Download.com hooks you up with the best Windows and Mac graphic design software. Best Graphic Design Software for Windows and Macs. Of what to look for when shopping for graphic design. You need the best free graphic design software around to make it as a graphic designer in this expensive tech-heavy industry. We've found the best of the best options to cover the basics of what you'll need. Although you might not necessarily need to study formally to become a designer, you will.
Why use graphic design software?
We’ve tested graphic design software since 2009. In our most recent testing, we spent over 50 hours comparing these programs' features, tools and interfaces to determine which software creates the most professional work while still being affordable and easy to use. We’ve determined that Corel PaintShop Pro is the best overall program because it offers both vector and pixel-based tools in one inexpensive software.
Best overall
Corel PaintShop Pro
Graphic design software with a vast array of tools
Hundreds of photo filters
Powerful mixture or vector and photo editing tools
No automatic vector-tracing feature
Not available for Mac
Corel PaintShop Pro’s powerful mixture of photo editing tools and vector-drawing tools, coupled with its relatively low cost, makes it the best overall graphic design software we tested. You’ll find over 650 photo filters that you can apply to your projects, as well as vector brushes, pen tools and the ability to create custom brushes. This software might be a bit daunting at first because it has so many tools to learn. But the interface is easy to navigate, and the company provides plenty of learning resources to help you become a proficient user.
Although you’ll find advanced photo editing tools, like panorama stitching and HDR image creation, this program does not include automatic vector tracing. This means you need to hand-trace raster images if you want to turn them into vectors. Although this software is compatible with most major image file types, it doesn’t work with SWF files, meaning you can’t make that kind of animation file. PaintShop Pro is only available for Windows, so Mac users will need to look elsewhere.
Best Budget
Affinity Designer
A one time purchase graphic designer that provides value
Best Mac Graphic Design Software For Mac
Least-expensive software we tested
It’s comparable to Adobe Illustrator
Limited photo editing tools
If you’re familiar with Adobe Illustrator but you’re not keen on paying for the expensive monthly or yearly subscriptions, Serif’s Affinity software is the solution. Affinity Designer only requires a one-time payment, and it’s the least-expensive program we tested. However, there is no free trial period, so you cannot test the software before buying it. This software is comparable to Adobe Illustrator; both are vector-based design programs that are built to work alongside a photo editing program and a desktop publishing program.
Because you’re supposed to use this program in conjunction with Affinity Photo, a photo editing software, pixel tools are limited. However, unlike Illustrator, Affinity Photo has a few pixel-based tools, like a pixel brush and shape tools, which you can access in the Pixel Persona mode. That way, you’re not completely dependent on an outside program for basic image editing tools.
Mac Logo Design Software
This software’s advanced pen and vector tools allow you to adjust stroke and line density, as well as node and curve positions, to truly give you creative freedom when you’re working on your projects. Many of the tools are the same as Illustrator’s, and many even have the same hot keys. One thing that is missing from Affinity Designer is automatic image tracing, which would turn a raster image into a vector at the click of a button. Affinity’s forum mentions that the company hopes to implement this feature in later versions, but for now, you’ll have to hand-trace images.
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Best for professionals
Adobe Illustrator
A professional standard illustrator tool
$20.99
Customizable vector-tracing feature
Subscription-based software
Lacks many photo editing features
Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for vector-based graphic design software due to its powerful, professional-grade tools. One of the best features of this software is the raster image tracing, which lets you convert pixelated images into editable vectors with the click of a button. When working with vectors, select the white cursor tool to rearrange node placement and curves. This gives you far more control over vectors than many other programs allow.
Adobe intends this software to be used in conjunction with Photoshop, so it doesn’t really have photo editing tools. This means it lacks color correction, content-aware fill, lens correction tools, HDR image creation and panorama-stitching features. However, you have access to masking tools, a history log and a few templates.
You can test this software using the seven-day trial. This is shorter than the average 30-day trial, but it’s better than nothing. As with most other Adobe software, this program can be used only through subscription payments. You can choose between monthly payments and yearly payments, but there is no way to make a one-time purchase.
How much does graphic design software cost?
You can typically find basic graphic design software between $30 and $100. There are more advanced programs, which can sell for as high as $300 or require a subscription. Some, but not all, of the less-expensive software provided fewer tools. However, other affordable programs, such as Corel PaintShop Pro, have just as many design tools as more expensive software. Just determine which tools you need most, and then purchase the program that provides them.
Why trust us on graphic design software?
In our most recent evaluation, we spent over 50 hours testing and comparing graphic design software to see which programs were the easiest to use and offered the most creative freedom. We also evaluated the tools and features of each program to see if they warranted the cost of the software. To get further insight, we reached out to a professional graphic designer, Brooklyn Parks.
How we tested graphic design software
When you are learning how to use new software, you focus on how easy it is to use and if it can complete your desired tasks in a timely manner. To evaluate the software, we focused on both the illustration tools and the image editing features of each program. We determined which tasks we were able to complete, how long those tasks took and how easy the software was to use.
To explore the different effects the software offered, we used the same three images for all of the programs: a portrait, an image of a landscape and a still image. Then, we used common design tools – such as those for cropping, inserting text and resizing – and applied them to each of the images, noting how long it took to complete each task. The software interface played a significant role in how quickly we could find the tools, with clean and user-friendly workspaces helping the most.
To test the illustration tools in each program, we created a brochure that included text, graphics, gradients and shapes. These common tasks required a combination of tools. We evaluated how quickly we were able to do each of these tasks, as well as the speed of the software and the quality of the image after we had manipulated it. All of these factors made up each program’s ease-of-use score. Programs that lacked illustration tools, such as the pen tool or vector brushes, required more time to create design elements.
Overall, most of the programs performed similarly, but some outshone the rest. If you are looking for software to create dramatic effects on your photos, consider the number of photo filters the software has. Some programs, like Corel PaintShop Pro, provide dozens of filters.
The workspaces and tools differ from one program to the next. However, most allow you to customize your workspace, which helps you navigate the software. We looked for software that came with both predesigned templates and support within the application because these factors make the software easier to use. CorelDRAW comes with hundreds of such templates.
Best Graphic Design Software For Mac Beginners
Your specific uses for the graphic design software will determine which program will work best for you. We created an ease-of-use score that reflects how quickly we could complete common tasks. You should also look for a program that has all of the tools you need to create your designs.
Popular files for The Sims 3NameTypeSizeDateTotal7 dayspatch1667.7 MB1/.9K1.5Kpatch176.8 MB1/31/201469.8K73patch1667 MB90.8K63patch1667.6 MB1/24/201456.9K30patch175 MB1/31/20145.8K25patch1326.6 MB6/20/201358.1K21patch174.9 MB1/21/201452.9K20patch177.6 MB9/10/201349.2K18patch175.4 MB9/10/20131.3K14patch1117.7 MB4.7K12patch1238.1 MB2/22/20135.4K11patch1336.2 MB9/10/201356.8K11patch172.6 MB1/24/20132.3K10patch164.4 MB6/20/20135.1K9patch1044.9 MB9/5/20123K9patch127.7 MB10/1/20129137.
Printing: how important is the finished product?
When you’ve finished designing a project and you want to present it to others, you need the best printing features. For printed articles, you should set up your page to “bleed” so that the creases of your magazine appear continuous and colored. Equally important is the option to show your printer’s marks. This will help you immensely in the package-and-print process.
The best graphic design programs offer on-screen color proofs that allow you to preview the colors on your page. For example, it confirms that a rose-red heart you created will print as the right color, and not a dark shade of pink. Using a Pantone swatch significantly helps with this, as Pantone creates the colors with an exact chemical process that ensures the colors print the same anywhere. Another important feature is prepress support, which automatically ensures there are no errors before the project is sent to the printer and alerts you of any necessary changes.
Importing & exporting files: Will you use other files on your software?
Compatibility can be an issue with graphic design software. When you share files, you want people to be able to open them no matter which program they use. Most software supports different file types, especially common ones such as JPEG, BMP and PDF. The more file types the graphic design software offers, the more versatile it is. You should not let file types limit your designs or your learning.
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Here is a collection of the Best Free Graphic Design Software Programs for Window, Mac, Linux, and online browsers.
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Best Free Graphic Design Software
1.Gravit Designer – Windows / Mac / Linux / Browser
Gravit Designer is a full-featured vector design app suitable for all manner of jobs, from screen and icon designs through to presentations, illustration and animation.
Precision – Unmatched precision in any unit (Pixels, MM, CM, etc.) from creation to exporting.
Structure – Powerful pages with masters, real layers and symbols to structure your content.
Vector – Made for vector with non-destructive booleans, knife tool, and path graphs.
Layout – Powerful grids, anchors and auto-layouts made for pixel perfect screen designs.
Style – Multiple fills/borders, effects and blending modes together with shared styles.
Text – Handcrafted powerful text engine with text on path, web fonts, styles and much more.
Export – Export high quality PDFs, SVGs and Images using slices and multiple assets.
Advanced – Presentations, sketch and EPS import, design templates, transformations, and more.
2.Inkscape – Windows / Mac / Linux
Inkscape is an open-source vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Freehand, or Xara X. What sets Inkscape apart is its use of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), an open XML-based W3C standard, as the native format.
Drawing: pencil tool (freehand drawing with simple paths), pen tool (creating Bézier curves and straight lines), calligraphy tool (freehand drawing using filled paths representing calligraphic strokes)
Shape tools: rectangles (may have rounded corners), ellipses (includes circles, arcs, segments), stars/polygons (can be rounded and/or randomized), spirals
Text tool (multi-line text, full on-canvas editing)
Embedded bitmaps (with a command to create and embed bitmaps of selected objects)
Clones (“live” linked copies of objects), including a tool to create patterns and arrangements of clones
Transformations (moving, scaling, rotating, skewing), both interactively and by specifying exact numeric values
Z-order operations (raising and lowering)
Grouping objects (“select in group” without ungrouping, or “enter the group” making it a temporary layer)
Layers (lock and/or hide individual layers, rearrange them, etc; layers can form a hierarchical tree)
Alignment and distribution commands
3.GIMP – Windows / Mac / Linux
GIMP is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and more operating systems. It is free software, you can change its source code and distribute your changes. Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP provides you with sophisticated tools to get your job done. You can further enhance your productivity with GIMP thanks to many customization options and 3rd party plugins.
High-Quality Photo Manipulation
Photo Enhancement
Digital Retouching
Hardware Support
4.Krita – Windows / Mac / Linux
Krita is a FREE and open source painting tool designed for concept artists, illustrators, matte and texture artists, and the VFX industry. Krita has been in development for over 10 years and has had an explosion in growth recently. It offers many common and innovative features to help the amateur and professional alike. See below for some of the highlighted features.
Brush Stabilizers
Layer Masks
Layer Management
Pop-up Palette
Brush Engines
HDR Support
PSD Support
Resource Manager
5.Crello – Web Browser
The simplest online image editor to produce posts, covers, graphics, and posters using the best software on the web.
Filters
Crop
Blur
Shapes
6.Photo Pos Pro – Windows / Mac
Photo Pos Pro is a popular free graphic design software which is powerful, friendly and faster. Our free photo editor provides you complete solution for to enhance you.
Remove/erase/replace backgrounds
Remove unwanted objects
Fix poor photos
Frames and Collages
Advanced Photo Effects
Stunning Text Effects
RAW Files support
7.Pixlr – Mobile
Free graphic design software Pixlr claims to be ‘the most popular online photo editor in the world’. It boasts more than 600 effects, overlays and borders, and lets you do all the main things you’d expect from a photo editor, from cropping and resizing to removing red-eye and whitening teeth. This free app is available in both iOS and Android varieties.
Create photo collages with a variety of choices for layout, background, and spacing.
Balance out color in one easy click with Auto Fix.
Layer multiple photos and blend them together to get a unique look, using Double Exposure.
Stylize your image to look like a pencil drawing, an ink sketch, a poster, and more.
Make your selfies beautiful with simple tools to remove blemishes and red-eyes or to whiten your teeth.
Focus on one color with Color Splash or add impact with Focal Blur.
Choose from a pool of effect packs to give your image the look and feel you want.
Adjust the mood of the photo with overlays – amplify the tone, cool it down, or add surreal shades.
Mask your photo with captions or overlay it with text. Choose from a variety of fonts.
Finish off your editing process with the right border – pick a style that suits you.
Keep things fresh with our growing catalog of additional effects, overlays, and border packs.
Keep track of your favorite effects and overlays with the Favorites button.
Resize images quickly and easily after editing.
Share your photo directly with friends through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or email.
8.Free Vector Graphics Software
Vectr is a free graphics software used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively. It’s a simple yet powerful web and desktop cross-platform tool to bring your designs into reality.
Related: 12 Free Video Editing Software Programs
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What’s your favorite free graphic design software?