![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-210.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nImage source: Digital Arts Online<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This program is Adobe\u2019s flagship product, perhaps even more so than Photoshop. With hundreds of useful and imaginative options available, Adobe Illustrator allows you to create perfection down to the very last vector of every image. In fact, Adobe Illustrator is considered to be the software that most professional graphic designers use to create high-quality and complex designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main focus of Adobe Illustrator is to create pictures from scratch or edit one of the stock photos from its built-in library. More importantly, Adobe Illustrator receives two major updates a year, offering 100 GB of cloud storage with the subscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adobe Illustrator is a great graphic design tool that doesn\u2019t have a 100% compatibility with other software outside the Adobe software suite, a.k.a the \u201cCreative Cloud\u201d. While Adobe Illustrator is perfectly usable on its own, it truly shines when coupled with the rest of the Adobe graphic design tools. If you\u2019re planning on using other Adobe tools or already are, definitely use Adobe Illustrator to maximize the compatibility synergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: FileInfo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The classic and one of the most well-known graphic design software out there, Adobe Photoshop was initially created in 1988 and has been steadily improved since. The software mostly deals with raster images, which are those that are made using a pixel-based program or a digital camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professionals wanting a smooth blend of photorealistic elements would definitely want to pick Adobe Photoshop. The various intricate shadow and color manipulation options enables you to take any number of pictures, perfectly splice them together, and achieve something that looks completely real to the point that today, there\u2019s even a verb created out of this which is \u201cphotoshopped\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest advantage of Photoshop is in its wealth of options and how well they\u2019re documented. Thanks to Photoshop\u2019s popularity, there\u2019s literally hundreds of tutorials and walkthroughs for any given option to help ease a newbie into becoming a graphic design pro. While there is still a learning curve, it\u2019s easier than ever to get into Photoshop and become a pro at using it, which is considered to be a skill in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: Chrome Web Store<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, browsers have become better than ever before. They are versatile and have moderate hardware requirements, allowing them to do everything except graphic design; for that, you\u2019ll also need to use something like Pixlr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Serving as an internet-based collection of graphic design tools, Pixlr allows anyone to jump right in and start creating wonderful graphic design content using only a browser or Pixlr app within seconds. From taking a screenshot to editing and downloading it, Pixlr covers all the basics of capturing photos and editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest advantages of Pixlr are the mobility and immediacy it affords. By using only a browser (or app for mobile devices), you can edit, save, and continue editing on the go whenever you\u2019ve got a few minutes of spare time. Professional graphic designers tend to pack it for travel because they can\u2019t work without their special hardware. Hence, Pixlr allows for a very convenient and lightweight work schedule that adapts to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advanced Pixlr editor costs $5\/month but also reveals its biggest downside \u2013 the dearth of options in the free version of Pixlr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: PC Mag<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some graphic design projects are so complicated that they require an entire team to complete. That\u2019s where Sketch comes in. Focusing on collaborative solutions, Sketch allows an entire team to coordinate and stay up-to-date through innate Sketch tools while still being a highly competent program for graphic design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a large organization, it\u2019s hard to keep track of who\u2019s doing what and when. Using Sketch Libraries, the entire company can be on the same page, with designers having a consistent style and managers able to keep track of the progress and make sure everyone is synchronized. Even better, Sketch also works with Dropbox and GitHub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: Techworld<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a free graphic design tool that can be used for vector-based images. Like other free solutions, it is supported by the community, often leaving you to scratch your head if you were to get stuck on it. If you have any questions, you are meant to engage with the community until you find the answer you were looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inkscape is a welcome addition to the graphic design market, mainly because by using it, we support the idea of free software. It is free both in terms of it costing $0 and it not being constrained by anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inkscape is an open source, meaning that everything surrounding its functionality is under public scrutiny. You could, in theory, check out the code used to create it and tweak it to your heart\u2019s desire or make your own version of Inkscape and sell it for profit. There is no company lording over how you should use Inkscape \u2013 it truly is a free and flexible graphic design tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea of building a community through joint effort is present in every aspect of Inkscape. In fact, users are even able to contribute to translations and write help articles for the program. Although Inkscape is close to being completely finished, it is still considered to be a program that has quite some bugs and quirks you\u2019ll have to find workarounds for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: Larry Jordan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n More and more static content is being woven together into animations and hosted on video platforms. In cases where you want to rehash and reuse static graphic design leftovers to create an animation, Apple Motion will be a suitable choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Animations and animated transitions are the forte of Apple Motion. The program is well-stocked with pre-made effects that make it easy for anyone to \u2018drag & drop\u2019 their way to glitzy and shiny animated content made out of scraps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: PC Mag<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clean, professional, and detailed \u2013 those are the main attributes of CorelDRAW. Using the symmetrical drawing function, you can produce mirrored images of anything you draw and edit them however you see fit. From tiny details to massive projects, CorelDRAW does everything a professional graphic designer could ever want a software to do. However, learning how to handle the wealth of options it offers is another challenge for a beginner graphic designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CorelDRAW is an extraordinary tool with a price to match it. If you\u2019re designing the most intricate and complex graphic designs out there, CorelDRAW is truly one of the best and most reliable software solutions to use. For everything else, there are cheaper and more accessibles programs out there that will do the job just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: AppKed<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Affinity Designer is a graphic design tool capable of producing designs of sublime quality. You can zoom in and out to your desire, allowing you to screen the details or take a look at the larger image. From miniature designs to massive projects, Affinity Designer can handle it all, provided that you have the hardware to match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Affinity Designer excels at producing otherworldly, creative art that\u2019s inspired by meditation and religious works. If you\u2019re the type of designer that isn\u2019t content with fiddling with stock photos, give Affinity Designer a spin and see what you end up with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: Canva<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If Pixlr is too complicated for you, luckily there\u2019s Canva for you to use. With simple graphic design options, Canva isn\u2019t meant to compete with the likes of Adobe Photoshop. However, it merely provides the bare minimum of utility for any user, even those with very little to no graphic design experience, wanting to start their own business or print out a graphic design without having to call anyone to walk them through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Templates automate the design process even further and now graphic design is doable with just the simple use of a mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canva has a clean, minimalistic interface and options to match. There\u2019s not much depth in Canva but that\u2019s actually perfect for senior users who might get flustered encountering the wealth of editing options in a more professional editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: All PC World<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is another one of Adobe\u2019s products with the same monthly subscription but a slightly different toolset. It is mainly used for print and publishing design, such as books or any other document that contains multiple pages. The interface is balanced and smartly adjusts to the user\u2019s needs, providing them with contextual information on the go. Plus, the main benefit of Adobe InDesign is that it provides a comprehensive overview of the project, allowing you to troubleshoot problems before you send the file off for printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like with all other Adobe products, you will be nudged towards buying as many other Creative Cloud programs as possible since they all coordinate seamlessly. For example, it\u2019s possible to get the entire Adobe font library within InDesign and then have specific fonts from it used across the entire project done in other Adobe software solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complex publishing graphic designs that have an intricate structure or layout will be those that will benefit from Adobe InDesign the most. The more different parts there are in the project, the more work there is to be done when changing anything. Thankfully, InDesign allows you to view the entire project at once to find out what should be changed and where. Changes and adjustments become a breeze when InDesign is involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: Magix<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Different stages of design might require changes to be made to its parts or the entire project while still maintaining the color and font. Changing individual elements in the projects while keeping its integrity will require a special type of graphic design software, and this is where Xara Designer Pro X comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xara Designer Pro X comes with over a million stock photos and templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is one of those software products that attempt to be a single solution for all your graphic design needs, and when it comes to desktop publishing, Xara Design Pro X definitely succeeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is quite a capable tool that can equally handle both raster and vector images with ease. However, it can also output documents, images, or even entire HTML websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: Gravit Designer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In some instances, you simply can\u2019t do without Windows but that\u2019s an operating system that does become oppressive after a while. The ideal graphic design software would thus allow you to skip and hop from one operating system to another as you please, maintaining all your projects in sync. Gravit is one such cross-platform graphic design solution meant for professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Precision vector tools in Gravit Designer make it a child\u2019s play to make creative, dreamy designs out of any shapes and colors imaginable. You can create all the print and digital designs for a product from start to finish, including stationery and app UI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A neat feature of Gravit Designer is the ability to import an image and turn it into a set of fully editable vectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pros:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The graphic design process requires software tools that can provide solutions to real-time design problems. Ranging from free tools for a beginner designer to paid ones for a pro,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",1970,1119,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1-300x170.png",300,170,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1-768x436.png",768,436,true],"large":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1-1024x582.png",1024,582,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1-1536x872.png",1536,872,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",1970,1119,true],"penci-single-full":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",1920,1091,false],"penci-slider-full-thumb":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",1408,800,false],"penci-full-thumb":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",1170,665,false],"penci-slider-thumb":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",1167,663,false],"penci-magazine-slider":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",780,443,false],"penci-thumb":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",585,332,false],"penci-masonry-thumb":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",585,332,false],"penci-thumb-square":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",585,332,false],"penci-thumb-vertical":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",480,273,false],"penci-thumb-small":["https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223-1.png",263,149,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Christiaan","author_link":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/author\/chris\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":" The graphic design process requires software tools that can provide solutions to real-time design problems. Ranging from free tools for a beginner designer to paid ones for a pro,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Why choose Adobe Illustrator?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>2) Adobe Photoshop<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-212.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Adobe Photoshop?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>3) Pixlr<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-214.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Pixlr?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>4) Sketch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-216.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Sketch?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>5) Inkscape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-217.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Inkscape?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>6) Apple Motion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-218.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Apple Motion?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>7) CorelDRAW<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-219.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose CorelDRAW?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>8) Affinity Designer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-220.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Affinity Designer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>9) Canva<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-222.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Canva?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>10) Adobe InDesign<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-223.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Adobe InDesign?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>11) Xara Designer Pro X<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-224.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Xara Designer Pro X?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>12) Gravit Designer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/designbro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/word-image-225.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Why choose Gravit Designer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n