Doing Without Adobe: How to Save on Work Tools

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Decent alternatives to Photoshop, InDesign, Premier Pro, Lightroom, and Illustrator that don't cost you a dime.

How much does the working software of a designer, artist or editor cost? Using Adobe Creative Cloud applications costs 3,221 rubles per month. If you're working with a group subscription, or if you're purchasing a subscription for just one Adobe app, the cost is reduced, but it's still not insignificant.

Of course, you can always get hold of an unlicensed version of the application you want. But this is illegal. Therefore, sooner or later, anyone probably came up with the idea to use free analogs.

We've rounded up Adobe alternatives that you don't have to pay for. In some ways, these applications are inferior to Adobe, in others they are superior. You can easily try them out and choose a tool for a specific task.

Photoshop alternatives

Gimp

The GIMP (GNU image manipulation program) is a well-known and community-supported analogue of Photoshop. The GIMP has been called the killer of Photoshop since its first version, and while this claim is overly optimistic, GIMP provides most of the functionality it needs.

To Photoshop users, this program seems unusual due to its multi-window interface. To make GIMP look like Photoshop, choose Single Window Mode from the Window menu.

GIMP supports a wide variety of plugins. It can work with proprietary Photoshop formats too, although it doesn't handle layers very well.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download GIMP →

Krita

A professional yet free drawing-oriented solution. Suitable for artists and concept designers.

The Krita program is well documented and you shouldn't have any difficulty getting to grips with it. There are layers, smart selection, filters and many more features that cover all common needs. The gallery on the Krita website demonstrates how impressive work can be created in the free app too.

Supports drawing with Wacom, Huion, Yiynova, Surface Pro tablets.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Krita →

Paint. NET

Paint. NET is not as powerful as Photoshop or GIMP, but much lighter and faster. Why download these hulking omnivorous monsters when you need to quickly crop or compress an image? However, Paint. NET can do quite a bit, and if necessary, you can add the necessary functions using plugins.

Paint. NET editor is only available for Windows. If you need a similar app for other operating systems, try Pinta. It is an open source Paint. NET clone that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Platforms: Windows.

Download Paint. NET →

Pixlr

Pixlr is developed by Autodesk, a manufacturer of products such as AutoCAD, Maya, and 3DS Max.

The good thing about the program is that it can be used in Windows 10, in a browser window or in a mobile application. The web version and the mobile app are free. The Windows 10 version can also be used for free, or you can pay for a $ 15 subscription for some additional features.

Platforms: Windows, Web, Mobile.

Download Pixlr →

Illustrator alternatives

Inkscape

Inkscape is the same free Illustrator alternative as GIMP is for Photoshop. This is a very high quality product that can do almost everything that Illustrator can do. It has a large number of tools and a simple interface, and plugins add new features to Inkscape.

Inkscape can get confusing at first. It will be easier for you to understand this editor by looking at numerous tutorials, for example from designer Nick Saporito.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Inkscape →

Vectr

Vectr is another good vector graphics editor. It's free, but the developers are planning to add some paid features. Vectr has a simple and intuitive interface. It has import and export functions, filters, a font tool, and more.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web.

Download Vectr →

SVG-Edit

SVG-edit is a fast open source web editor. It works in any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge) and has most of the necessary functions for working with vector graphics.

Platforms: Web.

Download SVG-Edit →

Gravit Designer

Gravit Designer can work both as a standalone application and in a browser. This is a professional application that has extensive capabilities for creating vector images. Supports contouring, working with text and layers, and numerous drawing tools.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web.

Download Gravit Designer →

Lightroom alternatives

Raw therapee

Raw Therapee claims to be the best Lightroom replacement, and in some places significantly surpasses this program. Although the interface is rather heavy here, the functionality of the application is very good. Raw Therapee supports finely tuned photo processing algorithms, advanced noise reduction and many other operations required by professional photographers and retouchers.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Raw Therapee →

Darktable

Darktable is not much inferior to Lightroom and Raw Therapee. It is a free open source editor. Darktable is faster and lighter than Raw Therapee, and has a slightly more user-friendly interface.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Darktable →

PhotoScape X

PhotoScape seemed abandoned until recently. But development continued, and a new version of the editor, PhotoScape X, was released. In addition to its rich image processing capabilities, PhotoScape X can create GIFs and collages.

Platforms: Windows, macOS.

Download PhotoScape X →

Photivo

Free open source Photivo provides all the features you need to work with RAW files: there are color channels, filters, presets, and bulk image processing. Photivo can export images to GIMP or save the finished file in any popular formats.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Photivo →

Alternatives to Premiere Pro

Shotcut

Shotcut has an impressive list of features. According to the developers, it supports hundreds of audio and video formats. The user-friendly interface includes customizable panels and a playlist with previews. Give Shotcut a try and you will see that it is the perfect solution for professionals.

Work on Shotcut is ongoing and the app is updated every one to three months. So if it's not the best replacement for Premiere Pro, it will soon be.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Shotcut →

OpenShot

OpenShot is not updated as actively as Shotcut, but it is more stable and works just as well. It has all the necessary features and functions for video processing and editing.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download OpenShot →

Lightworks

Lightworks is a professional video editor that has edited films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The King's Speech! and Pulp Fiction. It can do everything that Premiere Pro can do. But Lightworks is still slightly better, at least in that it has a completely free version. Yes, you can't cut videos sharper than 720p in it, but if this is not critical for you, you can try Lightworks. The Pro version costs $ 450.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Lightworks →

HitFilm Express

HitFilm Express is a powerful free video editing tool. You will have to pay only for some video editor plugins.

Platforms: Windows, macOS.

Download HitFilm Express →

InDesign alternatives

Scribus

Scribus is a well-known free program for layout of multi-page files: magazines, newspapers, brochures and books. Scribus is stocked with quality documentation and has all the necessary features for prepress, except perhaps support for the proprietary InDesign format. However, you can import typeset pages from Post Script.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Download Scribus →

Are you using any other Adobe tool alternatives? Share in the comments.