Exploring images in the world of visuals have become a seamless task with Vector graphics. With sophistication and perfectness; you can edit, draw, and modify images, diagrams, and figures by making use of vector graphics software.
Do you know that vector graphics have an unlimited number of uses? From graphic design to page layout along with the freehand illustration users can create high-definition images with this vector graphics art. Among its many uses, printing companies, 3-D graphics, CAD technology are the prime areas where vector images play a more significant role. Also, graphic designers can create precise, scalable, and layered images with this vector graphics technology.
What is a Vector Graphics?
The creation and designing of digital images through a series of commands or mathematical statements that helps in placing lines and shapes in the space of two-dimensional or three-dimensional is known as vector graphics.
In simple terms, it means that vector graphics consist of paths which are defined by the start and endpoint along with other points, curves, and angles. The path can be a line, triangle, curvy shape, or a square. You can make simple or complex drawings with these paths.
Without losing the image quality, you can scale vector-based images to a larger size as they are not made up of dots.
The edges of the object in vector graphics remain smooth and clean. If you want to use non-line art images like digitized photographs or scanned artworks, then you can employ raster graphics.
Raster graphics are pixel-based and to store information they make use of bit maps. But if you want to scale images to different sizes, then the best option is to use vector graphics.
Difference between Vector Graphics and Raster Graphics
What is Vector Graphics software?
The vector graphics software allows users to use mathematical commands to design computer images. It will enable you to create high-definition Illustrations. With vector images, you can create programs without compromising the quality aspect.
Who makes use of Vector Graphics Software?
Graphic designers make use of online vector graphics tools. The designers that mostly make use of this tool are as follows:
What are the features of Vector graphics software?
The prominent features of Vector graphics software are as follows:
Purpose of Vector Graphics Software
For graphic creation, the businesses make use of vector graphics.
What are the benefits of vector graphics software?
In designing, the main advantages of vector graphics software are as follows:
In the market, you will come across various types of Vector Graphics Software. Some would be commercial, open-source, free or cloud-based. If you are associated with small or midsize business and looking for free and open-source vector graphics software, then I must say that you landed on the right page.
In this piece of writing, by getting the insights of the free and open-source vector graphics tools, you will come to know how you can add value to your graphics business.
Have a look of the Comparison chart of free and open-source Vector Graphics software.
Let’s explore the same!
Free and Open-Source Vector Graphics Software
YouiDraw is the open-source vector graphics software that provides a variety of customizable textured brushes to the users. This free vector drawing tool offers modern tools like a pencil for the plain line or sketchy and different color options.
With different color and border size, users can shape new text. This tool is easy to use, very convenient and simple online drawing tool. Its logo design includes lots of features like quick styles, freehand logo tools, graphic templates, and vector logo effects.
The typical users of this software are Startups, agencies, enterprises, and SMEs. It works on HTML5 canvas with Google Drive. Anywhere or anytime, you can access your work. You will find this tool a powerful vector graphic design solution on the web. In various environments, you can express your style and creativity. The software can be integrated with almost all web applications.
(Source: YouiDraw)
Highlights:
- Drawing- It serves as a powerful vector graphic design solution on the web. You can express your style and creativity with this feature.
- Logo Creator- It creates high-quality vector graphics, icons, website elements, HTML5 logos, and buttons.
- Painter- You can work with dozens of customizable brushes, paper textures that seem to be real.
- Template & Style – The different styles and templates graphics will help in improving work efficiency. You will enjoy gradient, simple, and artistic styles.
- Tools- To point edit mode, straight line and curve arc, you can use a pen, pencil, brush, and switch elements.
- Text and shapes- With text button, you can create a shape into canvas, rectangle, ellipse, convex, concave, gear, round-corner rectangle.
- Transform- You can change the size, scale, and position, rotate, skew for the desired shape or text.
- Shape combine- It holds five different combine mode: Union, Intersect, Exclude, divide, and subtract.
Synfig Studio is powerful 2D animation open-source vector graphics software. It works with high dynamic range imaging. You will find that it holds the ability to design the animation in the front-end and at a later time render it with the backend.
With less resources and people, it supports a multitude of layers of different types. You can apply real-time effects to layers or a group of layers. This free vector graphics tool allows experienced animators to create high-quality animations.
You can apply gradients, geometric, fractal, distortions, filters, fractal, and transformation to your animations as it supports a multitude of layers. You can enjoy fast and efficient animation with this app.
(Source: Synfig Studio)
Highlights:
- Vector Tweening- It provides powerful tools to have full control of your vector artwork. Automatically, it calculates in-between frames.
- Layers and filters- It offers 50+ layers to create artwork and animation. You can choose from various layer types like geometric, filters, gradients, distortions, transformations, and fractals.
- Bones – With bitmap images, you can create pattern images. The bone system allows you to control your vector artwork.
- Advanced Controls- You can create sophisticated character puppets and other types of dynamic structures. Directly or through mathematical expressions, you can link parameters of various layers.
- Cross Platforms- It is a cross-platform that works on Windows, OS X, Mac, and Linux.
- Sound support- You can sync sounds music and narration to your videos with this feature.
3 Inkscape
If you are looking for powerful and free vector graphics software, then Inkscape is an ideal choice for you. For Linux, Windows, and macOS, this app works as a professional vector graphics editor.
The interface of this software is transparent, stable, and consistent. The users get various tooltips along with useful information from this versatile and flexible software. Design professionals and hobbyists create a wide variety of graphics like icons, logos, illustrations, maps, diagrams, and web graphics from this open-source vector drawing tool.
With the add-ons feature, the users can customize the functionality of this tool. The graphic designers will find it a hugely adaptable and excellent tool.
This tool produces highly professional vector graphics documents. You will find a fast and easy interface.
(Source:Inkscape)
Highlights:
- Import/Export- It can import and export various file formats that include SVG, AI, PDF, PS, PNG, and EPS.
- Object Creation- It provides various tools for drawing and shapes. You will get embedded bitmaps, text tool, and clones.
- Object manipulation- It works on transformations, Z-order operations that include raising and lowering, grouping objects, layers, and alignment and distribution commands.
- Fill and stroke – You will get color selector, color picker tool, copy/paste style, pattern fills, path makers, dashed strokes, and the gradient editor.
- File formats – It follows SVG format file generation and editing. For export and conversions, it commands line options.
- Create and edits- You can create and edit graphics, logos, diagrams, cartoons, and illustrations that you can scale to a larger or smaller size.
- Vector images – You can convert slogans and easy designs into vector images. You will find the method easy and fast.
4 Vectr (Free)
You can quickly and intuitively create vector graphics with this free vector drawing software known as Vectr. This software is quick to learn and easy to use. Being cross-platform, you can use this app on the web or download to your desktop. In real-time, your work will be automatically saved and synchronized.
This simple yet powerful tool allows users to create and edit beautiful designs, cards, brochures, presentations, website mock-ups, 2D graphics, and blur-free logos. Due to its user-friendly interface, the primary users will find this tool perfect. You can work with shapes, text, and multiple layers with this app.
You should try Vectr if you are looking for simple and free vector software that supports collaboration. It is easy to learn and use. This app holds the potential to be the best web-based vector creation tool.
(Source:Vectr)
Highlights:
- Tools- You can create custom shapes and add text with the pen, pencil, and text tools.
- Real-Time sharing- It allows for real-time collaboration in which you can create and edit designs live.
- Scalable- It scales designs to any size without losing clarity.
- Cross-platform- It can be used on the web or download to your desktop. Across all platforms, the work can be performed.
- 2D graphic- It is used to create 2D graphics and graphics for business cards, greeting cards, websites, illustrations, resumes, brochures, posters, presentations, and icons.
- Import and edit SVGs- It imports and edit SVGs and bitmaps that can be used as a background. It imports in AI, EPS, PNG, and JPEG file formats.
- Multiple layers- This app supports multiple layers and pages that allow you to organize your project.
5 Gravit Designer (free)
Gravit Designer is one of the best free vector graphics editors that provides necessary tool sets to the designers. It is a versatile tool that helps in creating solutions. This app is intuitive and holds powerful vector toolset. You will find advanced and intuitive dashboard, customizable interface, advanced editing tools, and drag-and-drop functionality.
This app works on all platforms. You can open the full power of your creativity with this fast and flexible tool. With a vast array of precision vector tools, you can discover a new world of creativity.
You can edit images for posting, print or larger design project. With this tool, you will enjoy everything that includes image and photo editing from color and lighting adjustments, filters and blending.
(Source: Gravit Designer)
Highlights:
- Smart shapes- For fast and flexible geometric shape creation, it provides smart shape primitives with magic control points.
- Powerful aligning – It provides align to edges and center points of the selection. It aligns to page limits.
- Dashboard- The advanced and supportive dashboard allows its users to set the width and height of the documents.
- Intuitive interface- The customizable, clean, intuitive interface allows users to navigate and explore Gravit designer seamlessly.
- Web and App UI- For web and mobile user, you can create mockups and wireframes to share styles, master pages, symbols, overrides.
- Brand visuals and imagery- This professional vector editing tool provides so many options to create icons, branding, logos, illustrations, and stand-out objects.
- Social Media- You can design stunning images for social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
- Built-in templates and libraries- In no time you can create flyers, banners, business cards, and other collateral.
- Advanced typography- You can gain control over typography like font styles, line, character, paragraph spacing.
- Import/export options- With versatile import and export options, you can import and edit PDF, EPS, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch file formats; and export multi-page PDF documents.
- Reusable design elements and styles – It embraces a fast and efficient design process. Throughout the entire design process, you can quickly select and change the font family.
- Transform and organize objects- With sub-pixel precision, you can scale, rotate, skew, and move design elements. You can organize your designs into pages and groups.
6 Skencil
Skencil is the flexible and powerful free interactive vector drawing application. Shapes like rectangles, ellipses, and curves are used for skencil drawing that can be filled and stroked. It has unlimited undo history.
This open-source vector graphics editor is implemented in a very high-level and interpreted language known as Python. Formerly, this app was known as Sketch and holds the quality of bending a text along a path. You will find this tool intensive, user-friendly, and of higher level.
(Source:Skencil)
Highlights:
- Drawing Primitives- It includes rectangles, external images, EPS images, text, ellipses, and Bézier Curves.
- Export filters- This app writes the drawing to various file formats. For its format, adobe illustrator, PDF and SVG files; this online vector graphics editor holds filters.
- Import filters- It allows this tool to read different file formats. It has import filters for Adobe Illustrator files, Corel CMX, scalable vector graphics, and its file format.
- Blend groups- It automatically updates interpolations of arbitrary objects.
- External images- JPEG and PNG are the external images’ properties for raster image that Python Imaging Library can read.
- Text along a path- It bends text along a way with EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files.
LibreOffice-Draw is the open-source vector graphics software that allows you to produce anything from a quick sketch to an elaborate plan. This tool acts as a means to communicate with graphics and diagrams. For creating technical drawings and general posters, you can use this tool with a maximum page size of 300cm by 300cm.
This free application is included in the LibreOffice suite that is developed by the Document Foundation. You can create simple and complex drawings and can export the same in the standard image formats. In your pictures, you can insert tables, charts, formulas, and other types of items. With this software, you can have a wide variety of graphical images. As per your preference, style, and formatting box you can arrange tools and in just one click you can put all your graphics styles.
(Source:LibreOffice-Draw)
Highlights:
- Vector Graphics- By using lines and curves, it creates vector graphics that are defined by mathematical vectors.
- 3D Objects- In LibreOffice Draw, this tool can create simple 3D objects such as cubes, spheres, and cylinders. It modifies the light source of the objects.
- Connect Objects- To show the relationship between objects; you can connect objects with distinct lines known as “connectors.”
- Grid and Snap Lines- In your drawing, you can align objects with the help of visual cues. You can snap an object to a snap line and grid line.
- Graphic File Formats- It can export many graphic file formats like BMP, GIF, PNG, and JPG.
- Gallery – It includes images, sounds, animations, and other types of items that can be inserted and used in your drawings.
- Displaying Dimensions- To calculate and display linear dimensions, you can use dimensions lines.
- Geometric elements- It stores and displays an image as an assembly of simple elements that include lines, polygons, and circles.
- Smart Connectors- You can effortlessly build flowcharts, organization charts, and network diagrams with intelligent connectors. It allows the conversion of images to a range of image and document formats with the help of a powerful engine.
Although the above mentioned free and open-source vector graphics software are valuable and of top-notch quality, you can give a try to one of the most popular software - AdobeIllustrator to enjoy the artistic work. Let’s move ahead to know this software in detail:
AdobeIllustrator (Famous)
AdobeIllustrator serves as the industry-standard vector graphics software. It allows you to create logos, icons, typography, drawings along with the illustrations for print, web, mobile, and video.
Millions of designers and artists involved in web icons and product packaging to book illustrations and billboards make use of this app to create everything. The designers who want to create digital graphics, drawings, and typography for all kinds of media will find this app perfect.
Graphic designers, web designers, visual artists, and professional illustrators create high-quality artwork with this app. You will find this app versatile and powerful for your graphic design needs.
Everywhere you can draw attention by creating a freehand drawing and by tracing and recoloring the imported photos to enjoy the work of art. Anywhere you can use illustrations that include printed pieces, websites, blogs, social media, and presentations.
(Source:AdobeIllustrator)
Highlights:
- Customizable toolbar – It allows you to add or remove tools so you can have your preference. You can group them as per your choice to enjoy the best outcomes.
- Presentation and Trim Preview- You can easily project and share by turning artboards into slides. With the edges trimmed off, you can see how documents with bleeds will look.
- Global editing- All at once, you can modify repeating text or objects across multiple artboards.
- Freeform gradients- You can give your objects and artwork a natural look and feel by easily creating rich color blends.
- Illustrator CC- It enables graphic designers to create sketches, illustrations, and typography.
- Tools – You will get all the drawing tools that allow you to turn simple shapes into sophisticated logos and graphics.
Wrapping Up
Users can create colorful, detailed, and high-quality illustrated images with vector graphics software. Such software solutions enable graphic designers to create logos or detailed illustrations easily and effortlessly.
I hope the list of free and open-source vector graphics software in this article have made you familiar with the features of the same. Do not fail to share your valuable views in case you have come across with any of the Vector graphics software solutions mentioned above.
You can also explore the full-fledged list of Vector graphics software solutions in GoodFirms platform. From this list, you will come to know about several Vector Graphics software along with their reviews.
If you are looking for other software categories, then click here.
