Vector Graphic Editor For Mac

Image editing for websites and apps. Fireworks provides web designers with a lightweight, effective means of creating graphics for their web pages without getting deep into code or lost amid multiple color palettes. Super Vectorizer is the best vector graphics editor for Mac OS X that enables the conversion from a raster bitmap images like JPEG, BMP and PNG to a scalable vector graphic with a few simple clicks. Lots of image formats are supported by Super Ve.

  1. Best Graphic Editor For Mac
  2. Free Online Vector Graphics Editor

Vector graphics editor free download - Vector Graphics Editor, CorelDraw Graphics Suite, IconCool Editor, and many more programs. Best Vector Graphics Software. Inkscape is a free, open source vector editing program. Inkscape Reviews. 4.3 (11) DesignEvo is a design platform that helps users create custom logos in minutes for free, no design experience needed. DesignEvo Reviews. Free Vector Graphics Software Design with Vectr. Vectr is a free graphics software used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively. It's a simple yet powerful web and desktop cross-platform tool to bring your designs into reality. Inkscape is an open source editor for vector graphic illustrations, comparable to Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics are not based on a grid of pixels like the bitmap graphics used in GIMP and Photoshop. Graphic is a modern full-featured graphic design and illustration application, created specifically for Mac OS X. Packed with many powerful features, and designed to be easy to use, you can use Graphic to create everything from simple diagrams to intricate detailed vector artwork.

A number of vector graphics editors exist for various platforms. Potential users of these editors will make a comparison of vector graphics editors based on factors such as the availability for the user's platform, the software license, the feature set, the merits of the user interface (UI) and the focus of the program. Some programs are more suitable for artistic work while others are better for technical drawings. Another important factor is the application's support of various vector and bitmap image formats for import and export.

The tables in this article compare general and technical information for a number of vector graphics editors. See the article on each editor for further information. This article is neither all-inclusive nor necessarily up-to-date.

  • 5File format support

Some editors in detail[edit]

  • Adobe Fireworks (formerly Macromedia Fireworks) is a vector editor with bitmap editing capabilities with its main purpose being the creation of graphics for Web and screen. Fireworks supports RGB color scheme and has no CMYK support. This means it is mostly used for screen design. The native Fireworks file format is editable PNG (FWPNG or PNG). Adobe Fireworks has a competitive price, but its features can seem limited in comparison with other products. It is easier to learn than other products and can produce complex vector artwork. The Fireworks editable PNG file format is not supported by other Adobe products. Fireworks can manage the PSD and AI file formats which enables it to be integrated with other Adobe apps. Fireworks can also open FWPNG/PNG, PSD, AI, EPS, JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF file formats, and save/export to FWPNG/PNG, PSD, AI (v.8), FXG (v.2.0), JPG, GIF, PDF, SWF and some others; recently, also some support for exporting to SVG has been added (via a free Export extension).
  • Adobe Flash (formerly a Macromedia product) has straightforward vector editing tools that make it easier for designers and illustrators to use. The most important of these tools are vector lines and fills with bitmap-like selectable areas, simple modification of curves via the 'selection' or the control points/handles through 'direct selection' tools. Flash uses Actionscript for OOP, and has full XML functionality through E4X support.
  • Adobe FreeHand (formerly Macromedia Freehand and Aldus Freehand) is mainly used by professional graphic designers. The functionality of FreeHand includes flexibility of the application in the wide design environment, catering to the output needs of both traditional image reproduction methods and to contemporary print and digital media with its page-layout capabilities and text attribute controls. Specific functions of FreeHand include a superior image-tracing operation for vector editing, page layout features within multiple-page documents, and embedding custom print-settings (such as variable halftone-screen specifications within a single graphic, etc.) to each document independent of auxiliary printer-drivers. User-operation is considered to be more suited for designers with an artistic background compared to designers with a technical background. When being marketed, FreeHand lacked the promotional backing, development and PR support in comparison to other similar products. FreeHand was transferred to the classic print group after Macromedia was purchased by Adobe in 2005. On May 16, 2007, Adobe announced that no further updates to Freehand would be developed but continues to sell FreeHand MX as a Macromedia product.[1] FreeHand continues to run on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (using an Adobe fix) and on Windows 7. For macOS, Affinity Designer is able to open version 10 & MX Freehand files.[2]
  • Adobe Illustrator is a commonly-used editor because of Adobe's market dominance, but is more expensive than other similar products.[3] It is primarily developed consistently in line with other Adobe products and such is best integrated with Adobe's Creative Suite packages. The ai file format is proprietary, but some vector editors can open and save in that format. Illustrator imports over two dozen formats, including PSD, PDF and SVG, and exports AI, PDF, SVG, SVGZ, GIF, JPG, PNG, WBMP, and SWF. However, the user must be aware of unchecking the 'Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities' option if he or she desires to generate interoperable SVG files.[4] Illustrator has been criticized[by whom?] for having a steep learning curve.
  • Affinity Designer by Serif Europe (the successor to their previous product, DrawPlus) is non-subscription-based software that is often described as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator.[5][6][7] The application can open Portable Document Format (PDF), Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator files, as well as export to those formats and to the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Encapsulated PostScript(EPS) formats.[8] It also supports import from some Adobe Freehand files (specifically versions 10 & MX).[2]
  • Apache OpenOffice Draw is the vector graphics editor of the Apache OpenOffice open source office suite. It supports many import and export file formats and is available for multiple desktop operating systems.
  • ConceptDraw PRO is a business diagramming tool and vector graphics editor available for both Windows and OS X. It supports multi-page documents, and includes an integrated presentation mode. ConceptDraw PRO supports imports and exports several formats, including Microsoft Visio and Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Corel Designer (originally Micrografx Designer) is one of the earliest vector-based graphics editors for the Microsoft Windows platform. The product is mainly used for the creation of engineering drawings and is shipped with extensive libraries for the needs of engineers. It is also flexible enough for most vector graphics design applications.
  • CorelDRAW is an editor used in the graphic design, sign making and fashion design industries.[9] CorelDRAW is capable of limited interoperation by reading file formats from Adobe Illustrator.[10] CorelDRAW has over 50 import and export filters,[11] on-screen and dialog box editing and the ability to create multi-page documents. It can also generate TrueType and Type 1 fonts, although refined typographic control is better suited to a more specific application. Some other features of CorelDRAW include the creation and execution of VBA macros, viewing of colour separations in print preview mode and integrated professional imposing options.
  • Dia is a free and open-source diagramming and vector graphics editor available for Windows, Linux and other Unix-based computer operating systems. Dia has a modular design and several shape packages for flowcharting, network diagrams and circuit diagrams. Its design was inspired by Microsoft Visio, although it uses a Single Document Interface similar to other GNOME software (such as GIMP).
  • DrawPlus, first built for the Windows platform in 1993, has matured into a full featured vector graphics editor for home and professional users. Also available as a feature-limited free 'starter edition': DrawPlus SE. DrawPlus developers, Serif Europe, have now ceased its development in order to focus on its successor, Affinity Designer.[12]
  • Edraw Max is a cross-platform diagram software and vector graphics editor available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It supports kinds of diagram types.[13] It supports imports and exports SVG, PDF, HTML, Multiple page TIFF, Microsoft Visio and Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Embroidermodder is a free machine embroiderysoftware tool that supports a variety of formats and allows the user to add custom modifications to their embroidery designs.
  • Fatpaint is a free, light-weight, browser-based graphic design application with built-in vector drawing tools. It can be accessed through any browser with Flash 9 installed. Its integration with Zazzle makes it particularly suitable for people who want to create graphics for custom printed products such as T-shirts, mugs, iPhone cases, flyers and other promotional products.
  • GIMP, which works mainly with raster images, offers a limited set of features to create and record SVG files. It can also load and handle SVG files created with other software like Inkscape or Sodipodi.
  • Inkscape is a free and open-source vector editor with the primary native format being SVG. Inkscape is available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X (using XQuartz) and other Unix-based systems. Inkscape can import SVG, SVGZ, AI, PDF, JPEG, PNG, GIF (and other raster graphics formats), CDR (CorelDraw), VSD (Visio) file formats and export SVG, SVGZ, PNG, PDF, PostScript, EPS, EPSi, LaTeX, HPGL, SIF (Synfig Animation Studio), HTML5 Canvas, FXG (Flash XML Graphics) and POVRay file formats. Some formats have additional support through Inkscape extensions, including PDF, EPS, Adobe Illustrator, Dia, Xfig, CGM, sK1 and Sketch. The predecessor of Inkscape was Sodipodi.
  • Ipe lets users draw geometric objects such as polylines, arcs and spline curves and text. Ipe supports use of layers and multiple pages. It can paste bitmap images from clipboard or import from JPEG or BMP, and also through a conversion software it can import PDF figures generated by other software. It differentiates itself from similar programs by including advanced snapping tools and the ability to directly include LaTeX text and equations. Ipe is extensible by use of ipelets, which are plugins written in C++ or Lua.
  • LibreOffice Draw is the vector graphics editor of the LibreOffice open source office suite. It supports many import and export file formats and is available for multiple desktop operating systems. The Document Foundation with the help of others is currently developing Android and online versions of the LibreOffice office suite, including Draw.
  • Microsoft Expression Design is a commercial vector and bitmap graphics editor based on Creature House Expression, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2003. It was part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite. Expression Design is discontinued, but the final version is available free from Microsoft. It runs on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 8, and on Windows 8.1 and 10 released after it was discontinued.
  • Microsoft Visio is a diagramming, flow chart, floor plan and vector graphics editor available for Windows. It is commonly used by small and medium-sized businesses, and by Microsoft in their corporate documentation.
  • OmniGraffle, by The Omni Group, is a vector graphics editor available for Macintosh. It is principally used for creating flow charts and other diagrams. OmniGraffle imports and exports several formats, including Microsoft Visio, SVG, and PDF.
  • PhotoLine is mainly a raster graphics editor but also offers a comprehensive set of vector drawing tools including multiple paths per layer, layer groups, color management and full color space support including CMYK and Lab color spaces, and multipage documents. PhotoLine can import and export PDF and SVG files as well as all major bitmap formats.
  • sK1 is a free and open-source vector editor for Linux which is oriented for 'prepress ready' PostScript & PDF output. The major sK1 features are CMYK colorspace support; CMYK support in Postscript; Cairo-based engine; Color management; Universal CDR importer (7-X4 versions); Modern Ttk-based (former Tile widgets) user interface. sK1 can import ai postscript-based, CDR, CDT, CCX, CDRX, CMX, PS, EPS, CGM, WMF, XFIG, SVG, SK, SK1, AFF, PLT file formats. It can export ai, SVG, SK, SK1, CGM, WMF, PDF, PS, PLT file formats.
  • Sketch is a commercial vector graphics application for OS X.
  • SketchUp is a free vector graphics program with a paid pro-version. SketchUp is focused primarily on 3D sketching, with many features specifically designed to simplify architectural sketching. Google integrated an online model sharing database called 3D Warehouse to allow sharing of 3D sketches. SketchUp was purchased by Trimble on 1 June 2012.
  • SVG-edit is a FOSS web-based, JavaScript-driven SVG editor that works in any modern browser.
  • Synfig Studio (also known as Synfig) is a free and open-source 2D vector graphics and timeline-based computer animation program created by Robert Quattlebaum. Synfig is available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X. Synfig stores its animations in its own XML file format, SIF (uncompressed) or SIFZ (compressed) and can import SVG.
  • Xara Photo & Graphic Designer and Designer Pro (formerly Xara Xtreme and Xtreme Pro) are vector graphics editors for Windows developed by Xara. Xara Photo & Graphic Designer has high usability compared to other similar products and has very fast rendering. Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (and earlier product ArtWorks) was the first vector graphics software product to provide fully antialiased display, advanced gradient fill and transparency tools. The current version supports multi-page documents, and includes a capable integrated photo tool making it an option for any sort of DTP work. The Pro version includes extra features such as Pantone and color separation support, as well as comprehensive web page design features.
  • Xara Xtreme LX is a partially open source version of Xara Photo & Graphic Designer for Linux.

General information[edit]

This table gives basic general information about the different vector graphics editors:

SoftwareCompanyFirst ReleasedLatest VersionList Price (USD)License
Adobe IllustratorAdobe Systems1987CC 2019 (23.0) / 15 October 2019$19.99 / month (1 year contract) or $29.99 / monthProprietary
Affinity DesignerSerif Europe20141.7.2 (August 2019)$49.99Proprietary
Apache OpenOffice DrawApache Software Foundation20004.1.6 (2018-11-18)FreeLGPL, Apache license for later versions
ConceptDraw PROCS Odessa199910.0 (August 2014)$199Proprietary
CorelDRAWCorel19892019 (21)$499, $199 upgrade (includes Photopaint)Proprietary
DiaThe GNOME Project19980.97.3 (5 September 2014)FreeGPL
DrawPlusSerif Europe1994X8 (23 March 2015)$119.99Proprietary
Edraw MaxEdrawSoft20048 (10 March 2016)Free, $99 premium subscriptionProprietary
EmbroidermodderEmbroidermodder Team20041.70 (2012)FreeGPL, zLib
KritaKDE20054.2.0 (2019-01-25)FreeGPL
InkscapeInkscape Team20030.92.4 (2019-01)FreeGPL
LibreOffice DrawThe Document Foundation20106.1.5 February 7, 2019; 7 months agoFreeMPL, LGPL
Macromedia FreeHandAdobe Systems1988MX (11)$399, $99 upgradeProprietary
Microsoft VisioMicrosoft199212.0$560, $350 upgrade (Pro), $260, $130 upgrade (Standard)Proprietary
OmniGraffleThe Omni Groupc. 20007.8.2 (2018-09-05) for OS X, 3.7 for iOS (2019-09-17)Standard: $99, Pro: $199, iPad $49 (Pro:$99) USDProprietary
Pencil2DPascal Naidon, Patrick Corrieri20050.6.3 (2019-03-17)FreeGPL
PhotoLineComputerinsel GmbH199521.01 (2018-08)€59, €29 upgradeProprietary
sK1sK1 Team20090.9.3 (2015) 2.0RC2 (2016)FreeGPL, LGPL
SketchBohemian Coding201039.1$99[14]Proprietary
SketchUpTrimble (previously owned by Google; originally by Last Software)201318.0 (2017-11)SketchUp Make 2018: Free for non-commercial use only, Pro: $495Proprietary
SVG-editThe SVG-edit community20094.0.3 (2019-04-03)FreeMIT
SynfigSynfig Team20051.2.2 (2018-09-15)FreeGPL
Xara Photo & Graphic DesignerXara199511 (June 2015)$89.99Proprietary

Operating system support[edit]

This table lists the operating systems that different editors can run on without emulation:

SoftwareWindowsmacOSUnix and LinuxiOSAndroid
Adobe IllustratorYesYesDropped (v 5.5)NoNo
Affinity DesignerYesYesNoYes (iPad)No
Apache OpenOffice DrawYesYesYesNoNo
AviaryYesYesYesNoYes
ConceptDraw PROYesYesNoNoNo
CorelDRAWYesYesDropped (v. 9)NoNo
DiaYesYesYesNoNo
DrawPlusYesNoNoNoNo
Edraw MaxYesYesYesNoNo
InkscapeYesYesYesNoNo
LibreOffice DrawYesYesYesNoUnder development
Macromedia FreehandYesYesNoNoNo
Microsoft Expression DesignYesNoNoNoNo
Microsoft VisioYesNoNoNoNo
OmniGraffleNoYesNoYes (iPad)No
PhotoLineYesYesNoNoNo
sK1YesYes (user must compile)YesNoNo
SketchNoYesNoNoNo
SketchUpYesYesNoNoNo
SodipodiYesNoYesNoNo
SVG-editYesYesYesNoNo
SynfigYesYesYesNoNo
Xara Photo & Graphic DesignerYesNoNoNoNo
Xara Xtreme LXNoNoYesNoNo

Basic features[edit]

SoftwareMaximum Page SizeMaximum ZoomColor Management for PrintScripting Support
Adobe Illustrator5.7785 × 5.7785 m64000%YesYes
Affinity DesignerNo maximum size.1000000%+YesNo
Apache OpenOffice Draw119 × 119 cm3000%NoYes
Aviary?400%NoNo
ConceptDraw PROScreen resolutionPage widthNoYes[a]
CorelDRAW45.72 × 45.72 m260000% (estimated)YesYes
DrawPlus10,000 x 10,000 cm5000%YesYes[b]
Edraw MaxScreen resolution400%NoYes
Embroidermodder??NoYes
Fatpaint8000 × 8000 pxDepend on the page size.NoNo
Inkscape1000 × 1000 km25600%NoYes
LibreOffice Draw300 × 300 cm3000%YesYes
Macromedia Freehand5.6388 × 5.6388 m25600%YesYes
Microsoft Visio2147483647 sq. in.3098%NoYes
OmniGraffle2,147,483,648 × 2,147,483,648 km800%YesYes[b]
PhotoLine1,400,000,000 × 1,400,000,000 px6400%YesYes
sK150 × 50 m3000%YesYes
SketchUp250,000 × 250,000 m250000%NoYes
SVG-edit?10000%NoYes
Xara Photo & Graphic Designer2.75 × 2.75 m25601%YesNo

Notes

  1. ^ConceptDraw Basic Script only
  2. ^ abActionScript only

Best Graphic Editor For Mac

File format support[edit]

Import[edit]

SoftwareAICDRODGPS/EPSPDFSVGSWFDXFWMF/EMFXAMLVSDX
Adobe IllustratorNativePartial[15]NoYesYesYesNoYesYes
Affinity DesignerYesNoNoYesYesYesNoNoYesNoNo
Apache OpenOffice DrawNoNoNativeYesPartial[a]Partial[a]NoYesYes
AviaryNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
ConceptDraw PRONoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNo
CorelDRAWYesNativeNoYesYesPartial[b]NoYesYesNo
DiaNoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYesNo
DrawPlusYesNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYesNo
EmbroidermodderNoNoNoNoNoPartialNoPartialNo
FatpaintNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
InkscapeYesPartial[c]NoYes[d]YesNativeNoYes[16]Yes[e]Partial
Karbon[17]NoNoYesYesNoYesNoNoYes
LibreOffice DrawPartial[18][19]YesNativeYesYesYesNoYesYesYes
Macromedia Freehand[20]YesPartial[20]NoYesYesNoYesYesNoNo
Microsoft Expression DesignPartialNoNoYesNoNoNoNoYesNo
Microsoft Visio 2002YesPartial[21]NoYesNoNoNoYesYes
Microsoft Visio 2003NoNo[22]NoNoNoYesNoYesYes
Microsoft Visio 2013NoNo[23]NoNoNoYesNoYesYesNative
OmniGraffleNoNoNoNoYesNo[f]NoNoNoYes
PhotoLineYesNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
sK1Yes[g]YesNoYesNoYesNoYesYes
SketchUpNoNoNoNoYesNoNoYes[h]No
SodipodiNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
SVG-editNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
SynfigNoNoNoNoNoPartial[i]NoNoNo
Xara Photo & Graphic DesignerYes[j]NoYesYesYesNoNoYes
Xara Xtreme LX[24]PartialNoNoYesYesPartialNoNoNo

Notes

  1. ^ abVia an extension
  2. ^Not all features are supported. Some Inkscape-generated plain SVG files yield corrupted results
  3. ^Via an extension using UniConvertor. Text elements not converted
  4. ^Via an extension using Ghostscript
  5. ^Via an extension using UniConvertor
  6. ^It can export to SVG but cannot import from SVG
  7. ^AI postscript-based up to 9 ver.
  8. ^Pro version only
  9. ^Only SVG 1.0 Specification is supported since Synfig 0.62.00
  10. ^Imports only up to version 8.0 AI files, newer AI file versions needs to save as 'AI (V8.0)' or PDF files

See also[edit]

  • Raster graphics

Notes[edit]

  1. ^'Adobe Store-North America: FreeHand MX'. Adobe. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  2. ^ ab'Import and export file formats - Affinity Designer Help'. affinity.help. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  3. ^toptenreviews.com
  4. ^'Inkscape FAQ'. inkscape.org.
  5. ^'Why I Use Affinity Designer Instead of Illustrator for Motion Design'. School of Motion. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  6. ^'Affinity Designer vs Adobe Illustrator CC 2018 Comparison | FinancesOnline'. Financesonline.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  7. ^'Affinity Designer vs. Adobe Illustrator: can Designer replace Illustrator? - 99designs'. 99designs. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  8. ^Martin, Keith (November 27, 2014). 'Serif Affinity Designer'. Expert Reviews. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  9. ^Arah, Tom (January 2008). 'Product Reviews: CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4'. PC Pro. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  10. ^'CorelDRAW X7: support for Adobe Illustrator (AI) files, CorelDRAW X7 Help'.
  11. ^'CorelDRAW X7 supported file formats, CorelDRAW X7 Help'.
  12. ^'Digital Craft: Serif discontinues its Pageplus, Drawplus and Photoplus designing software to focus on its(Serif) new Affinity range of Professional graphic design software - ANINO'. ANINO. 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  13. ^'Edraw vector graphics types'. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  14. ^Bohemian Coding - Sketch 3
  15. ^'Supported file formats in Illustrator CS4 and CS5'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. CorelDraw 5,6,7,8,9,10
  16. ^Inkscape 0.47 release notes
  17. ^'Karbon14 Features'. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-12-01.Cite uses deprecated parameter |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^'Media Support/Linux/Images'. The Document Foundation. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  19. ^'Media Support/Windows/Image Tests'. The Document Foundation. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  20. ^ ab'Adobe Freehand MX 11.0 - Minimum System Requirements'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. CorelDraw 7, 8
  21. ^'Visio2000: File Formats That Can Be Imported into Visio'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. You can import the following file formats into your Visio drawings: CorelDRAW! Drawing File versions 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 (.cdr), Corel Clipart (.cmx)
  22. ^'What you won't find in Microsoft Office Visio 2003'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. The following file formats and converters are no longer supported:CorelDRAW! 3,0-7.0, Corel Clipart Format, CMX
  23. ^'What you won't find in Microsoft Office Visio 2003'. Retrieved 2010-12-01. The following file formats and converters are no longer supported:CorelDRAW! 3,0-7.0, Corel Clipart Format, CMX
  24. ^'What can Xara Xtreme for Linux do now?'. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
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Updated: May 18, 2019 Home » Freeware and Software Reviews » Photoshop & Image Editing

How to get Adobe Illustrator for free? There are many open source vector graphics editor with capabilities similar to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, why pay for a commercial software when the free open source alternatives are as good as the paid version?

Alternative Article ➤ 7 Free Online Photoshop Alternative Photo Editor

A number of vector graphics editors exist for various platforms. Potential users of these editors will make a decision based on factors such as the availability for the user’s platform. Below is a complete list of the best Adobe Illustrator alternatives. If you are a poor student, a small business owner or a print shop owner, just give these free illustrator alternatives a try and avoid pirated software from torrent.

↓ 01 – Inkscape | Open Source | macOS | Windows | Linux

Inkscape is a professional vector graphics editor for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It’s free and open source. It is an open-source vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Freehand, or Xara X. What sets Inkscape apart is its use of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), an open XML-based W3C standard, as the native format.

Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development. Works great on Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Apple’s macOS.

  • Fully anti-aliased display
  • Alpha transparency support for display and PNG export
  • Complete “as you drag” rendering of objects during interactive transformations
  • Live watching and editing the document tree in the XML editor
  • PNG and PostScript export
  • Command line options for export and conversions
  • Perfectly compliant SVG format file generation and editing

↓ 02 – Krita | Open Source | macOS | Windows | Linux

Krita is a professionalm free and open source cross-platform application that offers an end-to-end solution for creating digital art files from scratch. Krita is optimized for frequent, prolonged and focused use. Explicitly supported fields of painting are illustrations, concept art, matte painting, textures, comics and animations. Developed together with users, Krita is an application that supports their actual needs and workflow. Krita supports open standards and interoperates with other applications.

It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone. Krita is a complete creative sketching and painting application with advanced, commercial quality features. Krita has been in development for over 10 years and has had an explosion in growth recently. It offers many common and innovative features to help the amateur and professional alike.

  • Full Color Management – Krita supports full color management through LCMS for ICC and OpenColor IO for EXR, allowing you to incorporate Krita into your existing color management pipeline. Or let it be the start of one: Krita comes with a wide variety of icc working space profiles for every need, with a color space browser to visualise and explore them.
  • OpenGL Enhanced – Krita takes advantages of OpenGL for some of its operations. With OpenGL enabled, you will see increased canvas rotation and zooming speed. The canvas will also look better when zoomed out.
  • PSD Support – Open PSD files that even Photoshop cannot open. Load and save to PSD when you need to take your artwork across different programs.
  • HDR Support – Krita is the only dedicated painting application that lets you open, save, edit and author HDR and scene-referred images. Furthermore, with OCIO and OpenEXR support, you can manipulate the view to examine HDR images, and use it in the most cutting edge workflows from the film and visual effects industries.

↓ 03 – Microsoft Expression Design | Free | Windows

Although discontinued, Microsoft Expression Design is a really good professional illustration vector and raster graphic design tool for web images based on Creature House Expression, which was acquired by Microsoft. Expression Design is a tool for creative professionals and developers who want to build graphics for application user interfaces, the web, or any other medium.

Free graphic editor for mac

The convenience and ease of editing vector graphics in Expression Design can be a cornerstone of your Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Microsoft Silverlight, and web images. Whether you’re a veteran professional illustrator, a designer building a dazzling website, or a budding artist eagerly experimenting with various styles and techniques, you will find Expression Design an indispensable tool for your creative tasks.

  • Drawing: pencil tool (freehand drawing with simple paths), pen tool (creating Bezier curves and straight lines), calligraphy tool (freehand drawing using filled paths representing calligraphic strokes)
  • Shape tools: rectangles (may have rounded corners), ellipses (includes circles, arcs, segments), stars/polygons (can be rounded and/or randomized), spirals
  • Text tool (multiline text, full on-canvas editing)
  • Embedded bitmaps (with a command to create and embed bitmaps of selected objects)
  • Clones (“live” linked copies of objects), including a tool to create patterns and arrangements of clones

↓ 04 – Vectr | Free | macOS | Windows | Linux

Vectr is a free graphics editor that you can use to create vector graphics – graphics that are scalable without the loss of resolution – easily and intuitively. Instead of using pixels, vector graphics use mathematical equations to draw your design. Of course, Vectr performs the math behind-the-scenes, so the only thing you need to focus on is what you’re creating.

Vectr is available online and on your desktop across multiple platforms, allowing for live collaboration and synchronization anytime, anywhere, and with anyone. With Vectr’s easy-to-use interface, anyone can unleash their creativity as an illustrator or graphic designer – we’ll show you how in no time.

  • Node editing: moving nodes and Bezier handles, node alignment and distribution, etc.
  • Converting to path (for text objects or shapes), including converting stroke to path
  • Boolean operations
  • Path simplification, with variable threshold
  • Path insetting and outsetting, including dynamic and linked offset objects
  • Bitmap tracing (both color and b/w)

↓ 05 – Boxy SVG | Free [ Limited] | macOS | All Chrome Browser

Boxy SVG is a Scalable Vector Graphics Editor. Vector graphics editor simillar to Adobe Illustrator®, Sketch™ and Inkscape™. Made with and for the modern Web Platform. Can do illustrations, icons, banners, mockups, charts, buttons and more. Works on Chrome OS, OS X, Linux, Windows and even inside the web browser.

Free Online Vector Graphics Editor

  • Affine transformations (moving, scaling, rotating, skewing), both interactively and by specifying exact numeric values
  • Z-order operations
  • Grouping objects, with a way to “select in group” without ungrouping, or “enter the group” making it a temporary layer
  • Layers, with a way to lock and/or hide individual layers, rearrange them, etc; layers can form a hierarchical tree
  • Copying and pasting objects
  • Alignment and distribution commands

↓ 06 – Gravit | Free | macOS | Windows | Linux

UPDATE: Gravit is not free anymore. Meet Gravit – the cutting-edge design app that will take your creativity to new heights. Gravit offers the creative possibilities of a full-scale design suite – but in a snug app-sized package. Powerful yet easy-to-handle, Gravit has been custom designed from the ground up with an emphasis on versatility, fluidity and elegance – complex design tasks are made simple through its robust suite of tools and highly responsive smart work environment. Express yourself in a new way with Gravit – the new must-have tool for today’s pioneering design professionals! The Most Complete Design Platform. Create and share beautiful designs with the power, flexibility and speed of a free, lightweight and easy-to-use tool, right in your browser.

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