So, here we present to you an exclusive list of 10 Best Free Graphic Design Software for you to go through. Select the one that suits your requirements. 10 Best Free Graphic Design Software: 1. Canva: Canva is an amazing free web based app. In fact, one of the best free graphic design software for beginners as well as professionals. Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is a photo-editing and designing software that is mainly. License: Demo OS: Windows 7 Windows 8 Windows 10. For photo editing, free graphic design software Paint.NET is an excellent alternative to Photoshop. Platform: Windows; Download here; Paint.NET is a Windows-based alternative to the Paint editor that Microsoft shipped with versions of Windows. Don't let that put you off, though, as it's surprisingly capable, useful graphic design software.
Why should I consider installing a GPU Benchmark Software for Windows?
Put simply, the GPU or Graphical Processing Unit, which comprises video and graphics cards, helps your computer render video, images, and 2D and 3D animation.
Now imagine this scenario, you put in a shiny new graphics card but still don’t get to see the performance you expect out of it in a game. Why is that happening? Is your graphics card any less than one of its counterparts.
It is at this point that a GPU benchmark test can prove to be useful. This test is used to compare the performance, efficiency, and speed of your Graphics Processing Unit. We have eased out things for you. Here we have mentioned some of the best GPU Benchmark Software.
First thing’s first, what is a GPU Benchmark Software? Read on!
What Is A Graphic Card Benchmark Software?
A graphics card benchmark software or GPU benchmark software is an accurate way of putting GPUs to the test and pushing them to their maximum limit. This let us insight on important facets such as temperature, FPS, clocking speed, load, model name, how much stress is put on the GPU, etc. Plus, they are also a great way to check the graphics card configuration.
What Are The Types Of Benchmarking Software?
There are two types of benchmarks – (i) Real-time and (ii) Synthetic.
Real-Time Benchmarking:
It is also known as real-world benchmarking, which gives accurate insights on frames per second, and that is while a gamer is playing a game or while a video is run.
Synthetic Benchmarking:
Are more like artificial programs that try to match characteristics of a set of large programs. It displays big numbers that are not as accurate as real-time benchmarking.
Top 15 Best Graphic Card Benchmark Software
We’ll now look at some of the best Software for GPU benchmarking, which you can install or access for free.
1. MSI Afterburner
Undoubtedly one of the best free GPU benchmark software available gives you the complete control of your graphics card and keeps track of its overclocking. With MSI Afterburner, you can strike the right balance between GPU temperature and performance.
Other Features:
- Can be used with all brands of graphic cards
- A variety of overclocking tools that give access to your graphics card settings
- OC Scanner for performance boost
- The hardware monitor keeps tabs on clock speed, temperature, usage, and voltage
- Custom fan profile
2. 3DMark Basic Edition
This is another graphics card test software that tells you how the graphics card in your computer fairs up compared to other graphics cards. For installing the free version, you can head to the steam store and click on the “download demo” button. Supports Time Spy, Fire Strike, Night Raid, and Sky Diver benchmark tests for Windows 10 PC.
Other Features
- Automatically detects your hardware and suggests the best benchmark.
- Comprehensively displays clock speeds, changes in frame rate, and GPU temperatures
- Customizable settings
- Available in several languages
3. Catzilla
Be it a high-resolution video or a game; the GPU has to be powerful enough to sustain both. And, if you have a spec of doubt whether your computer will be able to handle such games and videos, test it with Catzilla. It is a free GPU benchmarking program that uses algorithms found in high-resolution PC video games and other graphic-intensive applications.
Other Features (of the free version):
- You can enable a 720-pixel test
- Record and compare scores with others and send them to Catzilla’s top list
- After benchmark results pertaining to hardware and software are provided, you can tweak PC settings
- Also tells you if your Windows needs and updates and if drivers are outdated
4. GFXBench
When talking about GPU test software, a name that immediately comes to mind is GFXBench. It is a high-end GPU benchmarking application created for the Next-Gen graphics. Once you select your desired API, you can start the test and compare the tests with other similar graphics card.
Other Features:
- Easy to use interface which lets you perform in-application comparisons
- Detects API of your device and runs high-level tests accordingly
- Can even test low-level API’s like DX12, Metal, and Vulkan
Also Read: How To Reinstall Graphics Card Driver
5. UserBenchmark
UserBenchmark is graphics card test software that has already been tested by millions of users on their computers. With this application, you can test how speedy your GPU is in less than a minute. If you are making a buying decision for your next GPU, you can visit their website and look at the topmost graphic cards and compare them with other counterparts.
Other Features:
- Stresses GPU to estimate 3D gaming performance via DirectX
- Measures GPUs ability to render frames
- Calculates GPUs performance with regards to geometry shading
6. Unigine 2
Is one of the best free GPU benchmark software which tests the graphics performance of your computer. It even tests your GPU’s stability and checks if it can work in a high-intensive gaming environment. You can trust the results given by Unigine Heaven as it offers 100 % GPU bound benchmarking. Apart from measuring the performance of the GPU, it even monitors clocking.
Other Features:
- Real-time scene rendering
- Supports multi-monitor configurations as well as stereo 3D
- Checks your PC for the cooling system and power supply
- Presence of different themes – Valley, Superposition, Tropics, Sanctuary, and Heaven
7. MSI Kombustor
MSI Kombustor is a dedicated GPU benchmark and stress test software that uses cutting edge Vulkan and OpenGL API. It is based on the renowned FurMark software. MSI Kombustor is not just a GPU test software, but it even pushes your GPU to perform to the maximum limit.
Other Features:
- Decent and easy to use customizable interface
- Shows exact temperature and how much load a game or video is putting on it
- A burn-in benchmarking tool which tests your GPU’s thermal performance as well as stability
8. OCCT
Is a no-nonsense GPU test software that is known to put heavy loads on your computer’s hardware, but it gives accurate hardware errors. It tests overclocking parameters like frequency, voltage, and resolution.
Other Features:
- Use MEMTEST to check errors in graphic card memory and POwer supply test for testing PSU
- Has a powerful graphics rendering engine
- Free for personal use and payable for corporate use
- Detects most errors in 5 minutes of deployment
9. PassMark
Another software that can tell you that your GPU is worth the money is PassMark. Using its PerformanceTest, you can test your GPU. It is supported on Windows 10/ 8/ 7 and even the lower versions as well. You can install the trial version for 30 days.
Other Features:
- Compare how your GPU is fairing up in comparison to other GPUs
- 2D graphic test include bitmaps, fonts, text, vectors, and other GUI elements
- Run PerformanceTest directly from the USB
- 3D graphic test include DirectX 9-12, OpenCL tests and DirectCompute tests
10. Novabench
A free GPU benchmarking program, Novabench assesses both the graphic and processing abilities of your computer. After determining these parameters, it gives you a score that you can further share with your friends. It is quick in delivering results and takes merely a couple of minutes.
Other Features:
- Gives a comprehensive comparison of the specs
- You may not need to install it, and it can run directly using USB
- GPU tests include OpenCL compute test and Direct3D 11/ Metal graphics test
11. FurMark
If you are a gamer and looking for a lightweight graphic card benchmark software, your search might just end at FurMark, which comes from Geeks3D. It might not be as flashy as its counterparts, but it gives you a sufficient amount of information pertaining to your graphics card. And, it is a decent GPU stress test and stability tool.
Other Features:
- Can also efficiently monitor GPU temperature
- Contains GPU benchmarks for presets ranging from 720p to 4K
- Utilizes GPU-Z, GPU Shark, and CPU burner tools
12. Superposition
Superposition comes from the makers of Heaven. It offers exceptional stability and performance tests for PC hardware, including power supply, video card, cooling system, etc. It’s free of cost, and it can compare your graphics card with the leaders on Unigine. The visuals are powered by Unigine 2 engine.
Features:
- Offers clock monitoring and GPU testing
- Comes with dynamic lighting technology
- You can check your GPU’s performance of integrated mini-games
- Customizable settings
13. Cinebench 15
Though it is primarily intended to be a CPU benchmarking application yet, it is undoubtedly one of the best software to test graphic cards. It runs on OpenGL API. It lays down a comprehensive comparison of your graphic card compared to other brands through a series of tests.
Features:
- Compares real-world tasks with a rendering of an image
- The test is based on high-resolution textures, million polygons, and various effects
- It also checks frames per second
14. CPUID powerMAX
At the outset, CPUID powerMAX tests your GPU in the most stressful environments to catch hold of errors. More specifically, it performs a burn-in test so that the GPU’s temperature and power dissipation can be maximized.
Features:
- Easy to use minimalistic interface
- CPU and GPU are simultaneously tested
- A burn-in test is performed wherein a 3D scene is run, which lays stress on GPU.
15. AIDA64
AIDA is a great GPU test software that gives you comprehensive GPU details pertaining to all major brands’ graphic cards. It also comes with a sensor panel that provides you with information pertaining to sensors on your PC. While it is not entirely free, the trial version comes for 30 days.
Other Features:
- Uses a 64-bit multi-threaded stress testing module to let the computer use its maximum limits
- Also tells you about GPU temperature.
- Keeps you updated on any hardware issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best GPU Test Software?
While all the above GPU benchmarking software are the best, depending on the usage and size, you could go for MSI Afterburner, Unigine 2, or even GFXBench. However, all these GPU testing applications would give you accurate results that would further optimize your GPU.
What Is The Need Of A Graphic Card Benchmark Software?
In a nutshell, it tells you if your graphics card is functioning correctly or not. And, in case it has overclocked, the graphics card benchmark software would be able to tell you if it is stable or not. It would continuously keep you updated on frames per second or any stutters that generally occur if there are any graphics card errors in a high-intensive gaming environment.
How To Check Graphic Card Configuration On Your PC?
You could either use one of the above-mentioned GPU test software or follow the path mentioned below if you are a Windows 10 PC user –
Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings (Option under Multiple displays) > See Display information. We’d still suggest that you choose a GPU benchmarking software as it would give you a real-time picture of your GPU when pitted against a game or video.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, these are some of the best GPU benchmark software that can help you test your GPU’s capability under stressful environments and then you can optimize your computer’s settings accordingly. If the blog helped, give us a thumbs up and follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
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Whether you are an amateur graphic designer or an experienced digital artist, using the right tools can multiply your talent exponentially. A well-built graphic design software provides intuitive controls and flexibility that can be easily understood by a beginner but also has vastly superior tools for an experienced user.
The best way to know which software would suit you best is to get hands-on with the tool and experiment with them. Each of the software is characterized by its features, ease of use, performance, cost, and availability. Many paid graphic design software provide a free trial for users to give them a better understanding of the product.
We have researched and put together a list of the best graphic design software in the field today. These tools are tried and tested and can help you create spectacular custom designs that will leave your clients spellbound. Graphic design can be used to take your portfolio website to the next level. Do check out our list of the top 25 Online Graphic Design Courses that will help you improve graphic design skills. And while you are honing your graphic design skills, don't forget to create your graphic design portfolio website to showcase your work. Your design portfolio represents a window for the world to view your work and judge your talent, skills, and experience. So, if you haven’t built a website to showcase your design portfolio, start today with Pixpa. Here are some great examples of graphic design portfolios created on Pixpa for your inspiration.
Get ready to express yourself in stunning new ways and create awesome digital art with ease and efficiency!
Best Paid Graphic Design Software
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is arguably the most popular software for graphic design and is used by millions of artists around the world. Whether you are looking to create banners, posters, websites, or logos, this best graphic design software can do it all for you. From small edits to sophisticated designs, Adobe Photoshop has tools for every level. If you are someone who works with illustrative designs, you can even draw or paint anything you like.
Along with image editing, you can create naturalistic artwork and composition in this software. You can define the size of your canvas, isolate elements from backgrounds, create custom brushes, work in 3D, do much more.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Sketch
Sketch is a Mac-only graphic design program that focuses mainly on digital design. These digital designs are used to create websites, apps, and interfaces. Unlike Photoshop, Sketch isn’t built for photo editing or print work. With Sketch, you can create a prototype by collaborating with other designers on the platform itself. The program has a smart layout feature in which the component will automatically resize based on the content. There are hundreds of plugins in the software which will let you do vector editing and other design work with precision down to the pixel. Digital icons are another thing that can be created through this software. Sketch, on the downside, is not great for print design or illustrations.
Platform: Mac
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a design software that is centered around vector design. You can create artwork, icons, posters, etc. and the designs created in Adobe Illustrator can be used in business cards or billboards and from smartphones to 8k screens. You can use this software to draw, mix, and refine designs to create something spectacular. Adobe has made a mobile version called Adobe Illustrator Draw, which is one of the best graphic design apps out there.
To draw, you can use the shaper tool and create vector shapes. Geometric shapes can be added to other outlines and can be moved, reshaped, and scaled. Even the fonts in the software can be manipulated according to your needs by adjusting their weight, slant, or width. For beginners, Adobe provides professionally designed templates to save time. The user interface of the program is helpful, but there is a steep learning curve to get good at illustrator.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Affinity Designer
The Affinity Designer is a cheaper alternative to illustrator, which is especially suitable for someone who is in the early stage of design career. The software is known to work smoothly, which can improve your workflow and make you express your creativity more freely. You can move and zoom your artwork at 60fps; see the gradients, effects, and adjustments changing live along with the transforms and curve edits.
Affinity Designer lets you work on both vector and raster workspaces, and you can switch between them easily. This software can work on any device, and you can create unlimited artboards within it. Affinity designer provides a graphic design app for the iPad with the same features offered on the desktop versions. Advanced color controls are provided where you can work in RGB or LAB color spaces with up to 32-bits per channel. You can find a wide range of toolset in the program which can be used to achieve a high level of accuracy and productivity. The grids and guides are fully customizable, where you can change the spacing, sub-divisions, gutters, angles, etc. Another powerful feature of Affinity designer is that you get floating-point accuracy by zooming your artwork, even by more than a million per cent.
Platform: Windows, iPad, and Mac
Adobe InDesign
Another software by Adobe that can be used to create designs is the Adobe InDesign. This graphic design software is used primarily in the publishing industry because you can design magazines, info sheets, books, posters, interactive PDFs, brochures, etc. with it. With the ‘adjust layout’ option that InDesign provides, you can change the text of your document, and the graphic will adjust accordingly.
The properties panel has been redesigned to give you more intuitive control over the tools. The Sensei technology integrated into InDesign makes the automatic arrangement and resizing of images. Free download pdf reader for apple ipad. Beginners can quickly learn this graphic design software because it has a low learning curve. To work with other members of your team in creating a design, you can use Adobe InCopy. The Creative Cloud Libraries can help you share text, colors, and graphics with other members.
Platform: Windows and Mac
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019
CorelDRAW was earlier built only for Windows OS; it is now available for Mac as well. With this graphic design program, you can create professional vector illustrations. There are powerful design tools to help you work faster and smarter. You will find numerous customization options, whether you are working on logos, web design, or print projects. CorelDRAW now uses AI technology to provide you with LiveSketch, which converts sketching into precise vector curves. The suite contains tools for graphic design as well as layout. It has Photo-Paint and Corel Font Manager for photo editing and font management.
The software has web graphic tools and presets to develop creative web content; you can publish directly into your Wordpress site through it. The file compatibility is also overwhelming; the program supports over 100 file formats.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Xara Designer Pro X
Xara Designer is built for both bitmaps and vectors. The program can handle desktop publishing, graphic design, illustration, photo editing, all in one place. The graphic design software provides you with hundreds of template layouts, design elements, and over a million archive photos to get you started quickly. While drawing any shape, lines, or curves using vectors, you would not face any loss in quality when you scale it up. You can create custom design elements and use them in any of your designs. Tools like gradients, outlines, and transparency in the software will give your artwork a special touch.
Platform: Windows
Best Free Graphic Design Software
GIMP
GIMP is a free graphic design software that works on many platforms like Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. GIMP is an open-source program that allows you to change its source code and distribute the program. There are many customization programs and 3rd party plugins that can be used in GIMP to improve your productivity and create better designs. GIMP can also be used to retouch images, wherein you can even make creative composites. Interface components and mockups can also be designed, along with print designs such as icons and logos.
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac
Gravit Designer
This is another free graphic design software that can be used to create vector-based designs. You can create logos, edit photos, and create animations and illustrations in this program. Gravit does not have an offline version in the free plan. The software is fully customizable according to the user’s needs. The pro version of Gravit is paid and has more advanced features like advanced export options, offline version, more color space, etc.
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS
Inkscape
Inkscape, like many other platforms, provides multi-purpose use. It can be used by designers, illustrators, or web designers. The software has flexible drawing tools, which make it easy for beginners to understand the software and create art without difficulty. As the text is an integral part of graphic design, Inkscape has a powerful text tool at your disposal. This software is open source and can be used with any platform. A designer has to spend some time to understand how to use this software. This software is best used to create images that are vector-based and needs to be required in SVG format. Inkscape provides a lot of filters and a helpful community for the designer to grow.
Platform: Windows, Linux, and Mac
Vectr
Free graphics software, Vectr can be used to create vector graphics. These vectors created won’t lose their quality when scaled. Vectr doesn’t use pixels to create the design; it uses mathematical equations. This free graphic design software is available both online and for desktop. Vectr provides you with an easy to use platform which you can use to create any 2D graphics. It can be business cards, logos, posters, brochures, etc.
Vectr provides you with detailed guides on how to use the program, which you can use to learn and create anything with your imagination.
Platform: Windows, Web Browser, Linux, Mac, and Chrome OS
Canva
If you have no previous experience in designing and you are looking for something very easy, then Canva is for you. This free online graphic design software allows you to create designs easily and quickly. There are a ton of templates, fonts images, many of which are free to use. Canva works on the drag and drop concept, where you only need to select the elements and drag it to your work area and customize it. This program does not provide you with advanced features like Photoshop. It, however, solves a beginner’s design need who doesn’t want to get into the process of learning and purchasing premium software. Canva is available as a graphic design app that can be used in Apple and Android devices. The basic features in Canva are free; you will, however, be charged if you want to use more features in it.
Platform: Web Browser, Android, iOS
PixTeller
PixTeller is an easy to use editor tool that can be used to create graphic images (downloadable in PNG, JPG, PDF format) and animations (downloadable in MP4, GIF format). Anyone can use it to make images, animated gifs & videos for personal or business use, with no technical or design knowledge. Creating graphics is a time demanding process, but with this design tool, anyone can make personalized visuals from scratch or by customizing any pre-made templates in minutes.
Platform: Web Browser
Design Wizard
Design Wizard is an online graphic design software, the pricing of which starts at free and increases along with the features. This graphic design software provides users with more than a million curated images, 15000+ templates. Another interesting feature of Design Wizard is its integration with Hubspot, Marketo, and Buffer.
Platform: Web Browser
Infinite Design
This graphic design app is built only for Android devices, which can be used to create vector graphics. The app can be used to create complex and eye-catching designs without much effort. As the name suggests, this app provides an infinite canvas where you can zoom, pan, or rotate. There are four types of symmetry that you can experiment with, and there are unlimited layers that you can work on. This app provides advanced features also like translate, scale, flip, distort, etc. The image you are creating on the graphic design app can be turned into a fully editable vector path. Media compression software. The advanced features in this app are accessible by purchasing it only.
Platform: Android
Amd Graphics Software Windows 10
Adobe Comp
Adobe Comp is a graphic design app designed to be used along with other Adobe software like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. Designs can be created with the use of text and shapes. Adobe provides free fonts from Typekit library, which are the same as desktop. With Comp, you can convert your rough designs into crisp graphics and finish the designs on your desktop with other Adobe software.
Platform: iOS and Android
Graphic design software in the early days was hard to use. Technology has come a long way, and software is now intuitive and helps a user express creativity more freely. Selecting the right platform would depend on your work and what you want to achieve with the software.
Businesses are always on the lookout for good graphic designers to boost their business. Therefore, as a graphic designer, you need to present your work in a stunning way through a website. Your design portfolio is the prism through which your work will be evaluated by new clients and potential employers. A great design portfolio can propel you towards success, open up new opportunities and get you just the kind of work you want. However, failing at putting your best foot forward with your design portfolio can lead to rejects and spell doom.
Given that it can make or break your career, creating your design portfolio in itself becomes the most important design exercise of your career. With online design portfolio websites becoming the default medium of presenting your work to the world, its important to make sure that you understand the dos and don'ts of a successful design portfolio website. We had earlier put together a comprehensive guide on 20 pro tips that every designer needs to follow to create a successful online design portfolio website.
Free Windows Graphics Software
However, just following any guide is not enough. You also need to think out of the box, find your own expression and figure out how to present your work in the best way possible. That's where a bit of inspiration comes in handy. At Pixpa, we have witnessed (and helped) thousands of designers around the world create their design portfolio websites. We have curated a list of our favorite design portfolio websites for you to explore and learn from.
Disclaimer: The images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the final product. All images are copyright to their respective owners.
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