It is important to know graphic design software for beginners because gone are the days when people only indulged in reading content online. Nowadays, more than the words, the site has to look interesting too. If the interface doesn’t look special, people would judge it badly and wouldn’t bother to read the content in there. With eye-catching visuals and gripping content, the user gets convinced to stay on the website and use it, especially in the case of e-commerce sites.
The graphics play a major role in creating the outlook of your website. As a graphic designer, this is your territory. The whole point of making a website, or a presentation look attractive is in your hands. You can either make it the most attractive one available in the market or just lose traffic on your site. In order to create a website with such intriguing visuals, you will require graphic design software tools that will help you improvise the images, models, and text that is to be shown on the website.
If you’re new to graphic design and not sure what software to start with, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we have covered all the essential and useful graphic design software which will render a professional look into your software. From the top-of-the-line industry standards that employers will expect you to know, to free and lower-cost alternatives you can experiment with, below are some of the best graphic design software that can help you start turning your creative ideas into reality.
So tie your seat belts to unravel your dreams into reality!!
Adobe Photoshop
Okay, if we are talking about graphic design software, and we don’t talk about Adobe Photoshop, it would be an injustice. The road which led to photo editing was never so interesting. The automatic options infuse life to your images making your work ‘the talk of the town’ even if you are a newbie. It doesn’t build your skillset and lacks confidence. Photo Editing by clicking the filters without knowing the basics of photo editing.
With Photoshop you can easily combine multiple images and even remove unwanted objects from the image. You should be knowing that it works on a layer based system where you can add or remove things that you want. You have full freedom to do whatever you want.
It offers basic features like perspective correction, channel mixing, and clone stamp tool. Photoshop runs on both Windows and Mac. Photoshop is also considered as one of the best graphic design software for beginners as it comes with simplified options like:
- Basic: Cropping, straightening,
- rotating and flipping.
- Auto-Fix: One-touch adjustment.
- Blemish Removal: Ability to remove any spot or dirt from the image.
- Colour: Slide controls to enhance the colors of the image.
- One-Touch filter: 20 eye-catching effects to choose from.
- Image Rendering: Panoramic image option.
- Borders: Add your personal touch.
- RAW photo support: RAW format support.
- Sharing: via sites like Facebook, Revel, Twitter, Tumblr, and more.
If you are having a Creative Cloud subscription, you can easily store your created artworks over there. You can also save the final creatives on your system. It does have a learning curve, but when you learn about it, trust me it is definitely worth it and it helps you in your future endeavors if you are really into graphic design.
GIMP
GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is the perfect alternative to Adobe Photoshop. If you cannot afford Photoshop or find it difficult to use, GIMP is the perfect option for you. The professional tools make it ideal for not just graphic designers but photographers as well. You can edit images and design graphics as well.
The photo manipulation feature is highly enhanced. The flexibility of the tool allows you to create crystal-clear graphics. Once you begin using GIMP, it will definitely achieve the pedestal of being your main desktop publishing tool. You cannot resist it.
The interface is totally customizable according to your needs and the full-screen mode allows you to view and edit at the same time. Yes, not all the extensive features are available like Photoshop. Still, there are many features that will provide you a great experience and are enough for creating masterpieces.
GIMP runs on GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows, and other OS. Being a cross-compatible graphic design software program, it has a strong support community. This is, hands down, one of the prime choices when selecting graphic design software for beginners. You can check the difference between GIMP and Photoshop in our article.
Inkscape
Inkscape is a professional tool ideal for vector art lovers and graphic designers who use the SVG file format. This software was designed specifically for the mentioned file format. The tool is perfect for any of the operating systems including Windows, Linux, OS, and Mac as well. It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional or just a person who wants to create vector images for a personal blog.
In terms of sketching, coloring, or making illustrations Inkscape is very easy to use. With the Ghostscript extension .eps files are easily readable. The interface of the app is really intuitive which makes it very easy to work with. People who are just beginning to explore this realm of graphic design can use this to create amazing art and open a new door to opportunities.
Inkscape also comes with awesome features like:
- Ability to directly edit the source code.
- Keys to move screen pixels.
- Edit clones on the canvas.
- Edit gradients.
- Fill paint-bucket with one click
CorelDraw
If you are looking for an aspiring web designer and a graphics editor that gives you the ability to create infinite designs without any restrictions while honing your skills at the same time, you might want to check out CorelDraw, a vector graphics editor that is hands down one of the most popular Industry Standard editors presently. It has always been known for its standard class of graphic design.
CorelDraw has some cool productive functions and such an ease of use that no other vector editor can match up to. It is definitely for all the beginners out there who are trying to discover the field of graphic design. The tools give you full control so you can get fast and dynamic results. With CorelDraw version X5 and above, you get an inbuilt organizer (Corel CONNECT) also.
With tools like Twirl, Smear, Repel, and Attract – vector object editing was never so easy. The Alignment guide enables you to position objects as per your requirement. CorelDraw works smoothly with large files in Corel Photo-Paint, making it a must-have in the graphic design software list. It also supports apps like Barcode wizard, Duplexing wizard, Bitstream Font Navigator, etc. Check out more about CorelDRAW.
Adobe Indesign
Backed by the Adobe brand, InDesign is the business leader for creating clean layouts for desktop and mobile devices alike. Adobe InDesign is ideal for layout design usage like online magazines. It is perfect for user interface designs. It is the most used software for the same purpose used in the industry.
Whether you want to create layouts for printed books, brochures, or digital magazines Adobe InDesign is the tool you need. The flexibility is great as it allows you to easily drag-drop isolated layers and you can resize images with ease. Being part of Creative Cloud you get easy access to the desktop app for PC and Mac. It has got some pretty amazing features like typing over a path and many other unexpected things.
You can also use Behance and Typekit services that enable you to connect your workflow between photography, videos, good designing, and web or app development. With Adobe Creative Sync you can share or sync all your work between your desktop and mobile apps so you can work efficiently. Once you join as a member you will get the latest updates and new features with installation decisions being solely yours.
You are definitely going to love using this software. When you start using it, it may seem a bit difficult but once you are fully accustomed to it, you are surely going to love using the software.
Conclusion
When you are searching for graphic design software as a beginner, you should definitely check these out. Software for beginners does not always mean that it has to be easy to use. It is the value that the software gives you.
Try this software out and share your experience in the comment section.
Happy Editing!