Every designer has the most suitable software that he uses in his work. Of course, it’s to adjust the design style, needs, media, and also the wishes of the client. In choosing the software, of course, designers have complexity because of the many software available and there is always the latest design software found. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite design program that’s perfect for you and your artwork. Here we provide a list of some software that you may not know about or have not tried.

Best paid graphic design programs

Adobe Photoshop

Who has never heard of this one software. Adobe Photoshop is the most easily recognized graphic design software. Not without reason, this software that has a dominant blue icon is the easiest application to use by everyone, including beginners. Therefore Photoshop is not only used for professionals, but also those who are new to the world of graphics. Getting started is not difficult, because there are many guides that you can find on YouTube.

Actually, Photoshop is software for processing or editing photos and images. However, lately, this software has become the mainstay of many people for graphic purposes, such as making logos, banners, and others.

There are many tools that make it easier for users to process photos, such as crop tools, healing brushes, lasso tools, and so on.

Photoshop is also known for classic features like the pen tool, layers and masks, but the latest version adds some cool tricks like the Frame tool for easy masking and the new Content-Aware Fill workspace. With a potentially limitless range of skills, Photoshop is a great graphic design skill to start learning.

These advantages make Photoshop the mainstay of many people’s graphic design software.

SPECIFICATION :

Platform : Windows, macOS, iPad

Payment model : Subscription

Best used for : image editing

Cost : Adobe now offers a subscription service for its products with a 30-day trial available. Photography plans for individuals (lightroom, lightroom classic, Photoshop, 20GB cloud storage) are available at $9.99/month, with the full Creative Cloud at $52.99/month. However, there are different prices for students and teachers, businesses and teachers, and schools and universities.

Skill level required : beginner to advanced

Pros :

• Nearly limitless skill ceiling
• Integrated stock library
• Plenty of design tools for image editing

Cons :

• Interface can be tough to get used to
• Less-than-perfect updates
• Can’t create true vector files

Sketch

Sketch is MacOS-specific graphic design software that focuses on digital design. Launching Pixpa, this one tool is often used by professionals to create websites, applications, and user interfaces for digital programs.

While Sketch isn’t meant for photo editing or print jobs, it’s great for designing the icons and interfaces you’ll see on websites and mobile apps. The main advantage of Sketch is its prototyping feature, where you can collaborate with other designers throughout the design process.

Designers can also create live compilations that developers can preview by tapping or swiping to see what they will look like once published. The program also has a smart layout feature where components will automatically resize based on the designer’s requirements.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : macOS

Payment model : one-off payment

Best used for : user interface

Cost : $99 per year per device

Required skill level : beginner

Pros :

• Low learning curve
• Less expensive than other popular programs

Cons :

• Mac only
• Not suitable for print designs or illustrations

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator has a mix of Corel Draw and Photoshop. Why is that? Adobe Illustrator is able to produce final objects with high resolution, supported by features similar to Corel Draw. The color variations provided are more complete, so you can mix and match or play gradations. Although capable of processing files with sizes above 50 MB, the resulting output has a relatively small size compared to Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw.

Adobe Illustrator is centered around vector design. Collect beautiful logos, typography, icons, and sketches with Illustrator’s mesh tools, pen tools, swatches, and colors, or Shapes and Pathfinder tools. While it will take some extra time to learn, the almost limitless potential for creating vector designs is well worth the effort.

You can use Adobe Illustrator as another alternative to Corel Draw to create visual graphic designs such as posters, banners, or logos.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : Windows, macOS

Payment model : Subscription

Best used for : vector images

Cost : Illustrator alone will come in at $20.99/month, with the full Creative Cloud at $52.99/month.

Required skill level : Advanced

Pros :

• Helpful user interface
• Wide variety of tools
• Supports precise editing

Cons : 

• Steep learning curve

Affinity Designer

In terms of function and style, Affinity Designer is an impressive low-budget alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Affinity even gets credit for being easier to use and faster than Illustrator, especially when working with layers. It is very simple for beginners to use as a learning tool but powerful enough for freelance graphic artists on a budget.

Affinity also recently got a major upgrade with new features and performance improvements. This software is a great choice for anyone who doesn’t want to splurge on Adobe’s offerings, but needs something high-performance.

Regarding its flagship features, Affinity comes with a brilliant grid system function.

This feature can help users gain total control over angles, spacing, and subdivisions to create accurate design layouts.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : Windows, macOS

Payment model : One-off payment

Best used for : Vector files

Cost : $49.99

Skill level required : beginner to advanced

Pros : 

• Easy to get started
• Fast
• Much less expensive than the big guys

Cons: 

• A few tools that Illustrator offers aren’t available

Adobe InDesign

Besides Adobe Photoshop, there is also Adobe InDesign. You can use this graphic design software to design magazine, tabloid, or newspaper layouts.

A must-have for the publishing community, Adobe InDesign has been used to layout magazines and newspapers since 1999. Collect stunning magazines, info sheets, and brochures and easily export them to PDF or HTML. While it’s sort of a one-trick pony, InDesign has a low learning curve and is great for beginners learning how to combine text and graphics.

Adobe InDesign also offers features to blur images and make objects transparent.

No need to worry about the process, because Adobe InDesign is able to import data in various formats, such as .JPG, .psd, even .doc, and .pdf.

You can also save the final result in many formats, so you don’t have to worry if it’s not compatible with other computers.

Best used for : publishing layout

Cost : InDesign alone is $20.99/month and full Creative Cloud costs $52.99/month.

Skill level required : beginner to advanced

Pros : 

• Undisputed champ of publishing industry
• Intuitive cropping and resizing features
• Huge selection of fonts

Cons : 

• Some complaints with PDF formatting

Best free graphic design software

GIMP

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has many of the same features that paid programs have. While the layout isn’t as sexy as, say, Photoshop, you still get the advanced photo retouching, drawing, and cropping capabilities of the more popular programs.

This tool is open-source, allowing you to modify the source code and distribute the program for free.

Not only that, but you can also take advantage of various customization programs and 3rd party plugins that can increase your productivity in GIMP.

GIMP itself has a feature that can be used to improve an image.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : Windows, macOS, Linux

Payment model : Free

Best used for : raster images

Required skill level l: beginner

Pros : 

• Good community
• Plenty of tools for a free program

Cons : 

• Not as quickly updated as other programs
• Less recognized
• Not as intuitive to use

Gravit Designer

Gravit Designer is a free vector design app that’s great for logo creation, photo manipulation, illustration, and animation. You can use Gravit online with their cloud-based software — although some reviews claim that it runs a little slower than the locally installed version. The layout is sleek and fully customizable, but Gravit Designer Pro is no longer free ($49 per year).

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : Browser, Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS

Payment model : Free, with subscription for pro version

Best used for : vector images

Required skill level : beginner

Pros : 

• Plenty of features and capabilities
• Cloud program is great

Cons : 

• Free version not nearly as effective as Pro

Inkscape

There is something beautiful about a good community. Inkscape’s user base is passionate and helpful, with this cross-platform software bringing out the best in open-source design. Users can combine attractive graphics and designs with a variety of available learning resources. However, a steep learning curve, a clunky interface, and a sloppy Mac version keep Inkscape from being a perfect program.

This tool is a good choice for beginners who are interested in vector drawing because it is very easy to use.

Not only that, but Inkscape also frequently updates its features, so you can make designs more comfortable and better.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : Windows, macOS, Linux

Payment model : Free

Best used for : vector images and SVG file formats

Required skill level : proficient

Pros : 

• Lots of filters
• Helpful website and community

Cons : 

• Can run slow
• Steep learning curve

Vectr

Accessed via your web browser or its standalone app, Vectr is great for designing (you guessed it) vector images. For high-end designers, Vectr may not have all the features you want. But ordinary people and amateurs alike will find the low learning curve attractive. Plus, there are dozens of tutorials available on their website for beginners.

SPECIFICATIONS :

Platform : Browser, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS

Payment model : Free

Best used for : vector images

Required skill level : beginner

Pros : 

• Very beginner friendly
• Good selection of tutorial videos

Cons : 

• A bit limited in capabilities
• Clunky sign-up process

Source: 99designs.com & creativebloq.com