The regular version is fine for creating basic projects like flyers, cards, posters, and other items that don't require a massive amount of bespoke design or vector work. Canva: Best web-based graphic design softwareĬanva is a free, web-based design app, with a premium option for more serious design projects. If nothing else, give it a try to see how you find it.ĥ. If you can do it in Adobe Illustrator, the chances are you can do it in Inkscape, and that's pretty incredible for a piece of free software. It's compatible with the SVG format, but can also important EPS, PostScript, JPG, PNG, BMP, TIP and Illustrator's AI files, and export to PNG or other vector-based formats. The latest version of Inkscape supports mesh gradients, offers a checkerboard background that makes it easier to see transparencies, and features improved spray and measure tools. You can manipulate image shapes, fill them with gradients, apply filters, group them with other layers, convert them to paths, distort them and so much more. It's so good, in fact, that it's a serious alternative to premium tools like Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer. It's hugely adaptable and powerful, and an excellent tool for graphic designers.īeing open-source means it's free, and Inkscape is a great free program for creating vector illustrations. Inkscape is to Illustrator what GIMP is to Photoshop – a feature-packed open-source alternative created by a team of dedicated and talented enthusiasts.

Inkscape: Best free graphic design software Read our full Affinity Publisher reviewĤ.The three are meant to be used as one, and their wide compatibility, as well as pro-grade tools and print output, make them a hugely compelling choice in a crowded marketplace. This makes it hard to review Affinity Publisher, or indeed any of the Affinity apps, in isolation. Affinity Publisher is comparable to Adobe InDesign, but has an ace up its sleeve: thanks to what Serif calls Studio Link, you can edit photos and vector illustrations in the Publisher app, using the tools from the Photo (Photoshop) and Designer (Illustrator) apps. There's even a one-month free trial period, so you can test the software before buying it. The three Affinity apps only require a one-time payment, and they are the least-expensive programs we tested. If you’re familiar with Adobe software but are not keen on paying for the expensive monthly or yearly subscriptions, Serif’s Affinity software is the solution. Affinity Publisher: Best for linking up with other apps You can choose between monthly payments and yearly payments, but there is no way to make a one-time purchase.ģ. As with most other Adobe software, this program can be used only through subscription payments. This is shorter than the average 30-day trial, but it’s better than nothing. You can test this software using the seven-day trial. However, you have access to masking tools, a history log and a few templates.

This means it lacks color correction, content-aware fill, lens correction tools, HDR image creation and panorama-stitching features. This gives you far more control over vectors than many other programs allow.Īdobe intends this software to be used in conjunction with Photoshop, so it doesn’t really have photo editing tools. When working with vectors, select the white cursor tool to rearrange node placement and curves. 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. Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for vector-based graphic design software due to its powerful, professional-grade tools.

Raster graphic program