Pros and Cons of Different Graphic Software for a Professional Business
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Pros and Cons of Different Graphic Software for a Professional Business

On November 30, 2022 by

Graphics are often an overlooked part of creating a business. The aesthetic of a company is massively important for not only standing out from the crowd of other businesses, but also being recognizable to the average consumer.  Being a recognizable brand is especially important in oversaturated markets. Additionally, brands that have strong and clean aesthetics look more professional and seem more “trustworthy” to a customer. When your graphics look good, so do your products. Now, there are a variety of different graphic editing software options available, each with their own pros and cons. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are industry standards and have been for decades, but can be expensive for professional use and often come with a learning curve that first time users can find difficult to endure. However, there are less expensive options available such as Sketch, Inkscape and even Gimp. For those who are just starting out, Canva is a good option as it is free to use and has a wide range of features. However, even with paying for it’s pro features there are some limitations with its tools. When it comes to choosing software, it is important to consider what type of graphics you will be creating and what your consumer’s standards are. For example, if you plan on doing a lot of editorial photo editing, then Photoshop would be a better choice. If you want to create vector illustrations, such as logos or mascot creation, then Illustrator would be a better option. If you want something that’s fast and easy to use, Canva would be much more useful than its more expensive competitors. Ultimately, the best software to use is the one that best suits your needs and budget.

Sure, there are hundreds of different types of editing software, but not all software is created equal. There are dozens of programs out there, ranging from free to hundreds of dollars. Well, the industry standard expensive programs must work for my needs right? Not necessarily. If you’re just doing simple things like resizing images or adding text, then a free program like GIMP will probably be just fine. However, if you’re looking to do more advanced things like create complex illustrations or edit videos, then you’ll need something more powerful – and expensive. Professional programs like Photoshop can cost hundreds of dollars, but they’re also much more versatile and give you a much broader way to create beautiful and unique graphics. But, with an Adobe Creative Suite subscription starting at almost $60 a month, it’s a big step for smaller businesses that might not take advantage of all its features. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which program is best for your needs.

Online tools have made it easier than ever to make simple changes to graphics. With graphics programs constantly improving, and getting cheaper, online tools are often underutilized by businesses. Sure, even just five years ago online editing tools were laughably bad and almost useless outside of basic cropping and resizing. Now, with online tools like Canva doing so well, many other online graphic editing software have upped their game. Very advanced tools, like recoloring images,  animating GIFS, and much more are completely free! For example, if you’re looking to create a simple eye-catching gif to add to an email campaign, all it takes is putting together some images and text and clicking “animate”. From there, you can create an easy and eye-catching animation. Save it as a GIF and you’re done!  You can also use the “crop” tool to remove unwanted parts of an image easily and even resize the image entirely- something unknown by online tool editors. With a little bit of practice, anyone can master these basic functions and start making changes to graphics with ease. Canva is known for its user-friendly interface and clearly labeled tool, so it’s much easier to read compared to the hidden tools tucked away and hidden within Adobe products.

 However, Canva is not without its limitations. Outside of its preloaded animation options, there isn’t much room to edit graphics in depth and detail, even with the paid option. Therefore, your animations can often fall stagnant and become boring to look at after a couple uses. Additionally, because Canva is so accessible, it limits how “unique” and identifiable your brand can be. Professional-level retouching is also off limits with Canva as there is no option for a “healing” tool or precise color retouching outside of the standard overall vignettes and filters. Therefore, if your brand calls for more complicated or highly professional detailed edits, Canva might not be worth it for you to invest in.

With that said, there’s plenty to think about in industry standard products like Adobe Creative Suite that go into its steep monthly price tag. Outside of basic editing like cropping and resizing, tools like Photoshop offer a much wider variety than something like GIMP and Canva can. Within one tool, you have the ability to create a frame by frame or video animation. Additionally, tools like dodge and burn and the healing tool can create professional edits on editorial pictures that other free tools can’t compare too. You can also easily add fonts and other Adobe-specific images that free users don’t have access to. This exclusivity gives you the option to create some unique looking branding that stands out from competitors.

However, without the knowledge on how to use these tools effectively, the program is virtually a waste of money. Adobe has a reputation for being a powerful tool with a not-so-user-friendly interface. If you’re unfamiliar with what each tool does, it becomes an extra project to read and understand the program itself. Additionally, if you only want to add text to images or re-size pre-done graphics, it’s a waste to spend almost $60 a month on a program that does what free programs can do easily. But, if you’re a graphic designer with more experience under your belt- its complex tools are worth it in the long run.

That being said, here are some examples of businesses with strong aesthetics that use a wide variety of graphic design programs to reach their desired aesthetic. An obvious example would be Apple. Apple is a company that is well-known for its use of sleek, stylish graphics. From its product packaging to its advertising campaigns, Apple uses carefully edited graphics to create an overall look that conveys simplicity and sophistication. Known for a strong yet simple aesthetic, Apple utilizes programs like Adobe to create such a specific atmosphere for it’s website. This look has helped make Apple one of the most successful companies in the world. Another Adobe fan would be makeup brands like Sephora. In the makeup world, photo retouching is a must in order to keep their models looking smooth and perfect. Thus, Sephore utilizes programs like Photoshop to easily maintain this look. We reached out to the marketing team over at Blankstyle.com, an industry leader in online wholesale apparel, to see what their graphic editing process entails, what software they use and how they use them. When asked, they let us know “We utilize a mix of both free and paid programs as there are benefits to each,” said Zoe-Blankstyle’s Marketing Manager, “Because we are constantly editing images of models in various garments, we will utilize Canva for a quick background removal, which is a task easily completed with one simple click. From there, we will import images into Photoshop for more advanced editing like healing blemishes, re-coloring garments and removing unwanted artifacts. However our promotional offers through our various marketing channels like email, text and social as well as site banners are typically created as vector images in Adobe Illustrator for a result that yields a high quality graphic with crisp lines and edges.” With the use of multiple image editing programs, Blankstyle is able to create a website and brand identity that features a minimal design for a clean and modern aesthetic.

To conclude, there are many graphic tools available with many pro’s and cons. Some cheaper tools can do the trick if you’re in a pinch or don;t have a need for a complicated aesthetic. Yet, some paid tools are worth the money to create a strong and unique brand that can stand out from other competitors. Hopefully the tools and tips we’ve shared are helpful so you can feel confident in your ability to produce beautiful visuals that will help you stand out from the competition. Wishing you all the best in your future business endeavors!

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