Today, it seems as if the whole population of earth lives in the virtual world aka online world, and it is for this reason that the world is changing at quite a fast pace, more so, in the fields of design.
Take, for instance, graphic design – it’s such a field that is almost always in a hurry, it’s a field where the clients are always in a hurry, and the software – it even changes in the blink of an eye. Now, if you are not quick on your feet to adapt, you could very well face extinction.
Now, would you want that?
No, right – and that’s why, we have brought you a list of some the best tools for graphic design; they are the ones that will keep you well ahead on your toes and head above the dirt, and the best part is that they are free.
Vectr
Want to make vector images easily and that too, for free?
Enter ‘Vectr’.
‘Vectr’ is such a software that has a very low learning curve, meaning you don’t have to invest much of your time in learning the software from A to Z. Plus, even if you run into any problems, the Vectr developers will be there to help you with any questions, should any arise.
With this software, you can create 2D vector graphics with ease. Plus there are many features such as filters, shadows, and fonts, and hence. It’s considered to be versatile enough for day-to-day design tasks.
That being said, this software also allows you for live collaboration and synchronization, and these two features often come in handy. As they can enable anyone to watch you design in real-time, making it quite easy to send feedback.
Gravit Designer
Created by CorelDraw, Gravit Designer is a full-fledge vector design app (and yes, it’s free!!) that makes it a tailor-made solution for all sorts of design jobs – app designs, screen designs, animations, presentations, illustrations and such.
As far as the interface goes, it’s clean and intuitive, adjusting according to your needs, and it’s dashboard includes a wealth of tools that lets you create detailed and beautiful vector imagery. Such as non-destructive booleans, a knife tool, and path graphs, and not to mention, multiple fills and blending modes, and a powerful text engine.
Now, while Gravit Designer is free, it also has a premium version, but frankly, the free version is just as good as the premium one. You get the option to export your file as PDF, SVG or bitmap; moreover. You also get access to the Gravit Cloud service that enables you to get to your work anytime and anywhere you want.
InkScape
InkScape is an open-source editor that you can compare with the likes of the premium vector programs that are currently on the market. SVG is the primary file format, this software is made to be compatible with image editing software like Gimp.
This software may be free, but it consists of the much-envied advanced features. That are available on the premium ones such as cloned objects, markers, alpha bending and such.
Despite this software is quite easy to grasp, you can still achieve sophisticated artwork – plus it also has full support for different colour modes as well as the ability to trace bitmap images while providing support for variable-width strokes and native import of Illustrator files.
Canva
The things that Canva can do – it’s still a miracle that this software is free (but we are not complaining!) as it is a photo editor, photo collage maker, learning resource, colour palette tool, and a font combination picker. That said, it also features a dedicated infographic maker. It comes with hundreds of free design elements and fonts, right at your fingertips.
Rather than a photo editor, Canva is a full-fledge graphic design suite that goes hand-in-hand with some of the premium ones, say, Illustrator and Photoshop.
Krita
If you are a concept artist or an illustrator, then Krita software is for you. That is designed with concept artists in mind, as well as illustrators, matte and texture artists.
Dubbed as one of the best free and open-source painting tools, ‘Krita’ comes with a full set of brushes that suits all sort of work, plus it also comes with various filters and plugins that make it easy for prospective work.
One of the best-liked features of this software is the ability to include brush stabilizers so that you can smooth out any shaky lines, a wrap-around mode for creating seamless textures and patterns, and a pop-up palette for quick colour-picking.
RawTherapee
Want to make tweaks to your photos?
Take the help of ‘RawTherapee’. It allows the users to correct distortion, boost colours, recover details and much more. Which means that users can make tweaks to their photos until they look like how you want.
That said, this software also allows you to batch process images. Plus you can also send images to other software, such as GIMP if you want.
Photo POS Pro
If you are looking for the best tools for image editing on a Windows PC. Then, you can’t go wrong with ‘Photo POS Pro’. Made especially for the Windows user, this software allows you to enhance and edit images. Thus making it perfect for simple photo editing tasks. Such as fixing lighting, contrast, and saturation, and advanced techniques as well.
Boasting a clean and user-friendly interface, this software is pretty much very easy to get started. There are many expansions and plugins available for you to extend your set of tools.
GIMP
Debuted on Unix-based platforms, GIMP is an open-source free graphic design software, that stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.
Available for Linux, Windows, and Mac versions, this software is somewhat similar to Adobe. And thus using it is a breeze if you plan to ditch Photoshop.
To make your workflow easier, this software has a big array of tools such as painting tools, cloning, selection, colour correction, enhancement, to name a few.
Sumo Paint
‘Sumo Paint’ is a browser-based image editor, that uses Adobe Flash Player to run. Hence, it’s very quick and lightweight.
As for the tools, it has everything that you would expect – cloning, gradients, brushes, shapes, pencils, and many more. And all of them can be accessed via the Adobe-lookalike floating toolbar. That said, this software also allows you the option to open saved documents from hard drive. Thus making this software a viable source for editing and re-editing images.
As the above-mentioned graphic design tools, it’s hard to believe that they are free. Which shows us that we are not required to shell out $1000 for a premium software. That won’t even do the work the way you need it to.
The free ones are enough and more than capable enough to do the work as you wanted, with ease too.
So, can we know, which one do you plan on using first?