party plug-ins, so if your image editing needs are somewhat unique, you might want to check this tool out.
GIMP is free and open source, so there is a market of third party plugins to enhance your productivity and design capabilities. If this sounds technically advanced, GIMP offers tutorials for newcomers to the tool so you get the most out of it.
Best for:
Advanced designers who need a custom tool to create illustrations and graphics
Platform:
Mac, Windows, Linux
OpenOffice Draw
OpenOffice Draw by Apache Software Foundation is a vector graphic editor having all the editing possibilities a good vector editor must have. The most famous tool of OpenOffice Draw is the connector which is of different types. It can open and create different types of file formats including document file types.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
DrawPlus Starter Edition
DrawPlus Starter Edition by Serif is powerful vector editor and creator software. With the help of DrawPlus Starter Edition the users can design and create appealing vector artwork. It has really impressive tools and is a great alternative to expensive vector graphic editors like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, etc. Although there are some tools of the software which are locked as this version is free but those tools can be purchased with DrawPlus full version. DrawPlus Starter Edition has tools like pen tool, bucket took, pencil tool, paintbrush tool, text tool, image tool, color picker tool, etc.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
Diagram Designer
Diagram Designer is a vector based flowchart designer and editor. It is simple and easy to understand as all the tools can be dragged and dropped. All the elements of the flowchart are on the right hand side of the software. Every brought up flowchart can be resized and edited, the text can be changed too. Diagram Designer includes templates of electronic symbols, flowchart, GUI design 1, LaChimere AutoRealm, Polygons and UML Class Diagram.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
RealWorld Paint
RealWorld Paint is a free raster and vector graphic editor having a big compilation of functions and features. It not only lets its users edit raster or vector graphics, but it also lets users create simple animations. RealWorld Paint can also manipulate photographs without any kind of upgrade as all its features are free of cost. It works well with layers, you can remove unwanted elements from any kind of image, add effects to the layers using layer styles, import and export vector masks from psd files and convert to svg. RealWorld Paint is compatible with Adobe Photoshop, Paint.net and GIMP. It supports image file formats as well like JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, etc.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
VDraw
VDraw is a drawing, editing and vector designing software which is free and is developed by Metasoft. It is a vector graphic editor which is capable of making logos, posters, paintings, calendars, flyers, brochures, etc. There are very useful vector drawing tools in VDraw like smudge, weld, 3D extrude, dropshadow, castshadow, spiral patterns.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
Microsoft Expression Design
Microsoft Expression Design is a professional vector and raster graphic editor developed by Microsoft for web and print. The software is a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw. It has all the important graphic editing tools like pen tool, paintbrush, shapes, text, color dropper, gradient transform, direct selection, selection, etc.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
Free SVG Editor
With Free SVG Editor you can only import svg vector graphics. The software lets you change or edit the imported svg file with the help of vector properties on the right hand side. The interface of Free SVG Editor is very simple and has no complex menu or options and tools. Free SVG Editor can export the imported svg format file to png, jpeg, tiff, gif, bmp and wmp file formats.HOME PAGEDOWNLOAD PAGE
Conclusion
Creating vector graphics free of charge is a great way to jumpstart a career in design. You can use the bigger software for more complex jobs, but it’s important to be familiar with the basic graph editors online. This can serve as the stepping stone into more specialist programs. Now that you’re armed with some tips from this guide, go ahead and browse the best vector editing software options available!