When you start to learn graphic design, there are many options and tools available in the market. Some are paid tools like Photoshop, CorelDraw, Illustrator, etc. But those who can invest money for these tools, then there are some free tools available to start to learn Graphic design as beginner designers.
All this software and tools included in this article are completely free to use. Some tools are web-based photo editing tools. You can directly use these tools in your browser. And rest of the software is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms.
List of Free Graphic Design software
Free Graphic design software provides all basic features and tools. You can edit any photos and create your own illustration using this software. This list included raster-based and vector-based Graphic design software. You can use this software according to your purpose and needs. Using this software you can easily create your own UI & UX, Poster, Cotton, and more.
1. Photopea
Photopea is a web-based photo editor that is completely free, does not require a download, and has a Really similar user interface to Photoshop. Also, Photopea allows you to edit Photoshop files, so if you have any PSD files or templates that you want to change, Photopea is a great free Photoshop alternative you may use.
Features of PhotoPea
- Web-based Raster Graphic tool
- No need to download any files
- Easily Create New documents or thousands of Ready-made templates.
- The best alternative to Adobe Photoshop
- East to Export your final document into different formats
- The tool allows you to create layers, add filters, layer masks, remove backgrounds, make selection paths, and more.
All the navigation bars you have seen in Photoshop, also you can get similar navigation bar and tools in Photopea. You can easily apply filters, stylize, sharpen, blur. liquify, 3d In Photopea Filter options. PhotoPea allows exporting your final image into different formats like PNG, JPD, PDF, SVG, and more.
2. Canva
Canva is also the best Web-based social media poster and banner design tool. This tool allows creating any design easily with drag-drop elements. Using Canva you can create anything social media poster, Logos, Video, presentation, thumbnail, flyer, and more.
Canva provides different plans like free, Pro, Enterprise, non-profits, and Education. If you are a beginner, You don't need to buy Canva Pro features. The Canva also provides free thousands of free templates, Shapes, stock footage, video templates,s and more.
To create New design, you can either choose a ready-made template or create a blank document. You can easily customize shapes, infographics, graphic templates, stickers layers. You can also import your custom fonts, video, audio, and image. Canva provides thousands of free gradients and pattern backgrounds that you can use in your document.
Features of Canva
- Access ready-made customizable templates and elements.
- Easy to create new blank documents
- You can share your work on any social media platform.
- Help to make fast your workflow.
- You can export your document into many formats.
- Easily manage your design.
- More than 50000+ Ready-made designs like logos, presentations, flyers, Facebook and Instagram post, etc.
- Canva allows you to prints and delivers your design in one click.
- And much more features by visiting the Canva app and website.
You can share your final design on social media directly with download. Also, you can download your document into different formats like JPG, PNG, GIF, PDF, and more. It allows downloading transparent background and compress your documents.
3. Blender
Blender is an open-source 3D & 2D computer graphics software use for creating visual effects, 3d prints, filmmaking, story-making, 2D drawing animation, and more. Blender provides a 3D environment that helps to create your own realistic 3d world. Blender helps you to create your 3D characters, Render, smoke simulation, water simulation, and more.
Most people ask blender is 3D software why it is used in Graphic design? Because blender helps to design 3d characters to render as PNG and other different formats. It is completely free to use. It is used for various purposes like most Popular 3d cartoon animation was create by using a blender.
Features of Blender
- Fluid and Smoke Simulation
- It supports the entirety of 3D modeling, Rigging, Sculpting, Animation, and Rendering.
- Create your Own 3D Character that can use for any design and development project.
- Basic Video Editing and creating Game environments.
- It is cross-platform that runs in all operating system
- It is used for motion tracking of any object in a video.
- It allows rendering your final project easily with different formats.
- You can create your own 3d environments.
- And much more features and tools are used in the blender
The interface of the blender software is user-friendly. You can customized all interface themes, layout, and text font easily. When you newly open the blender, you see a cool 3D environment with essential tools layouts. You can totally customize this layout and easily change themes colors.
4. Gimp
If You are familiar with similar raster Graphic software like Photoshop, Photopea then you can easily understand GIMP Interface. GIMP is free and Open source raster graphic software. This software helps to create posters, banners, flyers, and basic photo manipulation & color correction. The interface theme, fonts, color, and size can be easily changed with the Preference option at the top of the edit navigation bars.
GIMP stands for Graphics Image Maniplication Programs. Whether you want to crop, edit, change formats like PNG, JPG, and more you need GIMP. GIMP provides top-notch color management features and also you can use other graphic software like Inkscape, Scribus, and Swatchbooker.
Features of GIMP
- Gimp Provide essential Editing features and tools
- Low system requirement for GIMP software
- Allow exporting your Designs into various formats
- HIgh skin Retouching, and skin smoothing
- Allow creating Digital painting
- You can easily customized tools, interface, and color.
- Basics Photo manipulation tools.
You can visit the official website of GIMP to download this software. To learn tools, and functions you can watch YouTube tutorials. GIMP provides many basics photo editing tools like brush, selection tool, Clone stamp tool, text tool, blending mode, and Pen tool.
5. Figma
Figma is the Modern web-based UI & UX design tool that helps to create mobile and web interfaces. Figma allows the entire team to see and interact with the latest design live URL. Many designers use the Figma tool to create modern and elegant user interfaces and improve their workflow. Figma provides modern design tools such as Pen tools, text tools, Shape tools, and more.
Using Figma you can access hundreds of fonts, shapes, colors, and more. You need the internet to design your project online. Or you can directly invite your team to complete your project. Figma Prototyping you can convert the static design into an interactive experience. Using Prototyping is also an important process to showcase your design.
Features of Figma
- Figma allows working with your team live.
- Modern Vector Graphics tools
- Browser-based UI Design Design which smoothes your workflow
- Huge Community and share all design resources
- Easy to search any assets in Figma
- Modern design system with a large library
- Easy to invite your team for promoting your project
- More than thousands of free files and templates that you can duplicate and reuse
- You can install your own plugins for free
Figma allows you to invite a design team that helps to smooth your workflow and everyone can collaborate with a design project. To invite multiple team members, the project can be done easily. You can invite your team through the email address or provide special links.
You can directly access all Figma design features by creating your account. Figma provides three Pricing plans like starter, professional, and organization. You don't need to use pro features. In the paid version, you can get unlimited projects, version history, and more.
6. Inkscape
Inkscape is Open source Vector Graphics software that is used to create vector illustrations, cartoons, and shapes. Inkscape You can download the Inkscape tool from the Inkscape website. Inkscape provides essential tools such as pencils tool, shapes tool, text tool, clone, Transform, alignment, color, and gradients tool, etc.
Features of Inkscape
- Inkscape support all vector modification tools
- You can export your final project into various formats.
- No required high system configuration
- Easy to create lines, shapes, and modify tools
- You can use Inkscape for logo design, shapes building, and textures.
- Easy to create any type of gradient and add textures.
- Support text tools and their basic features like spacing, alignment, and more.
Inkscape's major format is the standardized SVG file format, which is supported by much other software, including Illustrator, and web browser. You may use this tool to export your document into a variety of formats such as SVG, PDF, EPS, AI, PS, and others. Inkscape allows you to freely draw vector lines and alter them as you see fit.
7. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is a vector-based tool that is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and web browsers. You can directly access this tool in a web browser by creating one account. You can get many useful tools and options in this software. Gravit designer comes with two versions free and pro. For beginners don't need to buy pro features.
The interface of Gravit's design is simple and beginners friendly. Everything is transparent you can easily understand all features and tools work. Using this software, you can easily create your logo, shapes, vector illustrations, icons, and more. You can also edit your photos and vector formats documents.
Features of Gravit Designer
- You can easily learn this software within days.
- You can save your document in the cloud and file management system.
- You can change the interface themes like dark mode and light mode
- Gravit Designer is available in 14 languages such as English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Italian are all supported.
- Allows to import and export images and file documents.
- All essential tools such as Pen tool, shapes, layer, pages, adjustment, transformation, text tool, and more.
Go to the features page of Gravit designer to learn about various features of this software and how it works? This is vector graphics software so, you can get all basics to advanced vector editing tools. The tools such as convert to the path, object styling, stroke, path, fill, shapes tool, live corners, etc.
8. Pixlr
Pixlr is a cloud-based image editing tool that has a similar interface to Photoshop, and other raster tools including in this article. Pixlr provides all essential tools such as move tool, pen tool, Liquify, clone, heal, focus, blur, color, gradient, crop, and brush tools, etc. And You can find other navigation options such as filter and adjustment.
Beginners can use this software that can easily modify any image easily. It provides various image adjustment effects and filter galleries. Anyone can able to use these tools, and manipulation any kind of image fast. All the tools are similar to our previous design tools.
Features of Pixlr
- Ready-made custom templates and documents.
- Easy to import images directly with your computer and Load with URL.
- Support various formats such as SVG, PNG, JPG, GIF, PDF, and more.
- All Editing tools and interface themes are similar to Photoshop.
- Easy to manipulate and edit your image like a pro.
- It provides Useful Adjustment options like auto-adjust, auto Pop, brightness, contrast, Hug, saturation, B&W, Color lookup, filter gallery, and more.
- Photo manipulation tools such as brush tool, Pen tool, clone, healing, liquify, gradients, the selection tool, and more.
- Easy to manage history and layers.
Pixlr also provides other useful tools such as remove background, Pixlr X, and other stock resources. The best thing is that you can directly access design tools without creating an account. All your documents can save in the cloud and you can access files anytime.
9. Crello
Crello is also web-based Graphics design tools that provide thousands of ready-made templates, stock footages, image, animated icons, backgrounds and more. You can easily create your own design using these tools by searching Crello resources. All the resources can use for any type of project without copyright issues.
Features of Crello
- Unlimited free stock resources that you can use for any design project
- Easy to download Design page into different formats
- Create multiple pages in one window
- Thousands of ready-made design templates
- Free animate stickers and shapes
- Allows to invite the team to complete designs
- Remove backgrounds from the image
- Easily create branded content with Brand kits
For beginners, Design can easily use this tool. These tools special use for creating social media posts, stories, and posters with ready-made templates. Crello also supports music a library that you can export your final project into MP4 formats other video formats.
10. Vectr
Vectr is the browser-based vector editor tool that you can create and export your vector file into various formats. It is a free tool that you can create any type of curve, abstract, and vector illustration. It provides essential vector tools such as pen tools, shapes tools, pencils, text tools, and other useful properties.
Using these tools designers can create web layouts, pages, and Icons, logos, and more. But you cannot create more advanced illustrations and layouts using this tool. Simple layout and basic shapes can modify using a property panel.
FAQ about Graphic Design Software
How can I learn graphic design?
Graphic design can be learned by self-practice and Create something new. You can also buy an online course, watch tutorials on YouTube, and read blogs. You need to updates and showcase your design online. There is so main platform that you can share your artwork like Instagram, Pinterest, Dribbble, and Behance.
How much time need to Learn Graphic design?
There is no fixed time to master Graphic design. But, You can learn essential design elements and tools easily. You can choose any software and tools that help to create a new design. For Beginner Design, Most be learn Photoshop, Illustrator, other animation tools.
Top 5 Paid Graphic Design Software?
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- CorelDraw
- Adobe After Effect
- Adobe Indesign
How can use Paid Graphic software for free?
You need to buy all paid Graphic software. But, You can use patch software that you can easily found on the internet. You can only use this software for personal purposes.
How much do I Invest in Graphic design software?
There is no fixed to invest in Graphic design software. You can invest according to your requirement. You can invest in one raster software like Photoshop and another vector software like Illustrator and CorelDraw.