We will mention the basic Adobe software , explain what they are for, but also go through some of the alternative solutions that could be useful to you when you are starting to deal with graphic design.

Adobe software and their alternatives

Whatever visual creative work you do, from graphic design, illustration, printing, photography, through web design, to the film and TV industry, Adobe tools will be your essential work tool, and it’s hard to believe that there is anyone who hasn’t heard of it. at least for some of Adobe ‘s “products”. The list of those products is quite long and new ones are constantly appearing, so we will mention only the basic ones.

1. Adobe Photoshop

We won’t be wrong if we say that Adobe Photoshop is mainly used for photo processing and raster graphics ( Bitmap ) , but there is a lot more. Editing of vector graphics and text by layers, 3D, video are just some of the additional functions that exist within Photoshop . The wide range of possibilities that this application has made it one of the most powerful tools, not only for photographers and graphic or web designers, but also for the digital industry in general.

Alternative software ( For Free ) are:

GIMP , Paint.NET , Krita , Photopea , Darktable

2. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is used to create vector graphics. Yes, that’s it. If we already said that Photoshop has a wide range of possibilities, then we can say that Illustrator is focused on “drawing” with the help of vectors. It should not be overlooked that Illustrator is exactly what Photoshop is not and vice versa. From simple graphic elements such as logos, icons and typography, through web design to complex graphics used, for example, in the gaming industry and digital art , Adobe Illustrator is probably the best tool.

The biggest competitor in the battle for Illustrator users is Corel Draw , and we have already written about it before .

Alternative software ( For Free ) are:

Inkscape , BoxySVG , Vectr , Krita

3. Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is most often used in the printing industry, i.e. publishing, both in print and in digital format. To be precise, this tool is the best for turning the pages of flyers, brochures, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books…

This application, in a functional sense, will not bring you anything new compared to the previous two, but you will gain speed, which is very important in the creation of daily newspapers where the folding and printing are completed in one night, as it is unimaginable to do the folding of manuscripts for the book in Photoshop or Illustrator .

Once the biggest competitor to Adobe InDesign was QuarkXPress , which can still be found in some publishers.

Alternative software ( For Free ) are:

Krita , Canva , Scribus

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is used mainly for processing video material. It is mainly used in the film and TV industry, but it is equally used by YouTubers and marketing agencies for the production of commercials, explainer videos, tutorials, music videos, documentary shows, and even the editing of series and films. In addition to raw video footage, Adobe Premiere Pro uses material from other Adobe products such as Photoshop and After Effects . Although it is primarily used for video processing, it is also possible to edit audio material.

Premiere Pro is quick and easy to learn if you know the logic from other Adobe software, but Adobe tried to simplify the process even more, so it “released” an even simpler video editor called Adobe Premiere Rush .

Alternative software ( For Free ) are:

Filmora , Shotcut , Kdenlive , Lightworks, FlexClip

5. Adobe After Effects

Adobe After Effects is a popular tool for visual effects, motion graphics and compositing, that is, combining multiple videos, or images with video. Although you wouldn’t use it to create a full movie, marketing agencies often use it to create shorter animations that are published on a website , in explainer videos or on social networks, for example.

After Effects is also used in post-production in the film, TV and gaming industries to create visual effects such as explosions and lightning strikes. It is also often used for making credits or TV commercials. It is integrated with other Adobe applications, so we can easily import material from Photoshop , Illustrator or Premier .

Alternative software ( For Free ) are:

DaVinci Resolve , Blender

Why is Adobe so far ahead?

Because, we can say, he built his empire on users. According to recent research, Adobe Creative Cloud has grown by as much as 85% in 3 years. At the end of 2017, analysts reported that Adobe had 12 million users. So according to some estimates, it is assumed that Adobe Creative Cloud could have 22+ million subscribers worldwide today.

If someone were to make better software than them, how long do you think it would take them to beat these numbers?

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