Graphic designers use all kinds of software packages to create and manipulate images for their clients’ needs. Some software is geared towards print work, while others are focused on the web or video and animation. Almost all programs have a cost involved, although there are some free options out there. The best piece of advice that you can find in numerous blogs online is to download Illustrator and Photoshop, which are the most used graphic design software for beginners.
For many people graphic design software is a mystery. Specific tools and techniques used by graphic designers are not widely known. How do you lay out brochures? What about the image editing software for photo editing for pictures?
Procreate—iPad program for sketching on the go
Has inspiration struck while riding the subway? Procreate lets designers put down quick sketches while on the go. With more than 130 brushes, it’s a great tool to have in the arsenal (and only costs $9.99).
Krita—free and open-source raster graphics editor
A free sketch and painting program, Krita is great for comics and manga and was ranked #1 free painting software by TechRadar in 2021.
Canva—drag-and-drop online editor
Canva is a starting point for anyone with no prior design knowledge at all, looking to create something quickly and easily. It offers a wide selection of templates, fonts and images, some of which are free to use, others need to be purchased. Choose from existing templates or create your own from scratch, then use Canva’s drag-and-drop editor. Sure, it won’t offer the customization potential of Photoshop, but it’s a great alternative for absolute beginners. Canva uses the freemium business model, meaning you’ll need to upgrade to the pro version to get all the bells and whistles.
S
PixTeller
PixTeller is an easy to use editor tool that can be used to create graphic images (downloadable in PNG, JPG, PDF format) and animations (downloadable in MP4, GIF format). Anyone can use it to make images, animated gifs & videos for personal or business use, with no technical or design knowledge. Creating graphics is a time demanding process, but with this design tool, anyone can make personalized visuals from scratch or by customizing any pre-made templates in minutes.
Platform: Web Browser
Design Wizard
Design Wizard is an online graphic design software, the pricing of which starts at free and increases along with the features. This graphic design software provides users with more than a million curated images, 15000+ templates. Another interesting feature of Design Wizard is its integration with Hubspot, Marketo, and Buffer.
Platform: Web Browser
Infinite Design
This graphic design app is built only for Android devices, which can be used to create vector graphics. The app can be used to create complex and eye-catching designs without much effort. As the name suggests, this app provides an infinite canvas where you can zoom, pan, or rotate. There are four types of symmetry that you can experiment with, and there are unlimited layers that you can work on. This app provides advanced features also like translate, scale, flip, distort, etc. The image you are creating on the graphic design app can be turned into a fully editable vector path. The advanced features in this app are accessible by purchasing it only.
Platform: Android
Adobe Indesign – best graphic design software for designers
Backed by the Adobe brand, InDesign is the business leader for creating clean layouts for desktop and mobile devices alike. Adobe InDesign is ideal for layout design usage like online magazines. Whether you want to create layouts for printed books, brochures or digital magazines Adobe InDesign is the tool you need. The flexibility is great as it allows you to easily drag-drop isolated layers and you can resize images with ease. Being part of Creative Cloud you get easy access to the desktop app for PC and Mac. You also get the comparison app Comp CC available for tablets and Smartphone devices including 29 desktop apps and 10 mobile apps. You can also use Behance and Typekit services that enable you to connect your workflow between photography, videos, good designing and web or app development. With Adobe Creative Sync you can share or sync all your work between your desktop and mobile apps so you can work efficiently. Once you join as a member you will get the latest updates and new features with installation decision being solely yours.
Pros
- The combining of text and graphics becomes easy.
- The learning curve is very low, ideal for newbies.
- The features that come with InDesign are unbelievable.
Cons
- Limited tools for creating graphics.
- The graphic design tools are not as powerful.
- The adjustment of photos is limited as this is not a photo-editing software.
Serif Drawplus
This software offers a powerful tool for not just photo designing and editing but, can also use it for producing creative logos, animations, posters, and more. In other words, because of its oodles of illustrative features, it has been ranked as the top graphic design software by Toptenreviews. By providing a rating of 9.2 out of 10, the site has given it a marker of being the best in its league. Serif Drawplus has a low learning curve making it approachable for both graphic designers as well as beginners. Serif Drawplus is loaded with features and functionalities that let you handle every simple to complex design without any difficulty. Moreover, working on intricacies becomes easier with this graphic design software. One can not only work on 3D animations, add effects to the images but also, create vector illustrations. Pros
- Can create a customizable workspace based on your preference.
- Provides extensive support an option to share.
Cons
- Lacks some photo effect features like panorama merging, HDR imaging etc.
Conclusion
When you are first starting out as a graphic design student, the software available to you has a certain learning curve. Many people have asked about this so we thought we would take some time to outline the best software for beginners. It surprised us how pleased people are with the simple and easy-to-use programs but these are great for beginners with no experience.