Is it only me, or is every day without good software illustration a lost day in the happiness management? Have you ever come across such a case when there is no software for your projects and it’s hard to remember when was the last time you looked at something cool? I’ve been in such exactly cases in the past and these difficulties in finding and using the right tool has become a real burden in my life. Fortunately, in 2020 I started studying digital art and, after trying many different applications and spending many hours on the Internet researching tools, I created this list of what I believe are the best tools for digital illustration out their.
In this article I will talk about the top software options for creating digital illustrations without a bunch of hassle.
Adobe Photoshop 😍
Platforms: MacOS, Windows, iPadOS.
Best For: Experienced illustrators who want to take their creativity to the next level. But also beginner illustrators who are up for a challenge and want to expand their horizons.
Pricing: The pricing starts at $20.99/month (or $52.99/month for all Adobe’s apps).Look, we both know this application was going to be on here somewhere, so we may as well get it over and done with first. The Adobe Photoshop suite is the most powerful photo editing and illustration tool there is, and it’s used by beginners and professionals worldwide. The best of the best use this software.
Note that Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics software. Raster graphics (also called bitmap), such as digital images and photographs, are created using a grid of tiny dots called pixels.
When resizing the raster images without changing the resolution, the images start looking more blurry and pixelated. While both raster and vector graphics tools are excellent for creating illustrations, there are some pros and cons to each.
When it comes to Photoshop, these include minor features like not being able to enlarge or shrink an image in the same way you would with a vector-based illustration application. But once you’ve got your head around the learning curve, this software will allow you to create some mind-blowing digital illustrations.
Adobe Photoshop can be a bit expensive, but discounts are available if you’re a student or business, for example.
It’s easy to get stuck into using Photoshop and then use it for everything you do creatively, which is fine. It will get the job done and offer you so much more, but there are some restrictions. Being part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, Photoshop is also amazingly extensible and integrates perfectly well with the other apps in the suite. Experienced illustrators might find themselves seamlessly switching between Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, or InDesign in their creative flow.
Another advantage to using the Creative Cloud is that all the files are synchronized across multiple devices automatically. Started working on an illustration at work and want to continue at home? No problem — you don’t even need to do anything extra.
Adobe Illustrator ⭐️
Platforms: MacOS, Windows.
Best For: Professional illustrators who want to create vector illustrations. Aspiring illustrators who are serious about learning this craft and want to use the best-in-class software.
Pricing: The pricing starts at $20.99/month (or $52.99/month for all Adobe’s apps).While Photoshop does a fantastic job, if you know what you’re doing, there’s no denying that the dedicated vector graphics part of the Adobe Creative Cloud just knocks the ball out of the park when it comes to creating illustrations. I mean, look at this.
Do you know any other illustration software that will allow you to create content like this? There’s not really much we can say here. Adobe Illustrator does it all. Although it might not be entirely beginner-friendly, if you start with AI and get stuck into learning how to use it, it’s a skill you’re going to benefit from for life.
You should know that Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics software. Vectors are made of paths (dots and lines) algorithmically, making them scalable. You can resize or shrink your vector illustration as you like – the quality will remain unchanged.
Alternative Best Overall: CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW offers a fantastic graphics editing suite that’s capable of churning out both raster and vector graphics.
CorelDRAW comes with a free version of Corel Painter software bundled to help create your next raster illustration. It’s great for a variety of illustrations, and the latest version even supports the popular Apple Pen.
Graphics Type
CorelDRAW allows users to edit vector and raster graphics with a variety of tools and a couple of custom brushes. Although not as powerful and in-depth as Adobe Photoshop, it’s still one of the best illustration tools in the industry.
Difficulty
CorelDRAW is easier to pick up than Adobe Photoshop, but only because it lacks the comprehensive list of image tools found in Adobe apps.
Online support and how-to tutorials are also plentiful and easy to download.
Device compatibility
The CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is fully compatible with both macOS and Windows systems. There’s even a remote collaboration version out that can be accessed from anywhere through the company’s website.
Unfortunately, CorelDRAW doesn’t support iPad, but you can use your favorite graphics tablet and pen to draw if you’re looking for a natural sketching experience.
Pricing
Even though it’s a professional editing tool, CorelDRAW is slightly less expensive than the Adobe Creative Cloud products. CorelDRAW also has a two-week free trial that we recommend you use.
Suitable For
The majority of CorelDRAW users are professionals. These professionals use this graphics suite’s capable features to create logos, signage, publications, and web graphics.
CorelDRAW offers fantastic support for different file formats, and can also export your work of art in an endless variety of formats.
Pros
- Raster and vector editing in one suite
- Access to free clip arts, gradients, and pattern downloads
- Easy to master
Cons
- Pricey
- Limited tools and brushes
Best Value: Affinity Designer
Our winner for the Best Value illustration software is Affinity Designer. You may not have heard about the new kid on the block, but this vector graphics illustration software has an incredibly bright future ahead of it
Originally developed for the macOS operating system, it’s now available on Windows and even your iPad Pro. This means you can take your illustrations with you, no matter where you are, and start drawing and painting whenever inspiration strikes you.
Graphics Type
Affinity Designer is a vector drawing app. It has all the familiar tools, such as beziers, pens, brushes, and even various polygons that we see in more expensive painting software packages.
Difficulty
This drawing app is much easier to use than some of the more complicated programs on our list. It comes with a less cluttered interface that feels more intuitive, especially if you’re new to this kind of app.
Device compatibility
Affinity Designer is also compatible with a variety of platforms. Users can enjoy it on Windows, macOS, and even on an iPad and Apple pencil.
Pricing
Affinity Comes in at an affordable price. It is easily the best value for money design tool that we could find. As far as pricing goes, Affinity Designer is far less expensive than CorelDRAW or the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.
The excellent 90-day trial period makes it a worry-free download.
Suitable For
Both hobbyists and professionals use Affinity Designer. Users have created everything from logos to infographics, illustrations, web graphics, drawings, and even social media graphics with its easy-to-use vector tools.
Pros
- A 90-day trial version
- Intuitive user interface
- Affordable price
Cons
- Lacks high-end tools and brushes
- No auto-tracing feature
Alternative Best Value: openCanvas
If you’re looking for a great alternative value option, and an app packed with plenty of features, openCanvas could be just the tool for you.
At an affordable price, with all the essential tools and brushes, it’s a great option to create your illustrations with. With all the essential features to make drawing quick and easy, this is one of the best illustration apps available on the market.
Graphics Type
openCanvas is a raster editing tool, with great support for exporting to various file formats. It doesn’t support exporting to any vector formats, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you just want to pick up one of your favorite brushes and start painting immediately.
Difficulty
openCanvas is extremely easy to use. It comes with an exceptional user interface, amazing tutorials, and all the essential digital tools. Users can quickly pick it up and see why it is included in our list of best drawing apps.
Device compatibility
openCanvas is only compatible with Microsoft Windows.
Unfortunately, this eliminates whole communities of budding graphical illustrators who use iPads or other Apple products to create their art. We’d like to see a version of openCanvas that’s compatible with more systems, but we’re not holding our breath.
Pricing
With its affordable pricing, openCanvas is a great option for budget-aware illustrators. It’s marginally less expensive than some of the other programs on our list and just loses out a tiny bit to the great pricing that Affinity Designer offers.
If you don’t mind fewer features and image editing tools, openCanvas could be just the tool you need to give you creative freedom at a reasonable price.
Suitable For
Artists, especially those that want to create speed painting videos, love openCanvas and are some of its staunchest supporters. If you want to create illustrations with a good selection of natural-looking brushes and pencils, this is the app for you.
Pros
- Light on system resources
- Fantastic user interface
- Pricing
Cons
- Limited number of image editing tools
- Only available on Windows
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Vectornator 💯
Platforms: MacOS, iPadOS, iOS.
Best For: Illustrators and graphic designers who use Apple products (Mac, iPhone, iPad). Also perfect for amateurs who want to design visuals on their Apple smartphones or tablets.
Pricing: Free.
Another great illustration product on this list is Vectornator. As the name suggests, this is a vector-based illustration software that is incredibly beautiful and stylish. Vectornator started as an iOS app, and later expanded into iPadOS and MacOS.
Over the recent years, the developers also added several advanced features, making the software fit for professionals and amateurs alike.
It might even rival Adobe Illustrator among those designers who want to quickly switch between Mac and iPad in their illustration process.
With Vectornator, you can design illustrations of any kind, create typography, lettering details, make banners and brochures, and even UI designs for web and mobile apps.
Its unique feature”Autotrace,” allows you to transform raster images into vectors within seconds. All the other tools you might expect and need are included here, such as pen gesture tool, node tool, pathing options, node types, and many more.
Regarding the illustration aspect, Vectornator is used by companies such as Disney, Apple, Wacom, and Instana.
And you know what the best part is? Vectornator is completely free, which might be another significant advantage over Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop for many people.
Conclusion
There are so many digital art programs out there, but the ones I’m going to share with you are the best. They were selected because they are commonly used, have a wide variety of features, are stable, have great support, and are perfect for beginners or experts alike.