With regard to the design options, the market leader Illustrator only just beats the program, Inkscape – considering the vector graphics software is free, this is an extremely impressive feat. The program also has other special features for example, it can support the use of a graphics tablet or export graphics as HTML5 canvas elements - an alternative to SVG for website graphics. Aside from that, Inkscape offers all the essential and popular tools for digital illustration.

This free, vector-based graphic program for Windows, macOS, and Linux boasts a range of functions that as almost as large as the Adobe program – all that’s missing is one palette of digital paintbrushes. Inkscape is a relatively popular open source Illustrator alternative. With this format, graphics are saved as XML code, making it ideal for implementing and rendering on websites. All of these programs support and create SVG (scalable vector graphics) files, which is the standard file format for vector graphics, as recommended by the W3C. In this feature, we present the best alternatives to Illustrator – all of which can be downloaded for free. But there are also some free alternatives to Illustrator, which can also be used to create freely scalable computer graphics without any losses to quality. One of the major downsides, however, is that getting the program on a Windows or macOs device comes at a cost to the private user. (For more on the differences between vector and pixel graphics, check out our digital guide article.) This means that the application is very well suited to producing visual content that serves as a template for various print formats or is used within web pages and other digital documents Therefore, unlike pixel or raster graphics, which are created with editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, Illustrator can be used to enlarge or minimize vector graphics without sacrificing quality. The application is used to create logos, drawings, designs for advertising campaigns and web projects, implemented in exactly the same way as tangible artworks.Īdobe Illustrator is an example of vector graphic software.

Adobe Illustrator (also known as ‘Illustrator’ or just ‘AI’), has long been a respected name in the world of design – it’s one of the most widely used graphic programs and offers an array of functions for graphic design and digital illustration.

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