There are many free graphics programs and image editing tools that can be considered Photoshop alternative. I have compiled a list of the best of them. Some of them are free online services, while others are available for free download and installation on computers and mobile devices.
If you need to programmatically render a drawing or vector graphic, you can do so using the Scalable Vector Graphics format ( also known as SVG). And the program for developing Scalable Vector Graphics is called SVG-Edit.
This software with open source code. SVG-Edit is a powerful tool that allows you to create or edit SVG elements. The tool is built on top of CSS3, HTML5 and JavaScript. With its help you can quickly edit and process two-dimensional ( 2D) vector graphics:
Free graphic design software. This program graphics editor 2D vector graphics that allow you to draw, edit and create professional designs.
DrawPlus also contains a number of features that allow you to create 3D objects using extrusion, apply a wide range of 3D styles with a huge collection of brushes:
With DrawPlus, you can easily develop graphic designs, logos, technical drawings, animations and more. There are various preset templates. Guides for beginners are also available to help you get started with the program.
If you are looking for a replacement Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw, then InkScape is the tool that should suit you. This is the editor vector graphics Open source and many powerful features:
It also supports SVG integration with advanced features for print and web design. This is a professional graphics editor with a simple and easy to use interface.
Free graphics software for running Linux/Unix. It is a flexible and powerful tool for creating illustrations, diagrams, etc.:
Functional 32-bit program for graphic drawing. Latest version supports a set of basic functions that can be used without any restrictions:
Ultimate Paint supports flexible brush controls that let you create creative designs. As well as PEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PCX, AVI (read only), TGA, WMF / EMF, ICO (read only), IFF / LBM and WAP BMP formats, as well as Twain-compatible scanners.
A simple touch-based freehand drawing tool that can be used to capture images High Quality. It supports many types of brushes ( pen, pencil, airbrush, natural brush, etc.), retouching tools, layers, etc.:
Fat Paint is known as the best software for graphic design, painting and logo creation. This free program for image editing, which allows you to create pages, vector illustrations, logos, edit photos and develop web designs:
Graphic design software that lets you focus on creativity rather than interface management:
It is a fast and easy to use open source graphic design application that is available for both Windows and Linux users.
Paint.NET is a great alternative to built-in graphics Paint editor. It is an easy-to-use image editing tool with a set of basic and advanced features:
Thanks to its powerful features, this editor is often compared to other digital photo editing packages such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft photo editor and GIMP.
Another powerful computer graphics program that is widely used for photo retouching, editing, image composition, etc.
It is a free and open source graphic design software that is widely known as an alternative to Photoshop. Although GIMP was originally created for Unix, it is now available for other operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, etc.
Powerful image editing application for IOS and Android. It can be downloaded for free from App Store or Google Play Store. This is an interesting and powerful photo editor that allows you to quickly crop, rotate and adjust any image.
Pixlr has over 2 million combinations available free effects, which allow you to make the image unique.
If you want to get started working with images in the browser, Sumo Paint can help. You can use it to edit photos online or install the program to access all features offline ( paid subscription):
With Sumo Paint you can edit your photos right in your browser. Although this requires the presence Adobe Flash.
A powerful tool for converting images from one format to another. For example, from .jpeg to .png. This is a graphical raster image editor program that allows you to create, edit and convert raster images to other formats.
The program contains the following useful features like cropping, rotating and transforming images, mirror reflection etc. What makes her convenient tool for graphic designers.
If you want to start learning 3D design and animation, install DAZ Studio. You will have at your disposal a sufficient number of tutorials that will make you a 3D animation ninja, no matter what your level is at the moment:
With DAZ Studio you can create your own 3D characters, avatars, and graphic design elements.
Create your own short films and animations, illustrations for books and magazines, etc. This free software will be quite useful when learning 3D.
If you want to unleash your potential in 3D sculpture, 3D painting, then Pixologic can help you do it.
It is a 3D modeling tool with powerful features that will help you get comfortable in the world of digital reality. If you are new to 3D sculpting and 3D painting, then Sculptris is best point, where you can start.
One of the best graphics programs for creating 3D projects. It is open source software that can be downloaded and installed for free on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc.:
Blender contains many 3D tutorials and a gallery of previously created projects available for download. There is also an active community whose members are ready to answer your questions.
3D SketchUp is still the most... in a simple way drawing in 3D. It is a powerful 3D modeling software that allows you to quickly create 3D objects. The program is very easy to use.
Provides intuitive software for real-time 3D modeling and 3D animation. It provides tools for simple controls 3D scene with drag-and-drop functions:
It is a graphic design program developed by Amabilis Software. It is available in three versions - 3D Crafter, 3D Crafter Plus and 3D Crafter Pro. The basic version is free, while Pro and Plus are paid. The program runs on Windows 7/8/Vista.
Open source software for 3D modeling and visualization. It is written in Java, so it is a powerful 3D design program that can be used on many virtual machines Java.
On the project website you can find many manuals and galleries of works. In addition, active forum participants are always ready to help. Therefore, even if you are new to 3D modeling and just taking your first steps, Art of Illusion is perfect for you.
One of oldest programs for 3D modeling, which was introduced back in 1999 and is still actively used all over the world. It is intended mainly for 3D modeling and character animation under Windows:
Anim8or includes many powerful features: a tool for creating and modifying 3D models, TrueType font support, a built-in 3D object browser, a Joint character editor and much more.
A powerful tool for creating and customizing charts with various data. Is easy to use free application for data visualization that makes it easy to create interactive pie charts, line graphs, segmented charts, etc.
With this graphics program, you can create a visual representation of your data and get code to embed it in web pages, spreadsheets, etc.
Infographics are new way visual representation of data, which is developing at a rapid pace. Visual.ly is best program to create and publish interactive infographics:
It is a social platform for creating and publishing infographics, allowing you to interact with other users and share interactive visual representations with them.
Another powerful interactive tool for creating stunning visuals and infographics. With Infog.am, you can create infographics, charts, and other visual representations in three simple steps: choose a template, visualize the data, and then publish it.
You can also choose free charts from a collection of over 30 interactive chart types.
Another powerful tool for creating infographics. Even if you don't know how infographics are created, all you have to do is go to the site, choose a template and get started:
Within this service there is a huge number of graphic forms and objects, as well as infographic templates that let you create and share visual representations online.
A personalized tool that allows you to create and visualize your resume in one click. All this is available for free.
With over 500,000 projects already created, Vizualize.me is the #1 resume creation service. It contains more powerful tools to help you create your resume.
This tool is a free Favicon generator that allows you to create Favicons for your website. Just upload the file and click the "Generate" button.
ColorPic is a free tool for capturing color from your monitor screen. It allows you to capture color palettes up to 16 colors at a time. You can also use an advanced mixer to mix four colors.
This graphics program for artists supports advanced features such as red-eye removal, color adjustment, photo viewing, sharing e-mail, framing, etc.
Fast Stone Image Viewer is another powerful functional tool for viewing, editing and batch converting photos.
Pixel Toolbox is a powerful tool designed to create impressive graphics for Windows. Create, edit and apply 1-bit patterns, wallpapers, icons and cursor icons - all with one tool.
Powerful, free software that lets you create, edit and use presentations remotely from anywhere. It is available for desktop PCs, smartphones and tablets. There is also integration with a cloud service that expands the functionality of the program.
It's a free web app that lets you design almost anything. Simple drag-and-drop features make working so easy that you don't need to be a designer to create stunning graphics.
With the help of the graphic design services and programs discussed above, getting started is very easy! Wish you all the best!
This publication is a translation of the article “ 31+ Best Free Graphic Design Software to Create Stunning Graphic Visuals", prepared by the friendly project team
Today, graphic images in a computer version will no longer surprise anyone, because even modern cameras are capable of taking pictures with sufficient high resolution. However, there are also special graphics programs that allow you to process one or another type of image with the best results.
Before talking about what graphics programs for a computer are, it is worthwhile to dwell on the most common and used types of graphics as such. Today, there are at least two of them: vector and raster graphics.
Raster graphics are an outdated type of creating and saving images or pictures, which are based on the pixel grid of the same monitor or using the capabilities of a printer when printing the image.
Vector graphics involve the creation and editing of complex objects that consist of several structural elements. Moreover, each element can have not only a main outline, but also a fill. In passing, it is worth noting that when creating such complex structure You can also use overlay layers, so that when editing or changing the image, the loss of overall quality is not significant.
It goes without saying that the types of graphics programs vary depending on the image processing for which they are originally intended.
As for the difference between the two types of graphics, based on the above, it is obvious: a pixel-based raster image, even by a small percentage, will look like a bunch of squares when enlarged. But vector graphic objects can be enlarged by changing the layers used. As a rule, this does not affect the quality of the picture in any way. Moreover, with the availability of appropriate products and special additions to them, the programs themselves become more powerful. There may not be a graphic image, say, a vector one, when opened, but subsequent raster conversion allows you to easily create a fairly complex layout.
If we talk about specialized utilities or software packages, designed for raster processing, here among the main and most frequently used are Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.
The Corel Draw software package is actually almost the very first most powerful software product, which allowed us to work with graphics at the highest level. All these “Photoshops” appeared much later, but the ideas embedded in the principles of image and photo processing by the developers of this package are still alive.
If we consider more complex utilities, or rather, programs designed for more complex types of vector images, the leaders here are, of course, programs like Photo Paint (the same name for all software developers of this type) and tools created by Adobe Corporation (more on this a little later ).
You shouldn’t discount specialized utilities like Paint.NET, which allow you to change the original size of images to increase it. You don't see this often. Please note that this approach is applicable exclusively to vector graphics; with a raster, no matter how hard you try, nothing good will come of it.
In principle, there are enough software products. However, even some viewing programs graphic files can provide the user with unprecedented opportunities to even automatically edit the same photos, taking into account changes in contrast, brightness, color saturation, etc. There is no need to go far. Just look at the viewer called ACDSee.
And now a few words about the most universal packages that can be used to process graphics of any type.
First of all, this is the famous Adobe Photoshop. Apparently, even many professionals who work with this software product do not fully know all its capabilities.
On the other hand, graphics programs like Ashampoo Photo Optimizer, although they were originally designed to optimize images, nevertheless boast a fairly good set of tools, sometimes not inferior to the same Photoshop.
However, such programs are quite difficult to understand at first glance. So if you’re going to start editing or creating graphics (and especially animated ones), you should start with the simplest. Having studied the basics, you can move on to more complex levels, when you can even make a full-fledged movie scene from ordinary graphics.
Just look at how the fight between Morpheus and Neo in the first part of The Matrix was filmed. First, hand-drawn animation was created, consisting of a huge number of sequential images in which the movements of the characters were recorded, and only then the images of real actors (Laurence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves) were superimposed on the animated image.
What can I say, the same animated series “Masyanya”, popular in its time, was also created using graphics programs that are capable of transforming hand-drawn graphic animation into a full-fledged video or at least saving it as a flash movie.
Interesting programs for working with graphics that can be downloaded for free and quickly; most programs for graphics are already pre-uploaded to the site server with trial versions or tablets (keys).
Аleo Flash Intro Banner Maker. A good, simple program. You can download this program here for free. There is a localization tool. The program is designed specifically for the execution of its various banners. You can also create your own website logo and header. With this program you can easily create your own exclusive design. It is distinguished by its versatility.
Roomeon 3D-Planer is a very convenient program for creating all kinds of designs. Designs can be different, be it one room or a huge room. With such a program you will be able to implement not only all your ideas, but also recreate a ready-made layout of the premises. The program has a simple menu. It won't be difficult to figure it out.
With ScreenShoter you can now create a photo effortlessly full screen or its parts. The pictures will be saved in four types of files. The program is free. Multifunctional. Despite the fact that it weighs little, with the help of its capabilities you can create and create
Photo! Editor is an excellent multifunctional program. Easy to use. This program was created for photo editing, now you can remove any flaws with one click. Crop photo. Change your figure and much more. All in your hands. Download the Photo program for free! Editor and edit your photos.
Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.
Types of graphic editors. File formats for storing raster images graphic images. Graphics editor environment. Toolbars and operating modes of graphic editors. Picture editing tools. Change the font of the text in the picture.
test, added 12/16/2010
General information O graphic information. Characteristics of raster, vector and demonstration graphics. Overview of graphic processing and viewing programs Paint images, Adobe Photoshop, MS Power Point, ACDSee. Features of graphic editors.
course work, added 07/01/2010
The essence of the principle of dot graphics. Images in raster graphics, their advantages. Review of the most famous vector graphics editors. Tools for working with text. Fractal graphics programs. Graphic file formats. Three-dimensional graphics (3D).
thesis, added 07/16/2011
General information about graphic editors, concepts of computer raster and vector graphics, formats. Review and comparative analysis modern programs for processing and viewing graphic images: Paint, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop, MS PowerPoint.
thesis, added 08/09/2010
Description of mathematical methods for representing and processing graphic images. Description of the developed software add-on. Description of functions and their attributes. Presentation and processing of graphic images. Program testing results.
course work, added 01/27/2015
general characteristics graphic editors "Adobe Photoshop - PSD" and "Coroll Draw - CDR". Analysis of technology and requirements for products, taking into account their functional purpose. Features of creating a calendar using Corel DRAW 12.
course work, added 05/06/2010
Characteristics of raster, vector and demonstration graphics. Methods of image formation. Review of modern programs for processing and viewing graphic information: Paint, Adobe Photoshop, MS Power Point. Basic functions of graphic editors.
course work, added 04/07/2015
The concept of "computer graphics". Studying graphic editors in a school course for the 8th grade. Methods for creating digital graphic objects. Introduction to color models. Analysis Inkscape programs. Copy the file to the application installation folder.
course work, added 05/17/2014
The most advanced graphics editors, like those from Adobe, cost a lot of money. But there are free and quite worthy alternatives, the capabilities of which will be enough for most. Creative Bloq, a publication for photographers and designers, chose The best free graphic design software the best among similar programs and services.
Designed for creating and editing logos, interfaces and other scalable graphics.
Gravit Designer - formerly known as Gravit - is a full-featured vector editor. It is suitable for any task: from interface and icon design to working with presentations, illustrations and animation.
Gravit Designer's neat, intuitive interface can be customized. The editor contains a ton of tools for creating beautifully detailed vector images. Among them are non-destructive (cancellable) functions for working with Boolean operations, the Knife and Path Graph tools, plus a variety of fill and blending modes, as well as a powerful text engine.
If you need to access your work on the go, cloud service Gravit Cloud allows you to return to your project on any device.
Vectr offers all the features you could need to create vector graphics, plus plenty of options for using filters, shadows, and . This is enough to handle most everyday design tasks. Particularly useful are the collaborative editing and synchronization capabilities, which allow you to work whenever and wherever you want in tandem with other people.
If you need to quickly create or edit a simple SVG file, there are several that are as good as Adobe Illustrator for the task. Among the best of them is SVG-Edit.
This editor is built entirely on HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript and does not use servers to process data. SVG-Edit code is open source. Therefore, if you wish, you can download it and modify it to create your own version of the editor.
SVG-Edit has everything basic tools vector editor. But it only supports SVG format.
This powerful editor offers many tools and features that are often not available in others. similar programs. These include alpha blending, object cloning, and markers.
Full support for various color models makes Inkscape worthy of Adobe Illustrator for both web and print design. Despite the simplicity of the interface, this program can create incredibly complex works.
Features that deserve special mention include raster-to-vector conversion, variable-width stroke creation, and support for Illustrator files.
Designed for creating and editing any non-scalable drawings and photographs.
Free, open source graphics editor. GIMP comes with a rich set of features for painting, color correction, cloning, highlighting, enhancements, and more. The GIMP interface differs from the most popular Photoshop, but it takes a long time to search necessary tools you will not have to.
The GIMP team has taken care of compatibility, so you can work with all popular image formats without any problems. In addition, GIMP has a built-in file manager, similar to Bridge from Adobe programs.
If you're on Windows and don't need as many tools as GIMP, Photo Pos Pro may be your ideal editor. The latter is designed with image editing in mind and copes well with typical tasks such as adjusting contrast, lighting and saturation. But Photo Pos Pro is also suitable for more complex manipulations.
This program boasts a very friendly interface and detailed help that helps beginners understand. If you want to make Photo Pos Pro even more functional, there are many extensions and plugins at your service.
Another open source editor. Krita has been around since 1999 and is constantly evolving to meet the needs of concept artists, illustrators, visual effects, detailing and texture specialists.
The program includes a set of a wide variety of brushes and supports many plugins: from advanced filters to auxiliary tools for working with perspective.
Some of the coolest features include brush stabilizers that smooth out lines, a looping mode for creating seamless patterns and textures, and a pop-up palette for quick selection colors.
Pixlr offers over 600 effects, overlays, and frames. In this service you can do everything you would expect from: resize images, crop them, remove red eyes, whiten teeth and much more.
If you're familiar with Photoshop, you'll get the hang of the web version of Pixlr very quickly. The interfaces of these editors are very similar.
Paint.NET is an alternative to the Paint program built into all Windows versions. But don't let the similarity of names fool you: Paint.NET is a much more advanced and useful editor.
The development team is focusing on ease of use and improving Paint.NET's photo editing capabilities rather than its graphics design capabilities. However, Paint.NET allows you to control perspective, manipulate pixels on the canvas, clone selections, and so on.
With support for layers, a wide range of selection tools and settings like brightness/contrast and curves, Paint.NET can be considered a worthy replacement Photoshop.
Sumo Paint works quickly on the web and copes with tasks no worse than desktop editors. But you will need Adobe to run it Flash Player. So Sumo Paint is not for iOS devices.
Sumo Paint's arsenal of settings and features includes pencils, brushes, text, gradients, cloning, shapes and more. All this is always visible on a floating panel like the one you could see in.
Designed for working with 3D models, effects and animations.
SketchUp Free can be called the ideal entry point into the world of 3D graphics. This editor friendlyly introduces the newcomer to the process and forgives him all the mistakes he has made. You can start with simple drawing lines and shapes, and then transform them into 3D objects.
If you need some inspiration, you can download free models of various objects from the 3D Warehouse library through the search form on the SketchUp website.
Using Daz Studio, you can customize and move various 3D objects such as people, animals, and objects in space.
You can create unique characters, worlds, various elements design and much more. But Daz Studio lacks the modeling and texturing capabilities available in paid alternatives. For a detailed table comparing editors, see the project website.
Hexagon is a free 3D modeling tool. It has everything you need to create detailed models ready for final rendering.
Among the program's tools and functions you will find the ability to quickly import from Daz Studio, presets for various objects, brushes for manual modeling, UV mapping (applying flat textures to a three-dimensional object), advanced drawing tools and instant ambient occlusion.
Daz Studio and Hexagon programs were created by the same developer and complement each other. Together they make up a complete free kit for working with 3D graphics.
Blender is advanced free editor Open source 3D graphics, available for all major platforms.
Developers are constantly developing Blender. It supports all possible operations with 3D graphics: it allows you to model, texture, animate, render and compose.
If you're interested in the art of digital sculpting, try Sculptris from developer Pixologic. It is equally suitable for any level of training. Beginners get a good starting tool, and experienced digital artists get a platform for quickly and conveniently implementing ideas.
Sculptris is based on the ZBrush editor from the same developer - the very popular app for digital sculpture. When you're ready to take it to the next level, you can easily switch to ZBrush.
Houdini is a tool for working with 3D animation and visual effects, which is often used when working on films, television shows and other media content.
The cost of the editor starts at $2,000. But the program developers - Side Effects Software - allow you to use the Houdini Apprentice version for free. Thanks to it you can access all functions full version and hone your skills on personal projects. Only Houdini Apprentice is intended for non-profit and educational purposes only.
