A set of free graphic design software for Windows 10. These are the apps that allow the manipulation of images, ranging from simple color-adjustment tools to filter effects and special effects like pixelation and blur. There are also some apps for making collages, designing infographics and mock-ups.
Windows is one of the most popular operating systems in the world. With over a billion users worldwide, Windows products are the standard when it comes to computers. And keeping up with that demand are our team of smart people working long hours behind the scenes to make sure that you have everything you need to do what you love.
Inkscape
A powerful software for vector graphics. Free even for commercial use
Pros
- Completely free
- Plenty of filters
- Contains new nice effect tools
- A lot of educational content
Cons
- Can be very slow in large projects
This open-source vector free graphics program is widely known as a free analog of Adobe Illustrator. The difference between them is in the fact that Inkscape uses Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) as the main format. Designers, who are familiar with vector graphics, will easily master this program. Here you can create projects of any complexity.
It is a winner in Inkscape vs Photoshop battle, if you need a program for beginning graphic designers as it provides a large number of modern tools and effects, including complex path manipulations, node editing, bitmap tracing, and path-based text.
As soon as you enter their website, Inkscape immediately shows that it’s a professional tool for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. However, there is a separate page that contains instructions and tells how to download it.
Gravit Designer
Best free graphic design software for beginners
Pros
- A huge library of vector assets
- Intuitive user interface and workflow
- The browser and cross-platform versions are connected to the cloud
Cons
- It will become paid in the future
- Lack of additional functions
The developers of Gravit Designer software offer many possibilities. This is something between Inkscape and Vectr.
It has more functions than Vectr and is as intuitive as Inkscape. This program allows you to do everything that you expect from a vector software and have some tools typically available in digital asset management software for photographers.
You can create curves, edit paths, manage layers and use the knife function. It supports SVG, PDF, JPEG, SKETCH and since recently, EPS formats for import and export too. Besides, you can work on your projects on different platforms.
Gravit Cloud provides a smooth transfer of files between desktop and online versions. A portable version of this software is also available.
Among other useful functions of Gravit, there are vector assets available. The library of Gravit Designer assets includes badges, forms, emojis and illustrations that can be combined and modified for commercial and non-commercial use.
GIMP
A powerful raster graphics editor
Pros
- Vivid and modern UI
- Easy to use
- Has single windows usage
Cons
- Contains several bugs
Gimp graphic design software is well-thought-out and surprisingly free. It provides a versatile photo editor that can work on all main operating systems.
Gimp is for those who are looking for robust software to perform different manipulations with photos, create paintings or mock-ups.
The interface of this free graphics software is similar to Adobe Photoshop. A few tool icons are the same and the layer setup is not worse than in Photoshop.
The developers consider the requests of the users and do everything to enhance the functions of this software. One of such functions is saving and exporting files. It saves your working files in XCF format. But you will have to export other formats.
SVG-Edit
Best software for simple tasks
Pros
- Simple, fast in use
- Open-source web code
Cons
- Node management is not ideal
SVG-edit is one of the free design programs that does exactly what its name implies. It edits SVG and creates its own. This is a free online program that is available in the majority of browsers.
A set of functions is standard. Here you can create shapes, draw with pencil, transform lines into paths, color and add images. The result can be exported to popular web formats, such as WMP, JPG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and, of course, SVG.
The interface is quite simple and reminds me of drawing programs from the beginning of the 2000s – there is nothing special here.
Blender
High-quality open-source software for 3D content and graphics
Pros
- Free open-source software
- Possibility to export files to other formats
- Possibility to render with your GPU instead of CPU
Cons
- No appropriate support of motion capture
- Difficult animation management if you have more than 15 animations
- Complicated learning curve
Blender is one of the best graphics programs for creating 3D computer graphics. It is used for 3D modeling and visualization in different spheres. Also, Blender will be useful for creating outdoor advertising, print products and web-design.
It is often simpler and faster to model the object from the right angle than to search for it, select it or draw. The result looks more realistic as when visualizing the object, its physical features are taken into account.
If you need to include objects in your design that don’t exist in real life, you can only model them or draw. Since this program is a vector one, you will achieve qualitative images as a result. Even on banners, their quality will win compared to photos.
Adobe Ilustrator
The best graphic design software for vector editing
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows, macOSTODAY’S BEST DEALSAdobe IllustratorUS$20.99/mthVISIT SITEat Adobe
REASONS TO BUY
+Industry-standard toolset+Time-saving AI features+Top vector and type tools
REASONS TO AVOID
-Requires subscription
If you’re working with vectors, Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard. First released in 1987, it allows you to create everything from simple logos and icons to detailed, multi-layered artwork.
Since October 2020, there’s been an accompanying iPad app. That means that you can also start work on a project on your iPad to get all the basics in place, then transfer your work to the desktop for fine-tuning.
Illustrator requires a Creative Cloud subscription, which may put some people off. But as a business expense, it’s a fair amount to pay. Plus, because it’s subscription-based software, you’ll get all the latest updates for free. Since July, for instance, Illustrator now allows you to rotate your view of the canvas.
Vecteezy
The best free vector editor for beginners
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: BrowserTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Easy to use+Good vector tools+Many elements to work with
REASONS TO AVOID
-Account required to save work
Need a painless way to get started with vectors? Vecteezy is a free, in-browser vector editor. Work with ready-made vectors that you can customise to suit your needs, or build your own designs from the ground up. Either way, this tool is easy to use and has some nice features such as advanced transformations and keyboard shortcuts. Signing up for the Pro version, meanwhile, gets you a bunch more tools and resources.
RawTherapee
Fix your photos with this free and open source app
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Windows, macOS, LinuxTODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Good photo editor+Batch processing tools+Great RAW support
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not updated since Feb 2020
RawTherapee is an excellent way to fix up your photos. You can use it to correct distortion, boost colours, recover details and much more. This free, open-source software also speeds up your workflow by allowing you to batch process images. Plus you can also send images to other software, such as GIMP.
Canva
Canva is an all-around solution for creating a variety of projects, such as infographics, web design, or T-shirts. It uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that is easy to use for individuals with no previous experience in graphic design. The program has a huge selection of images, templates, backgrounds, and fonts to get the ball rolling. While Canva offers a number of these items for free, many of the images and graphics require in-app purchases.
Canva shines in that it can work with a broad range of industries, thanks to its huge template gallery. The sampling we viewed was professional-looking and offered excellent starting points for brainstorming. There are three pricing plans, including a free one for individuals and small teams. The paid plans offer the full suite of goodies, albeit only 100 GB of cloud storage.
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop design: User-friendly interface to start creating right away
- Collaboration tools: Makes it easy to share projects with team folders and real-time collaboration
- Social media integration: Can create posts that go straight to popular platforms
Pros:
- Easy to learn
- Free version available
- Wizard for on-the-fly creation
- Rich collection of resources and tutorials
Cons:
- Limited free stuff, with in-app purchases
- Uneditable downloads
Platform: Web browser, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
Pixlr
Pixlr is an image editing web app you can use in your browser for desktop work or in mobile apps supported both in the iOS and Android platforms. It’s a basic program that is perfect if you need the essential editing tools covered without all the bells and whistles (and learning curves) of more sophisticated offerings.
Formerly a part of the Autodesk family, Pixlr is now on its own. It has some of the welcome features of many similar apps, including its ecosystem of complementary programs. It supports several file formats, including SVG and PSD. The price is right, too, for this web-based design app. It has a free trial and free version. Unfortunately, the free version is quite ad-heavy.
Key features:
- Drag-and-drop interface: Easy to use without a lot of editing or image design experience
- Template library: Includes professional-looking templates with collage options and market-driven ones, such as ads in a variety of sizes, flyers, and business cards
- Social media content: Choose from Facebook event covers, Pinterest pins, and LinkedIn company posts, among others
Pros:
- Affordably priced
- Social media integration
- Version options for skill level and needs
Cons:
- Not intuitive
- No TIFF or BMP support
- Limited number of templates
Platform: Cloud, web-based, iPad, Android
Conclusion
Free Graphic Design Apps For Windows 10 – Microsoft Office Word 2007 receives an overhaul with new templates, ribbon commands, and interface design. The new templates are built to encourage templates that include special rules, such as retaining the formatting of text in columns even when you move objects around in your document.