Top 15 Free Graphics Software for Designers: 10 Must-Have Programs For Your Toolbox
Here is a list of the best software and hardware tools in the field today, coming highly recommended by top-notch graphic designers who know their stuff. These tools are tried and tested and can help you dazzle clients by casting your greatest graphic design spells. Buckle up and get ready to make digital art at the speed of thought!
Section 1: Why use graphics software
1. The first reason why graphic designers choose graphics software is because it's free. The definition of free is a person or organization can do something for nothing. In the design world, we do graphic design for free. We can use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Corel Draw, or even three-day-old CGI scripts to produce amazing designs. Although this is true, you cannot expect Photoshop to produce the 'Carpenter's Gun' (your plan is not to make money with it) all the time. This is why you have to make a bargain with it, and you need to pay a few bucks here and there.
Free graphic design software doesn't provide you with the rich features that you need to master your job.
What to look for in a graphic design program
Basic features
Whether you’re used to a word processor or a high-end animation tool, it’s very likely that you won’t be getting the full, true potential out of your device. It’s good to know the following key features that you can seek out in any graphic design software you’re considering:
Software is not just for designers, so if you can create visually beautiful designs, let the software do the grunt work for you, providing basic formatting for text and photos, and ensuring that everything you drag and drop looks attractive. It will be up to you to create the aesthetic magic.
With most graphic design programs, you can save your work in a variety of different formats, including PowerPoint, A5, PDF, iOs and Windows.
Free Graphics Software
GIMP 2.8
While it's been around for almost two decades, the original GIMP, or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is still available for free download. The first version was developed by the late designer, artist and musician Richard Stallman.
The GIMP is, for the uninitiated, a highly-functional photo editing tool, ideal for editing photos of all types, and featuring brushes, filters, adjustments, drawing tools and many other goodies. It's also extremely portable, running great on any operating system.
The latest version of GIMP, 2.8, is even more advanced than the previous version, offering smoother operations and impressive new features. GIMP is highly versatile, used by professionals in the arts and by hobbyists, in particular for graphic design.
Photoshop CS5 (2 years with free upgrade)
There is no one better than Adobe for making people’s lives simpler and more creative. The renowned Mac app, Photoshop CS5 is a Photoshop full-featured application that offers amazing features at a reasonable price.
You can use a free Photoshop app to export your photos, edit your designs and prepare them for print in the most effective manner.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft’s Photoshop is a must-have software in every designer’s toolbox. It’s an application that has supported professional-grade graphic designing for decades now.
Adobe Illustrator
Free alternative to Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics and illustrator that comes with a free version with most features.
Thankfully, there is a thriving worldwide market for graphic design solutions. A thriving marketplace is based on constant innovation and opportunity to learn. The graphic design sector is thriving and thriving, which is a good thing because it means the creative market is thriving, too. And since the creative market keeps getting bigger and bigger, people are more likely to be interested in your kind of creative services. If you’re not in the industry yet, then now’s the time to look into it.
Creating a portfolio can be daunting because you may not know where to start. That’s why we created this list of the top 15 free graphics software for designers. We wanted to make it easy for designers to find the best software that suits their needs.
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