Graphic designing software is extremely important for both beginners and professional designers. There are several paid and free tools available in the market. Professional graphic designers are prone to adopt tools which help them do complex projects. On the contrary, those who work on personal projects might need less creative software.
There are also more efficient tools with shorter learning curves or features tailored to particular requirements. So, are you looking for the best graphic design software? In this blog, we will discuss graphic design software along with its features, among them some are popularly known and some are nearly unknown but are extremely useful.
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Adobe Illustrator
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Affinity Designer
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CorelDraw
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Adobe xD
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Figma
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Adobe Photoshop
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Canva
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Adobe InDesign
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GIMP
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Adobe Express
Adobe Illustrator
One of the most popular and best graphic designing software which ranks 1st on my list is Adobe Illustrator. It is subscription-based the greatest graphic designing software for creating and altering vector graphics. Regular updates and a range of features in tools make it an industry-standard software which helps design with creative freedom in almost everything ranging from illustrations to logos. The toolbar can now be customized. Additionally, a Width Tool and Rotate View have been added, making it simple to apply changes to vector lines.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Acknowledged as the industry standard | A monthly subscription is necessary |
| AI features that save time | – |
| Effective vector and type tools | – |
Affinity Designer
The second-best vector software that doesn’t require a subscription is Affinity Designer . Multiple features such as unlimited redos and zoom of one million percent or more are available in Affinity Designer, which also tends to run faster than Adobe Illustrator. It can handle Illustrator AI and Photoshop PSD files. The nicest aspect is that there is only a one-time payment required and it is a rather cheap one at that. Moreover, there are no membership costs and still receive software updates as they are published.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent price | Lacking some cutting-edge features |
| A ton of helpful features | – |
| Strong Illustrator compatibility | – |
CorelDraw
If we talk about flexibility, CorelDraw is the first software to get popularity in vector designing. It keeps improving what it has to offer to keep up with the majority of features provided by competitors. Now it is being offered in two formats: CorelDraw Graphics Suite, a broader set of tools targeted at professional designers, and CorelDraw Standard. However, a lot of it depends on personal preference and what one is accustomed to, so sign up for the free trial to see how you like it. The good news is that there won’t be a problem importing and exporting AI, PSD, and PDF files if you use Corel.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Numerous features | Not industry standard |
| Currently accessible online and on the iPad | More expensive |
| Strong user community | – |
Adobe xD
If you want to create the best-ever prototypes, they can be created with the aid of Adobe xD that mimic the real thing. They want a strong and user-friendly vector-based experience design platform to jointly create the best experiences in the world. Adobe XD offers time-saving features and workflows to help you concentrate on producing, from ideation to asset delivery. Team members can view drawings and specs easily by viewing links and leaving comments straight in the browser. One of the top tools for designing user experiences is this software. It features a free version, is quick, stable, and not overly complicated to use.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Development of interactive prototypes | Crashes on Windows 10 |
| Combined with Creative Cloud applications | Collecting and sharing crash logs |
| Prototype preview on a smartphone and online revision | Windows subscription status issue |
Figma
Figma is design software that enables you to develop any type of design you can imagine, including interfaces for mobile and online devices. It is a versatile tool with a vector-based interface, not simply useful for designers; it is also excellent for prototyping web designs, product animations, and e-commerce websites.
In addition to designing, real-time collaboration on the go can be achieved by prototyping interactions, animating transitions, adding multiple artboards, animating vectors with timeline-based animations, including live previews while editing and publishing changes, and commenting and feedback features. Compared to other software, the design process is substantially quicker. By eliminating the need to upload files and search for layers, this software saves time.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Streamlined Tools | Not recommended for beginners |
| Smooth and seamless process | Doesn’t have many features |
| Ability to extract information | Not suitable for complex projects |
Adobe Photoshop
Next on the list is the ideal designing software for editing images is Adobe Photoshop . The industry standard for image editing is Photoshop. In actuality, it is capable of far more than just image manipulation, including photo retouching, digital painting and drawing, 3D modelling, and user experience design. It is a fully functional programme, and Adobe has been expanding its arsenal of AI capabilities under the Adobe Sensei brand so that you can quickly and easily remove backdrops, for example.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Standard bitmap editor in the industry | Needs subscription |
| Features powered by AI | – |
| Every tool one may require | – |
Canva
Canva is among the top free tools for graphic design and image editing. Making rapid adjustments like cropping and resizing photographs or adding filters, frames, text, and effects is quite simple. With the free edition, there are no limitations on image altering, such as the use of watermarks. Canva is a full-featured drag-and-drop graphic design tool with a colour palette, font combination picker, photo collage maker, and more. It is more than just an image editor. A dedicated infographic creator is available.
With the ability to set pre-configured brand fonts, logos, colours, and pre-designed templates, Canva Pro’s Brand Kit may be a handy feature to aid small businesses in maintaining brand consistency throughout their projects. The resize and background removal tools were also quite simple to use, in our opinion.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Super easy | Cannot help creating unique objects |
| Changeable texts, layouts, colours, etc. | Common templates/photos |
| Free templates | Not small-screen friendly |
Adobe InDesign
Moving to the next software, the ideal for Adobe Software is Adobe InDesign , especially for the publishing industry. If you intend to design books, magazines, posters, brochures, etc. then this is something you have been looking for. It is one of the most demanded software for beginners due to its easy-to-use quality and not being as complex to learn as Photoshop and Illustrator. The key features include layout adjustment, Adobe InCopy and Sensi Technology for auto arrangements in the text.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A set of drawing instruments | Less user-friendly interface |
| Create visuals with mathematical equations | Only suitable for usage in the professional sector |
| The ability to create intricate graphs | Costly as compared to similar software |
| Millions of graphics, photos, films, etc. are available | – |
GIMP
Open-source graphic design programme GIMP is compatible with various operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and Mac. It is free of cost. Many functions found in commercial software are available in GIMP. It does more than just produce graphics, too. Additionally, you can alter photos.
The key features include regular updates, high compatibility with platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, BDs, and Solaris, customizable according to the needs and an open image processing platform.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Tutorials available to use each feature | Slow pace updates |
| Simplest user interface | Not ideal for mac users |
| Lightweight | – |
Adobe Express
Adobe Creative Cloud Express is also known as Adobe Express. It is a simple, free and easy-to-use professional software. Some experts claim that this software is easier than Illustrator or Photoshop. With easy accessibility on devices such as Andriod, desktops and iOS, this is a great option. Incredibly wonderful software allows for performing a vast array of tasks including logo and banner creation. And also make animations, videos and edit images, and add templates and stickers.
Along with this, you can get hands-on experience with the Adobe Stock Photo Collection. Its usage is exactly like Canva software which allows you to do drag-and-drop UI.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Simple and easy for entrepreneurs and businesspersons | Limited Capability |
| Affordable for all | – |
| Extensive creative assets | – |
What software do most graphic designers use?
The usage is entirely based on the needs and requirements of an individual. However, Adobe Creative Suite is popular for graphic design and is most frequently used by graphic designers. There are other strong design tools out there, like Sketch.
Which software is the best for graphic design for beginners?
As a new graphic designer or a beginner, you should get started with free software. Among the above-said software, Canva is highly recommended for creating easy and quick designs. One can use it without selecting a premium package. Once you have got a certain level of graphic design expertise, you can then switch to paid and advanced-level software.