Have you ever wondered what the best graphics software is?

• Best Vector Graphics Software Free
• Vector Drawing Programs For Mac
• Vector Software For Mac
• Vector Art Software For Windows
• Vector Software For Windows
• Best Free Vector Graphics Software For Mac Pro
• Best Graphic Software For Mac

My answer - it depends.

Computer graphics programs are generally created to work with particular types of images, so it depends on what type of images you’re working with and what you want to do with them. The two most common types of images are bitmap and vector.

One is to serve as a basic notion of the breakers in the house and which of the breaker turns off what. Electrical panel schedule software mac.

Vectr is a drawing tool that lets you create vector images - graphics that are scalable without the loss of resolution - easily and intuitively. Best for privacy. Pro-calibre graphic. An excellent alternative to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, Inkscape is a free vector graphics program supporting standard SVG format, as well as XML and CSS standards. This program can do everything you'll need in a vector graphics program - tracing, path operations, direct XML editing, etc. Import and export formats include all the common. Apr 11, 2018  A real vector graphics program will embrace your creativity from the ground up and allow you to create almost anything you can imagine. Because there are so many different possible uses for a vector graphics program, I decided to split the award for best vector graphics software in two: best for graphic design and best for artistic freehand.

Bitmap Graphics Software

Jul 07, 2020  Introducing Inkscape 1.0. After a little over three years in development, the team is excited to launch the long awaited Inkscape 1.0 into the world. Built with the power of a team of volunteers, this free and open source vector editor represents the work of many hearts and hands from around the world, ensuring that Inkscape remains available free for everyone to download and enjoy.

Another name for bitmap is raster. Bitmap programs are pretty well synonymous with photo-editing. Bitmap images are created from millions of small dots called pixels. The more pixels, the higher the quality of the image. If you want to apply effects such as lighten, darken, sharpen, blur, crop, color correct, colorize, paint, and other operations along those lines, bitmap software will work best.

Bitmap graphics excel at displaying a multitude of colors in photographic images. Your phone or digital camera produces bitmap images. The shortcomings of bitmaps are large file sizes and the fact that they cannot be enlarged beyond a certain point without pixelating. When a bitmap image is scaled beyond its capacity, it begins to look blocky because it’s composed of pixels. The most common bitmap file types are jpg, png, and gif.

The grandfather (grandmother?) of bitmap graphics software is Photoshop. It’s been around since 1988 and has undergone many updates since then, with new features continually being added. In fact, for the average user, you’ll never scratch the surface of most of its capabilities. You pay a price for those features - both in terms of money and the learning curve required to use the software effectively. Adobe software is now subscription-based. You can’t purchase Photoshop outright. You may use it only as long as you pay the monthly fee.

If you don’t have the need or the budget for Photoshop, the most popular open source (free) equivalent is GIMP. While GIMP doesn’t have all the features of Photoshop, it has more than enough for the casual user. In fact, many of GIMP's tools and operations work in a similar way to Photoshop and other bitmap programs. You can get a head start as a graphic designer or just learn how to touch up your own photos by mastering GIMP.

My GIMP Graphics Course is designed for those with no prior computer graphics skills. I like to say you’ll be an “ExperGIMPer” when you complete the course.

A very nice bitmap program that falls somewhere in between GIMP and Photoshop, in terms of price and capabilities is Affinity Photo. The program I use the most right now is a very old version of Photoshop, from back in the day when you could actually buy the software. I’m anticipating that at some point, a Windows update will render my old Photoshop software inoperable. When that happens, I plan to use Affinity Photo instead.

Vector Graphics Software

Vector images are not composed of pixels. Vectors consist of lines and curves based on mathematical formulas. Don’t let that scare you! You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to work with vector graphics.

Many of the tools are similar to those used in bitmap programs. But, the primary vector tool is the pen or path tool or some variation of that. Those tools allow you to create and shape the lines and curves used to build vector drawings. Vector images have the advantages of small file sizes and infinte scalability without pixelating. They’re commonly used for logos, icons, and various illustrations created from scratch. If you need an image placed on a billboard or the side of a building, a vector image can be scaled to that size easily with no loss of quality.

As GIMP is to Photoshop, Inkscape is to Adobe Illustrator. Inkscape is the most popular and full-featured, free vector graphics program. I just finished what I consider the most thorough course on Inkscape. With 120 video lessons, I cover in detail how each of the tools and operations work. There are graphics assignments that allow you to practice the skills as they’re covered. And the course culminates with a fun project - recreating the playing board for an imaginary board game.

There are also some vector programs that fall between Inkscape and Illustrator. For the Mac, Sketch is a popular program. Corel Draw is available for Windows. The full version is rather pricey, but a home and student version is also available. And, last but not least, the makers of Affinity Photo have a program called Affinity Designer which runs on both Windows and Mac.

I plan to create courses for both Affinity products in the future.

Artistic Drawing

An area of computer graphics that doesn’t fall fully into either the bitmap or vector divisions above is what I call Artistic Drawing. You can get by in the first two types of computer graphics with minimal artistic skills, but for the artistic drawing software, you’ll need to have at least some basic drawing or painting ability.These programs typically produce bitmap images, but you'll be drawing and painting them from scratch.

One of the best programs for this type of art is Corel Painter. And a free alternative is Krita.

Paying $500+ for a new CorelDRAW Suite may not be the best investment for a graphic designer, especially a beginner. The same goes for Adobe’s stingy subscriptions. Give or take, most graphic design tools are built on the same principles. And more often than not, we need to create something simple and effective – an icon for our website, a logo, or just have some fun with vector art. Even for serious vector art, we probably never use all the fancy features big companies throw at us.

Thankfully, there is a free vector software that allows us to do what we want. In this article, we will cover the most popular and effective of ones.

Lunacy

Platform: Windows
Download link:icons8.com/lunacy

At first, Lunacy was developed as a Sketch viewer for Windows, because the problem of opening .sketch files was always a nightmare for people who didn’t own Mac. But it’s quickly becoming a powerful tool on its own. With Lunacy, you can not only open .sketch files, but also perform multiple editing functions: organize pages and artboards, draw, join & align objects, and use typography.

Add to that export in PNG and SVG, support of CSS & XAML code and you’ll get a powerful vector editing tool without having to employ a bunch of crutches to make .sketch files work on Windows. A portable version comes as a bonus.

If that's not enough, you can even install Photoshop plugins.Read our full review:(Image credit: Shutterstock; Ashampoo; Unsplash) 2. Many of these come pre-installed, and you can download more from the official glossary. Free lightroom photo editing software. Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 2019.

Pros:

• First fully-featured .sketch editor for Windows
• Constant updates
• Portable version
• Active development & support

Cons:

• Minor performance bugs
• Advanced features are yet to come

Inkscape

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download link:inkscape.org

Inkscape is often called the GIMP of vector apps. It’s an open-source program with plenty of features that make you wonder why people aren’t selling it. And yet, it’s completely free. The app was released in 2003, and since then has become one of the most popular vector graphics software programs in the world. It’s available in 90 languages and across many platforms, including OS X and Linux.

The node workflow in Inkscape is similar to that of Adobe Illustrator and allows adding new nodes, as well as moving and editing them.

Helpful features like node aligning and symmetry are also available to use. Bezier curves and pencil tools work smoothly with graphic tablets, allowing users to create hand-drawn vector images of any complexity.

Inkscape also has image bitmap tracing, which is for converting rasterized images into vector paths. However, the feature is not as advanced as the one in Adobe Illustrator, and you may need some extra manipulations to make it work, or you’ll have to trace it manually.

Best Vector Graphics Software Free

Inkscape supports all popular formats, including SVG, EPS, JPG, PNG, PostScript and others.
The list of features the app has is beyond listing, and chances are it can do pretty much everything paid programs like Adobe Illustrator can do.

At the very least Inkscape is nearly as good as Adobe Illustrator. Both programs share a very similar workflow and if you’re used to one of them, it makes it easier to make the switch. For logo designs and creating vector graphics, there won’t be much difference in whichever one of you use, apart from having an extra buck to spend on something else.

Tutorials: Inkscape’s website offers a wide variety of tutorials from beginner to advanced here. We also recommend Logos by Nick’s Youtube channel – it offers many excellent tips and workflows from a practicing designer.

Pros:

• Many features, solid AI alternative
• Works smoothly with tablets
• Multiple platforms (Linux included)
• Extensions

Cons:

• Rare performance issues with big files
• Some features are not intuitive – tutorials are needed

Vectr

Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, Web
Download link:vectr.com

Unlike Inkscape, Vectr is fresh blood in the yard. Which is good, because it means the development is shifted by industry demands, and not by the curse of bloatware.

This free vector art program was released just two years ago, but the pace of its development is truly magnificent. With all the features added recently, it’s hard to imagine what this product could be capable of in the future. However, developers are pressing that one thing stays unchanged – it will be forever free.

To compare Vectr and Inkscape is to make a great mistake – these two products are both in a league of their own. What Vectr lacks in features, it compensates for in intuitiveness. The learning curve on the program is non-existent: if you’re just starting in the design industry, you may be able to create your very first logo in five minutes after you start the program without having to skim through pages of tutorials.

Another advantage of the app is ubiquity – not only is it available on all popular platforms, but it also has a browser version with the same functionality as its desktop counterpart. That means you can work on your designs on your PC and then finish them in an internet cafe in the middle of nowhere.

From Vectr official website

The app allows all standard vector operations – creating and editing geometry shapes, curves, and paths. It supports multiple layers and pages, letting you organize your project. Vectr allows imports in AI, EPS, SVG, PNG, and JPEG file formats.

Another useful feature is the ability to share your projects simply by sending a URL to your colleagues, letting them view and edit it in a workflow similar to Google Docs. The development of full-scale collaboration with multiple people working on the same project simultaneously is currently underway, along with Marketplace and Versioning. You can literally watch the Vectr team’s backlog in the Open Roadmap.

Tutorials:vectr.com/tutorials

Pros:

• Cross-platform and browser versions
• Intuitive, easy to use interface
• Easy sharing of projects
• Integration with WordPress

Cons:

• Need to create an account
• Some people report crashes – the new features may be unstable
• Lacks advanced features

Gravit Designer

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Web
Download link:designer.io

We might be a bit subjective here. After all, Gravit used our icons. However, Gravit’s developers have much more to offer than having good taste.

On a feature-wise specter, Gravit falls precisely between Inkscape and Vectr. It has more features than the latter while staying as intuitive as the former. And, like all the apps mentioned in this article, it comes with no price attached. Talk about balance.

The app allows you to do everything you would expect from a vector software program: Create curves, edit paths, manage layers and use the knife function. It supports SVG, PDF, JPEG,.SKETCH and recently, EPS (finally!) formats for import and export. In addition, you can work on your projects across different platforms; Gravit Cloud allows seamless transition of files between desktop and online versions. A portable version is also available.

Among the other handy things that Gravit features, there are vector assets that are available within the app. Gravit Designer’s library of assets includes icons, shapes, emojis, and illustrations – all of which can be combined and modified for commercial and non-commercial use.

Even though the tool is free (according to developers, “there will definitely be areas in Gravit Designer in the foreseeable future, or areas surrounding Gravit Designer, that are subject to a charge”), bugs are being fixed and the most voted for features are being developed. You can see a full description of the new features in the Gravit Designer developers’ blog, along with a bunch of cool tutorials.

Tutorials: Youtube Playlist

Pros:

• Huge library of vector assets out-of-box
• Intuitive UI and workflow
• Browser and cross-platform versions, all connected with cloud

Cons:

• Not yet clear what features will stay free in the future
• No advanced features like the ones that can be found in AE or Inkscape

SVG-edit

Platform: Web
Download link:https://github.com/SVG-Edit/svgedit

SVG-edit is one of those tools that does exactly what their name suggests: It allows you to edit SVG’s, and create your own. It’s an online, free vector program that is available in most popular browsers.

The feature set is standard: Create shapes, draw with a pencil, convert lines to paths, colorize and add images. The result can be exported into popular web formats: WMP, JPG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and of course SVG itself. The interface is pretty straightforward and reminds you of painting programs from the early 2000’s – nothing fancy here.

One of the advantages of SVG-edit is that this open-source program can be easily embedded into your website, allowing your users to create and edit SVG’s of their own. The tool also allows you to quickly export results as HTML-code.

Vector Drawing Programs For Mac

Even though SVG-edit lacks features in comparison to apps mentioned earlier in this article, it still can be useful in some cases – especially for web developers. Freely available Github repository allows modifying the source code to your needs. Another plus would be that the tool is constantly being updated.

Tutorials:Github

Pros:

• Simple, quick to use
• Open-source web code

Cons:

• Lacks advanced features
• Node-management is not perfect

Honorable mentions

RollApp

Not a vector drawing software itself, but RollApp allows you to run some popular desktop apps online, in your browser. One, in particular, is Inkscape. So if Inkscape being only desktop was the only thing stopping you from using it, RollApp will seal the deal.

FatPaint

Vector Software For Mac

This web tool really has some 90’s vibes to it. But if you’re a fan, give it a try. It’s available for free and there are enough features to make logos or other fancy web graphics. However, if you consider using FatPaint for commercial purposes, developers kindly ask to support them with a Pro subscription.

PrimarDraw

A free web vector editor to create vector images. It allows export in SVG, PNG and JPEG. The clean UI is a bonus. It features everything you need to create a logo or an icon inside your browser.

LaTeXDraw

Vector Art Software For Windows

A graphics editor available for Windows, macOS and Linux. It’s primarily used for building math graphs and illustrations (the ones you often see in school math books). But if you feel like life is not hard enough yet, you can try drawing vector art using this tool.

If you’re interested in free raster drawing software, check out our Best Free Drawing Software: Five Candidates article

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Also, get the list of free photo editing software.