One of the possible ways to work from home is to specialize in visual communication. This discipline, so requested by companies and entrepreneurs, requires truly professional results, for which you will need to make the essential graphic design programs to achieve high quality designs with Free VS Paid design applications. Fortunately, there are hundreds on the market – some free and others paid, each one designed for a different functionality – so, with a suitable kit, you can do what you need, without problems and without excuses.
These applications offer such a wide range of action that they can be used by both beginners and professionals. The important thing is that you use them properly so that your designs exceed the client’s expectations. Next I will share a list of graphic design programs to do everything you set out to do. Depending on whether or not you are willing to pay , you will have different options ranging from the simplest programs to the most complete suites for professionals.
Free VS Paid design applications
Although the first alternative to start using tools is usually free, it is important to keep in mind that this article focuses on applications that allow you to obtain professional results, and therefore, the best are the paid ones .
With this objective, although you can find Free VS Paid design applications (that is, free), at least to get started, such as Gimp that we will see later, as you advance in your knowledge and challenges, you will see that the payment tools offer certain unique options they don’t have the free versions.
Among them are all the leading programs such as those developed by Adobe , big words when it comes to design. Next, a list of the most used and the ones that will offer you the best benefits.
For Photo Editing
If you ask anyone with what software to retouch or edit photos, 9 out of 10 will recommend Photoshop. It is a program with infinite possibilities, with which you can do and undo everything that occurs in a photograph. It is also used to make illustrations and graphics.
Professional designers and even photographers use this tool that you can buy to install on your PC or Mac or that you can use in the cloud by paying a monthly subscription.
It is undoubtedly an essential tool for professional designers. The disadvantage that you may encounter, if you have never used it, is that it is not so intuitive. Therefore, taking the first steps can be complex. It is also a program with so many opportunities that you can hardly cover it all by learning on your own .
If you decide to use Photoshop, which is an excellent idea that you will not regret, I recommend this Udemy course evaluated at 4.6 points with almost 14,000 students, which will allow you to take your first steps until you reach a very advanced handling. Some of the topics covered in this course are: logo design, interfaces for video games and apps, as well as general design, ending with the advanced handling of the tool.
PaintShop Pro is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop with which you can perform photo editing, retouching, treat RAW images, create animations with photos and much more. It includes some very interesting applications such as Corel AfterShot, PhotoMirag Express, Perfectly Clear 3.5 or Painter Essentials 6.
Its use is much more intuitive and much cheaper than Photoshop, so it can be a good alternative to start with, but when you gain experience, you will surely need to resort to Photoshop.
For Vector Design
If Photoshop takes the podium in photo retouching, Illustrator takes it as far as vector design and illustrations are concerned. It is the one chosen by all professionals (if you lean towards Adobe, in general you want to have all the applications of its design “suite”).
It’s a terribly effective and powerful tool to illustrate whatever comes to mind . Its use is not so intuitive, so if you are going to take your first steps it is always advisable to train beforehand. Using it in a basic way is possible, learning through use and on your own, but to get the most out of it you have to go deeper.
Something to keep in mind is that the alternative to Illustrator is usually Corel Draw (which we will see below) and the latter does not run on Mac, so if you are an apple user, your alternative is Illustrator.
So if your intention is to get professional results in illustrations, I recommend taking an Illustrator course like the one taught by Udemy . This training has already been taken by more than 5,500 students who endorse it with an evaluation of 4.6.
E n this course can work graphs, tables and texts in depth, make 3D designs and prepare printable materials for printing (fundamental if you are looking lanzarte as a professional designer), among other things, of course. Even if you have never used the tool, finished the course, believe me you will be an expert.
Corel Draw
Corel Draw
It is widely used by Professional Designers, not only graphics but also industrialists and some architects. Its main advantage is that it allows you to adjust objects and align them between them with the use of simple keys, without modifying their size or relationship.
Its 2018 version is one of the best. This software widely used in the world in the professional field, is excellent for designing logos and illustrations. Many printers are managed with this program so if you want to specialize in graphic work, it may be necessary that you use this program.
Conclusion
If you don’t have any graphic design software installed on your computer, a good option is these programs that I have mentioned in case you ever lose an Internet connection. You already have free graphic design tools, now you just need to put your imagination into it. And if your thing is not the design, do not be discouraged.
There are many ways to be inspired by the network to make creative images and get more engagement on social networks . For example, a good exercise if you are going to make an info graphic is to take a tour of Pinterest . When you see an info graphics that you like, study it a bit to see its structure, look at r how you use fonts, try to get the color palette.