Best Software for Vector Graphics

Certain kinds of illustrators and artists will have specific needs for certain projects. One such example is finding the right software for projects that deal with vector graphics. Vector graphics may seem like an unfamiliar concept if you’re used to dealing with high-quality photography. They can provide incredibly detailed images, but the downside is that if they are minimized or downside, their quality becomes reduced. In this guide, we’ll list out our picks for the best software for vector graphics, together with their various features and subscription packages. 

Best Software for Vector Graphics

Digital artists and illustrators have a wide array of tools and software to choose from to create their art. There are all kinds of drawing platforms that are suited to certain art styles. Such as manga and comic book art, traditional painting, and even 3D character modeling. For hardware, there are many great brands of graphic tablets and styluses that you can connect to your computer in order to take control of the drawing and creative process.

Vector graphics, on the other hand, will retain their quality no matter what size you put them in. This makes it suitable for digital printing, where designs are put into cards, posters, and more; as well as animations and logos. 

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1. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for vector graphics design software. It allows its users to create all kinds of graphics with its tools, allowing for even the simplest designs to look incredibly sleek and professional. Illustrator allows you to import your own existing photos and trace an object or the objects in it. You can also choose to freely sketch out your own designs. once you have the base of your design, you can edit the paths, add 3D objects and effects, select all kinds of colors to fill your drawings with, and more.

Illustrator also provides a comprehensive text tool, allowing you to insert all kinds of stylized text. Finally, Illustrator also has all kinds of productivity settings and tools that you can adjust to customize your workspace. Adobe Illustrator is updated frequently, so more features will consistently be added and tweaked to improve the platform.

To use illustrator, you can purchase a monthly subscription for $19.99, or pay yearly for $239.88. You can choose to only pay for Illustrator on its own, but you can also purchase a license for all of Adobe’s Creative Cloud Apps. 

2. Clip Studio Paint

Clip Studio Paint is another popular illustration platform. though known for being able to produce high-quality raster outputs of digital paintings and illustrations, Clip Studio Paint also supports vector images and files. To create a vector illustration on the platform, you simply have to use a vector layer when drawing or painting on your canvas. There are also specific tools that can help you edit your illustrations on the vector layers. These include vector erasers, vector strokes to change the appearance of the illustration’s lines, and color tools to fill in your shapes. 

Clip Studio Paint is another premium drawing software that is highly praised and used within the professional creative industry. To use the software, you can either purchase a lifetime license for $49.99 or subscribe to a monthly plan where you can pay $0.99 per month. 

3. Krita

The final software on our list is Krita. Krita is a unique creative drawing software because not only is its features curated and developed by multiple industry professionals. But it is also completely free to use: making its features all the more accessible to both amateur and professional artists.

Similar to Clip Studio Paint, users can create vector images and illustrations by adding a vector Layer to their canvas. Krita also has dedicated vector tools such as object manipulation and path tools, pattern tools, gradient tools, and more. It also includes an extensive list of brush engines and filters to choose from. 

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What software is best for creating vector graphics?

The best software for vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator. Not only is it the industry standard for creating vector graphic projects. But all of its features cater specifically to this type of graphic format. It also has the most extensive amount of features among available software. 

What is the best free vector graphics program?

Krita is the best vector graphics program that you can access for free. Despite being a free platform, the features on Krita are incredibly advanced, helping you create professional-looking outputs. 

Which tool is used for vector graphics?

For software that does not fully cater to only creating vector graphics, the most common tool you can use to create them is by adding the vector layer tool onto your digital canvas. Otherwise, vector pathing and shape tools are also common in creating vector shapes for illustrations. 

How do I make a vector graphic?

It depends on what software you are using. In Adobe Illustrator, you can simply import an image into your workspace and process it into a vector graphic. 

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