However, as developers expand the software's functionality and as we evolve as designers, those original boundaries become harder to distinguish.įor example, while Photoshop is the go-to photo-editing tool, it also creates awesome photo-realistic text effects. Luckily, we have splendid tools at our disposal, each with its own place in the toolbox. The job titles of people who create them are similarly expansive: visual designer, user experience (UX) designer, user interface (UI) designer, information architect, web designer, illustrator, interaction designer, app designer, photo retoucher, animator, surface and pattern designer, type designer, and on and on. Wherever you look, you see graphics of all kinds. (That's why the pricing in the table above looks odd.) Inkscape is completely free and open-source, but it forces you to do without some major creature comforts, like easy installation on macOS. Software features aside, one of your first decisions in choosing graphics software is how you want to pay: The two Adobe products included here are only available as part of the enormous Creative Cloud subscription suite, while you can get the Corel products for a one-time charge.
