Graphic design has come a long way in recent years. But with so many options on the market, it can be tough to know where to start. Here are 3 of the best graphic design software and image editing tools available in 2023.
- Best Overall
Adobe Illustrator
- Best For Studios
CorelDraw
- Most Affordable
Affinity Designer
What Is The Best Graphic Design Software For You?
The best graphic design software is the one that fits your specific needs.
If you’re just starting out, a less expensive or more user-friendly option may be the best choice.
However, if you’re looking for professional-grade tools, you’ll need to invest in a more expensive program.
Here are my 3 best graphic design software and image editing tools for you in 2023:
1. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator isn’t simply a graphics design program that’s ideal for illustration work, page layouts, corporate logos, website mockups, and pretty much everything else depending on the demand.
It’s an industry-standard in vector drawing software.
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Adobe Illustrator is mainly used to create logos, designs, pictures, and graphics with ease.
You may also make designs for posters, logos, and other artwork using Adobe Illustrator.
From phones to 8k displays, the graphics produced in Adobe Illustrator will not stretch but rather appear sharp and crispy.
Adobe provides professionally developed templates as a time-saving option for novices.
The software’s user interface is useful and has self-explanatory tools, but there’s a long way to go before you become an expert illustrator.
The most excellent part about Adobe Illustrator is that, rather than storing pixels, it creates images based on mathematical formulae to ensure clean and sharp lines that you can scale to any size.
Furthermore, for designers who want to distribute their work quickly through a simple email attachment, it creates graphics in tiny file sizes.
Adobe has also released Adobe Illustrator Draw, a mobile version of Adobe Illustrator so that you can edit on the go.
It’s available for both Mac & PC but being heavy software, it’ll require a powerful machine to run smoothly.
Some Prominent Features Of Adobe Illustrator
- Available for Mac and Windows
- Is a vector-based graphic design software
- Highly customizable through multiple preset layouts
- Drag and drop feature to move panels anywhere on the screen
- In-Panel editing allows editing multiple artboards simultaneously
Adobe Illustrator Pricing
They offer you a 7-day free trial and offer 2 premium subscription plans.
- Adobe Illustrator Only: $20.99/mo with 100 GB of cloud storage, or
- Full Adobe Suite: $54.99/mo with 20+ Adobe apps + 100 GB of cloud storage
Adobe Illustrator Pros And Cons
Pros
- Vector drawings are sharp and crisp and can be scaled to any size without distortion
- Access to 100M+ stock images, videos, vectors, etc. with Adobe Stock
- Powerful integration with other Adobe products
- It has a mobile app to edit on the go
- Smart and self-explanatory user-friendly interface
- It’s an industry standard for vector graphics editing
- Exports files in small sizes making them highly shareable via messaging apps and emails
Cons
- Requires powerful machine to run smoothly
- Costly
- Has a steep learning curve
2. CorelDraw
You can create high-quality vector designs with CorelDraw, which is similar to Adobe Illustrator.
CorelDraw provides a powerful set of design tools to help you work more efficiently.
You can modify logos, web design, or print jobs with ease thanks to its numerous customization possibilities.
CorelDRAW’s LiveSketch now takes advantage of AI technology to generate accurate vector curves from sketching.
CorelDraw suite offers a perfect blend of design tools as well as layout software.
It includes Photo-Paint and Corel Font Manager for photo editing and font management.
It also allows you to create creative web content by using web graphic tools and presets, which you can then publish straight to your WordPress site.
The program supports over 100 file types, which is quite impressive.
Some Prominent Features Of CorelDraw
- Available for Mac and Windows
- Is a vector-based graphic design software
- Can export content in over 100+ formats including AutoCAD, TIFF, SVG, etc., and can also open up to 35+ other formats without any plugins or extensions
- You can customize the UI according to your workflow with the help of pre-built and customizable macros
- Utilize touch capabilities by smoothly moving from a desktop to a tablet mode
- With the Surface Pen, it operates smoothly and swiftly
Choose GPU acceleration over the default CPU anytime, smoothly - It has enhanced EPS and third-party PDF importing capabilities, as well as the GPL Ghostscript functionality
- Offers tons of HD images, vectors, gradients, fonts, templates, etc. with its online library called content Exchange
CorelDraw Pricing
CorelDraw offers a generous 15-day free trial and comes in 2 pricing plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- One-Time Payment: $449
- Annual Subscription: $249 equivalent to $20.75/month
CorelDraw Pros And Cons
Pros
- File support is awesome
- Customizable UI
- The best alternative to Adobe Illustrator
- Access to tons of digital assets with Corel’s content exchange
Cons
- Has a steep learning curve
- Has no mobile app like Adobe
3. Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a less expensive alternative to Adobe Illustrator, especially good for those just starting out.
The program has been demonstrated to work properly, allowing you to work more efficiently and freely express your creativity.
You can easily switch between raster and vector workspaces as needed, and you can work with both types of formats.
Every color channel in the program can be adjusted to a greater extent, allowing you to work in RGB or LAB color spaces with up to 32 bits per channel.
The grids and guides are fully editable, allowing you to alter the spacing, sub-divisions, gutters, angles, and more.
Affinity Designer’s extra features include the capability to zoom your artwork without losing accuracy, even by millions of percent.
Some Prominent Features Of Affinity Designer
- Available for Mac, iPad, and Windows
- Best grid system
- Zoom up to 1000000% without any distortion
- Offers a wide range of colors to complement designs
- The iPad app is as capable as its desktop counterpart
Affinity Designer Pricing
This tool offers no subscription plans as of now and you can buy it at a one-time fee for:
- Desktop: $54.99
- iPad: $9.99
Affinity Designer Pros And Cons
Pros
- Tool interactions are extremely responsive
- One-time payment, no recurring subscription required
- Supports both raster and vector graphics
Cons
- Few tools missing in comparison to Adobe Illustrator
- Compatibility issues with non-Affinity programs
Conclusion
In conclusion, the three best graphic design software & photo editing apps in 2022 are Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, and Affinity Designer.
Each app has its own unique set of features and tools that make it ideal for different types of projects.
However, all three apps are equally powerful and user-friendly, making them perfect for both novice and experienced designers.
Whether you’re working on a simple logo or complex illustrations, these apps will help you get the job done quickly and efficiently.
So, if you’re looking for the best way to create stunning visuals, be sure to check out these three great options.