Free Graphic Design Software?
Perhaps the biggest barrier to those wishing to start learning graphic design in the digital era is the hefty price-tag which comes with Photoshop, Illustrator, and all the other major commercial design software. So what options are there available to someone who wishes to get into graphic design, or has a platform which doesn’t support Photoshop (Linux) but doesn’t want to spend a week’s wages – Here I’ll summarise the most popular free alternatives:
If you’re familiar with the Linux operating system, then you will probably already know about these two programs. Although they are both available on Windows and Mac OS X, they are more well known as stars of the Linux pantheon. GIMP and Inkscape are free rivals to Photoshop and Illustrator, respectively.
GIMP boasts intuitive and powerful tools and controls, meaning it goes right in many places where Photoshop goes wrong. Unfortunately I can’t help but feel like it’s just a watered down version of Photoshop, not to mention that the amount of available online resources (brushes, etc) is abysmal. However, it’s probably still the best alternative by far. And since it’s free, and available on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, well, that’s a lot more than can be said for Photoshop! Also worth special mention is the ability to extend GIMP with various user created plug-ins, allowing for endless possibilities for customisation!
Inkscape also partly falls into the trap of trying to be too simple and easy. It is a very versatile vector program, and you can see some user’s creations Here So it’s clearly capable of some impressive stuff. It is however more prone to problems than Illustrator, and as can be seen on the support forums, Inkscape appears to be in ongoing development instead of a state of completion.
Also worth a mention is the aptly named Draw mostly because of it’s inclusion and integration with OpenOffice This makes it very useful, IF you happen to use OpenOffice, however, it’s not much use to the rest of us. Especially considering that it’s pretty run of the mill.
I would go on to review other programs, such as: DrawPlus but then why review the rest, when you’ve already done the best?