30 Best Graphic Design Software in 2024
When we think about digital media, graphic design plays a pivotal role in conveying messages, enhancing user experiences, and creating visually stunning content. As the demand for compelling visuals rises, graphic designers rely on sophisticated software to bring their creative visions to life.
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Choosing the best graphic design software depends on various factors, including your specific design needs, experience level, and budget. Adobe Creative Cloud Suite remains a top choice for its comprehensive features, while options like CorelDRAW, Affinity Designer, Sketch, and Canva cater to different niches within the design industry.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each software will help you make an informed decision based on your unique requirements, ensuring that your creative endeavors will flourish with the right tools at your fingertips. This article will explore and understand some of the best graphic design software available today.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator stands as the premier choice for vector graphic design, a position it has held firmly for quite some time. This comprehensive toolkit empowers users with the flexibility to create a wide array of designs, ranging from logos to architectural floor plans. Its adaptability ensures seamless integration with nearly all available design tools on the market.
Features:
- Sophisticated features for manipulating vector graphics
- Support for CMYK color grading and EPS file format
- Effortless color generation with intuitive prompts
- Compatibility across multiple devices
- Integration of voiceover tools for enhanced functionality
- Extensive options for exporting designs
Canva
Canva caters to social media influencers and students, offering versatile graphic design software. Beyond crafting stylish presentations, users can seamlessly edit videos. Its trendy templates are tailored to captivate audiences and enhance engagement. User-friendly and ideal for novices, Canva boasts an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, enabling even beginners to swiftly create social media graphics and slides. While the free plan meets the needs of many users, the pro plan proves worthwhile, providing access to premium templates for maintaining unique and stylish designs.
Features:
- Comprehensive collection of stock photos, graphics, and illustrations
- User-friendly drag-and-drop editor
- Vast array of pre-designed templates and layouts
- Ability to customize fonts and color palettes
- Options for creating animations and GIFs
- Built-in logo creation tool
- AI-powered background removal and image enhancement features
Figma
Figma has risen to prominence as a premier graphic design tool, celebrated for its user-friendly interface, especially well-suited for web and app design endeavors. It has gained popularity among web designers, UI, and UX specialists due to its adept prototyping features, while also proving versatile enough to accommodate photo editing tasks. Moreover, Figma boasts a vibrant community actively sharing UI Kits and various other valuable resources.
Features:
- Reusable components and styles available
- Live collaboration functionalities incorporated
- Embracing a cloud-first design methodology
- Prototyping support for diverse devices
- Access to design work offline
- Automatic version control system in place
- Developer mode accessible
- Seamless integration with brainstorming tools
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is renowned as the leading option for photo editing and manipulation software. Its extensive array of editing tools enables users to craft digital art across various domains. While Photoshop shares some features with Illustrator, its standout strength lies in its editing prowess, particularly concerning images.
Features:
- Robust AI-driven tools for enhancing images, upscaling, and beyond
- Sophisticated tools for professional-grade photo and text editing
- Correction for lens distortion
- Advanced filters and precise color adjustments
- Streamlined automation through predefined actions
- Efficient batch processing of images
- Access to cinematic color Lookup Tables (LUTs)
- Flexible Puppet Warp manipulation for creative adjustments
Gimp
GIMP stands out as the top graphic design software for users of Linux-based operating systems, although it’s also accessible on major platforms like Windows and Mac OS. Being free and open-source, it provides a wide array of tools for photo editing and 2D art creation. In comparison to Adobe’s offerings, GIMP is lightweight and consumes fewer resources. Originally intended for photo manipulation, GIMP particularly shines with RGB or raster graphics, yet it doesn’t offer native CMYK support, which limits its suitability for print designs.
Features:
- Wide-ranging exporting capabilities
- Open-source and available at no cost
- Built-in support for Linux
- Docking interface that can be tailored to suit individual preferences
- Script-Fu scripting feature for automation tasks
- Integration with GEGL
- Access to a free ecosystem of plugins
Inkscape
Inkscape specializes in vector graphics similar to Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer. However, its interface may not be as user-friendly. What distinguishes Inkscape is its impressive calligraphy tools, particularly effective when used with graphic tablets. It provides essential features such as path operations, node editing, and layering for creating intricate vector designs. While it may not be as fast as other vector tools, its free availability makes it an appealing option for many users.
Features:
- Extensive drawing features available
- Accessible as free and open-source software
- Capability for live linked clones and patterns
- Advanced manipulation of nodes and paths
- Ability to place text on editable paths
- Compatible with all operating systems and various vector file formats
CorelDraw
Although once a competitor to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW remains esteemed as one of the premier full-featured graphic design editors. Its expertise lies in vector illustration and page layout, rendering it adaptable for both digital and print design tasks. Equipped with a comprehensive set of tools, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite enhances editing capabilities for photography and typography. This software is compatible with major computing platforms such as Windows, Mac, Web, and iPad.
Features:
- Provides a robust set of tools for editing graphics, images, and more
- Accommodates an extensive range of file formats
- Incorporates advanced typography tools and offers access to Google Fonts
- Tailored tools optimized for both web design and print production tasks
- Compatible with third-party plugins to enhance functionality
- Available for both Windows and Mac operating systems
Pixlr
Pixlr stands out as a premier web-based solution for photo editing and graphic design needs. With its platform-agnostic approach, users can access its extensive array of editing tools across various devices through any modern web browser. Additionally, Pixlr provides a rich design library comprising templates, icons, and fonts, perfectly suited for basic photo manipulation and editing endeavors. Its AI-powered tool adeptly removes backgrounds, though refinement may be necessary for optimal input and result generation with the AI-generated image feature.
Features:
- Retained layer and history features for enhanced workflow preservation
- Wide-ranging photo editing and manipulation tools for versatile editing needs
- AI-powered image generation and background removal for efficient editing
- Compatibility with most major file types, including PSD for seamless integration
- Incorporated stock library for easy access to additional resources
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a professional desktop publishing software primarily used for creating print and digital media layouts, such as magazines, newspapers, brochures, flyers, and eBooks. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and features designed to streamline the layout and design process.
Features:
- Aligning objects with grids and guides
- Creating frames and shapes
- Manipulating objects
- Organizing objects
- Importing text
- Formatting text
- Spell checking
- Importing images
Sketch
Sketch is a professional digital design software widely used by designers and developers for creating user interfaces, icons, and interactive prototypes. It is known for its intuitive interface, powerful features, and focus on collaboration.
Features:
- Create designs for multiple devices
- Simple and easy to learn; intuitive interface
- Clients can preview what will happen when they interact with a desktop, laptop, phone or tablet design
- Helpful collaboration features, especially with Sketch Cloud syncing and sharing The toolbar is similar to Mac
Affinity Designer
Looking for an affordable design solution? Look no further than Affinity Designer. With a one-time payment, it provides all the features you require. Suitable for businesses of any scale and freelancers alike, this tool proficiently handles both vector and raster graphics. Moreover, it seamlessly opens and exports files in formats such as PSD, SVG, EPS, and PDF. Affinity Designer excels in performance across all devices, particularly on the iPad. Its universal file format enables smooth note-taking, feedback integration, and uninterrupted design workflow.
Features:
- Integration of both vector and raster functionalities
- Affordability
- Availability on multiple platforms
- Support for diverse file formats
- Outstanding zoom functionality
- Minimal resource consumption
- Flexible workspace customization
Affinity Photo
For those in search of a budget-friendly substitute for Adobe Photoshop or a specialized raster graphics editor, Affinity Photo stands out as an excellent option. It is known for its efficiency and precision, even when operating with limited resources. Users can effortlessly manipulate photos, manage layers, and produce stunning raster paintings, making it a favored choice for many individuals.
Features:
- Processing RAW images, inclusive of Adobe DNG format support
- Merging multiple exposures to create HDR images
- Stitching together panoramas seamlessly
- Support for third-party plugins
- Advanced retouching features for professional-grade results
- Utilizing focus stacking techniques
Blender
Blender stands out as the premier free graphic design software for 3D projects. Being free and open-source, it offers a comprehensive suite of tools for 3D content creation. Continuously evolving, Blender encompasses a vast array of capabilities including modeling, texturing, animation, rendering, and compositing. While not as extensively utilized in top-tier industry circles, notable productions like Netflix’s “Next Gen” have been successfully created with Blender. For further insights, delve into our in-depth Blender review and explore our curated collection of Blender tutorials.
Features:
- It has a small executable, which is optionally portable
- It has a high-quality 3D architecture, enabling fast and efficient creation workflow
- Blender provides a comprehensive 3D content creation suite, equipped with a wide array of essential tools
Genially
In search of top-notch graphic design software tailored for data visualization? Our recommendation is Genially. Ideal for crafting a diverse range of content, from infographics to quizzes and presentations, Genially empowers users to create captivating, visually appealing, and easily shareable materials swiftly and effortlessly. While a free version is available to kickstart your projects, it comes with watermarked designs and limited features. To unlock premium features such as offline viewing and remove watermarks, upgrading to a paid plan is necessary.
Features:
- Detailed content analytics
- Can create interactive graphics without any coding
- Integration with Twitter, YouTube, Dropbox, and more
- Ability to animate your content with spectacular visual effects
Krita
Krita, a free and open-source painting tool established in 1999, has garnered popularity within the VFX industry and among concept artists, illustrators, and matte and texture artists alike. Renowned for its extensive array of brushes and brush stabilizers, Krita excels in smoothing out shaky lines. Furthermore, users can enhance their workflow with numerous plugins, ranging from advanced filters to painting assistants for perspective work. In our review of Krita version 5.0 in 2022, we noted significant improvements in stability and resource management compared to previous iterations. Be sure to explore our comprehensive Krita tutorial for further insights.
Features:
- Excellent compatibility: Covers all the bases, including touch-enabled devices
- Artist created: Built for artists by artists, with a UI that isn’t Photoshop-like
Procreate
Nowadays, both Photoshop and Affinity Photo can be accessed on the iPad. However, if your requirements primarily revolve around drawing tools, devoid of numerous design-related features, then Procreate is likely the ideal graphic design software for you. Procreate boasts a stellar reputation within the artist community, and rightfully so. It provides a plethora of exquisite brushes and useful tools, like QuickShape for achieving flawless shapes effortlessly, and StreamLine, which transforms rough strokes into seamless curves. Additionally, you have the option to directly apply filters onto your canvas while painting.
Features:
- Editing tools: 200 customizable brushes
- One-time purchase: No in-app purchases
- Finishing filters: Unifying image management for creating the perfect look
- Color management: Intuitive selection of complementary colors and ColorDrop tool for fill
- Hover features: Brush Cursor, Gallery Previews, Selections, and Brush Size and Opacity Gestures
RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a free and open-source software designed to simplify photo correction. While it may not offer all the features of comprehensive image editing software, it facilitates tasks like distortion correction, color enhancement, detail recovery, and more. Additionally, it enhances efficiency by enabling batch processing of images. Moreover, RawTherapee allows users to seamlessly transfer images to other software applications, such as GIMP.
Features:
- Open-source, cross-platform
- Efficient use of vertical screen space by right-clicking on a tool to expand it while automatically collapsing all other tools
- Queue your photos for later exporting, freeing up your CPU for working with the preview in a responsive way
Cinema 4D
Are you searching for user-friendly 3D graphic design software that’s less complex than Autodesk Maya? Maxon’s Cinema 4D might be the solution you’re seeking. It boasts a relatively accessible learning curve, complemented by a vast and supportive community along with numerous tutorials and a dedicated training platform. While Cinema 4D, like many other high-quality 3D software, comes with a price tag, there’s a 14-day trial version available, as well as a free educational version for students and educators. For further insights, delve into our comprehensive Cinema 4D review and explore our curated selection of Cinema 4D tutorials.
Features:
- Activity Dashboard
- 3D Modeling
- Animations & Transitions
- Building Information Model
SVGator
SVGator is an excellent choice for those aiming to craft SVG animations sans coding hassle. Its browser-based platform offers a straightforward user interface, ensuring a swift start to your projects. Whether you’re animating logos or illustrations, the tools provided allow for the creation of simple yet impactful animations in a lightweight SVG format. However, being browser-based, it does come with certain constraints. Dependence on a stable internet connection is a given, and the absence of CTRL Z support can prove frustrating when undoing actions.
Features:
- Advanced Animation Curves
- Image Library
- 2D Imaging
- Drag & Drop
SculptGL
Interested in digital sculpting without the hassle of downloading software? SculptGL by Stéphane Ginier operates directly within your browser, with additional options for download and a Chrome app available. This tool offers a wide array of sculpting tools, along with PBR vertex painting and alpha texture support. SculptGL supports multi-resolution sculpting and features voxel remeshing and dynamic retopology capabilities. Furthermore, it facilitates the import and export of OBJ, PLY, and STL files. While there may be more robust free 3D tools out there, SculptGL is a valuable asset as a free application.
Features:
- Sculpting tools. Standard tools : Brush, Inflate, Smooth, Twist, Drag, etc.
- Dynamic topology. Triangles only
- Undo/Redo support
Vectr
When it comes to collaborative vector design, Vectr stands out as the top choice among free software options. Offering a comprehensive suite of vector tools, filters, shadows, and fonts, it also provides an impressive array of live collaboration and synchronization features. These functionalities streamline teamwork by allowing seamless interaction with colleagues or clients, enabling them to observe your work in real-time and offer valuable feedback.
Features:
- Auto-sync: Saves across all platforms
- AI-powered: Automate workflows with state-of-the-art tools and features
- Real-time editing: Using a shared URL makes collaboration seamless
VectorStyler
VectorStyler, a rising star in the realm of vector software, has swiftly made its mark. Originally exclusive to Mac users, it has expanded its reach to Windows as well. Its standout feature lies in its diverse array of scalable vector brushes, coupled with the incorporation of tools often absent in other alternatives to Adobe Illustrator. These include the shape builder, blend tool, and pattern tool. Notably, it offers compatibility with Illustrator files and enables the importation of AI brush collections. Moreover, users can craft vector brushes from existing artwork and seamlessly link brush content to editable artwork, enhancing flexibility and creativity.
Features:
- Vector Shape Effects
- Multiple Canvases, Unlimited Artboards
- Elastic Warp
- Multiple Layer Panels
Vecteezy
Vecteezy is a versatile in-browser vector editor offering a plethora of free ready-made vectors for customization. While basic features are accessible for free, unlocking the full potential, including the vector editor for crafting designs from scratch, requires a subscription starting at a reasonable $3.60 per month at the time of writing. Its user-friendly interface boasts convenient features like advanced transformations and keyboard shortcuts. For a detailed walkthrough on utilizing Vecteezy, check out our comprehensive guide on how to use it effectively.
Features:
- Extensive Graphics Library
- User-Friendly Editor
- Customizable Vector Graphics
- Easy Search and Navigation
Paint Net
Originally conceived as a modernized iteration of the basic Paint application bundled with early Windows editions, Paint.NET might not initially inspire confidence. However, it surprises with its impressive capabilities. Not only is it user-friendly, but it also offers a variety of effects enabling effortless creation of faux perspective, seamless pixel manipulation, versatile selection tiling, and beyond.
Features:
- Open & edit multiple images
- The same intuitive user interface
- Support for many popular file formats
- Extensive language support
SketchUp
Embarking on the journey into 3D design can be daunting at first. However, SketchUp Free offers a welcoming and gradual initiation. This no-cost software introduces you to the basics by allowing you to draw lines and shapes, which can be manipulated into three-dimensional structures with ease. Additionally, for added inspiration, you can explore the extensive collection of models in the SketchUp 3D Warehouse and freely download them to enhance your projects.
Features:
- Architectural Symbol Library
- Access Controls/Permissions
- 3D Design & Modeling
- Animation
Autodesk Maya
Autodesk Maya stands out as the premier graphic design software for 3D projects, widely embraced across the industry, including esteemed studios such as Pixar and Framestore. Offering an extensive array of tools and features, it comprehensively covers every aspect of the 3D workflow, from modeling to rendering and animation. However, it’s worth noting that its price tag and learning curve may deter those new to the realm of 3D design. Nevertheless, for students and educators, there’s the opportunity to access the Autodesk suite for free through educational programs. For a detailed assessment, check out our comprehensive review of Maya 2024.
Features:
- 3D animation tools
- Integrated rendering
- Fast playback
- Character setup
Daz3d Studio
Daz Studio is a versatile 3D figure customization, posing, and animation tool designed to empower artists of all proficiencies in crafting digital art. With its extensive range of features, users can effortlessly create virtual individuals, animals, props, vehicles, accessories, and environments. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, Daz Studio enables the creation of custom 3D characters and avatars, the design of virtual settings, the production of graphic design elements, and much more. Its comprehensive capabilities establish it as one of the top choices among graphic design software options available.
Features:
- Daz Studio 3D Creation Software Tool
- Auto Convers to Vray
- Photo-Realistic Results
- Dress Modeling
Hexagon
For those venturing into the world of 3D design, Hexagon presents an excellent option. Developed by Daz 3D, this free modeling software offers a wealth of robust tools. Among its features are the Daz Studio 3D Bridge, sculpted primitives, freehand modeling brushes, micro-displacement modeling tools, comprehensive UV-mapping modules, advanced 3D paint capabilities, and instant ambient occlusion. When paired with Daz Studio, Hexagon provides a seamless experience, forming a complete 3D suite for your creative endeavors.
Features:
- The tool is simple, small and light
- Very small bolt heads can be accommodated
- There are six contact surfaces between bolt and driver
Houdini Apprentice
Houdini stands out as a leading professional tool for VFX and 3D animation, widely embraced in the media industry. While it comes with a hefty price tag, there’s an option to access the Apprentice version at no cost. However, it’s important to note that the free version is strictly intended for educational purposes, meaning any creations made with it cannot be utilized for commercial endeavors.
Features:
- Fully Functional Software
- Node-Based Workflow
- Rendering Capabilities
- Simulation Tools
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