[indent][indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/lALZLkn.png[/img]

[color=#E2B0C9]CHOOSING YOUR DESIGN TOOLS[/color][/center]

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[color=#F2F2F2]So you want to design your own stuff. Where do you start? An easy place would be choosing design software. It's the tool that allows you to manipulate and create images in varying formats. The important thing to remember here, however, is that tools are just that: tools. They don't substitute the actual skill and creativity of the designer, and you can create a beautiful piece of artwork regardless of the tool. I'm just going to list some design software (starting from paid to free) and the pros and cons of each.

[color=#E2B0C9][h3]Raster Graphics Editors[/h3][/color]Raster graphics editors are pixel based editors. Think photo manipulation tools like Adobe Photoshop. It may be harder to resize things while maintaining the same quality. They're great for editing existing photos and graphics that you know are going to be a set size. It also gives you slightly more control if you want to edit an image pixel by pixel.

[url=https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html]Adobe Photoshop[/url] ($20-$50/month)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Most commonly known design software
[*]Lots of learning resources online that can be easily followed
[*]A ton of different tools for all kinds of art purposes
[*]Has the most features out of everything on this list
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Very expensive ($$$$); costs $50/month for the entire Adobe Creative Cloud, or $20/month for just Photoshop
[*]Has too many tools for a hobbyist designer that would ultimately be useless
[*]Requires some time dedication to learn all the functions
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/]Affinity Photo[/url] ($49.99)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Mostly comparable to Photoshop
[*]Learning curve is supposedly smaller than Photoshop's
[*]Cheap design software but still very good quality
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Costs money ($$); one time cost of $49.99 USD
[*]Doesn't come with every feature that Photoshop comes with
[*]Learning resources are limited
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[url=https://www.gimp.org/]GIMP[/url] (Freeware)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Completely Free
[*]Does mostly what an amateur designer would want
[*]Has a decent amount of learning resources online
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Complicated and unintuitive UI
[*]Not as comprehensive as Photoshop
[*]Complicated tasks take much more time to complete
[*]Learning curve is high due to UI layout
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[url=https://www.photopea.com/]Photopea[/url] (Free-Browser Based)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Completely free
[*]Opens a variety of design files (.psd, .ai, .sketch and more)
[*]Comes with a majority of features that hobbyist designers would want
[*]Downloaded fonts show up in the fonts list
[*]Learning curve is so easy just by playing with it
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Not as comprehensive as Photoshop
[*]Work area feels/looks small
[*]You can accidentally close the browser and lose your work
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[url=https://pixlr.com/editor/]Pixlr Editor[/url] (Free-Browser Based)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Completely free
[*]Comes with most features that a hobbyist designer would want
[*]Downloaded fonts show up in the fonts list
[*]Easier to learn than Photoshop
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Not as comprehensive as Photoshop
[*]Huge fucking ads take up screen space
[*]You can accidentally close the browser and lose your work
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[color=#E2B0C9][h3]Vector Graphics Editors[/h3][/color]Vector graphics editors are vector based editors, so it relies on mathematical algorithms to create lines and shapes. Because of this, you don't lose quality if the graphics are made bigger or smaller. The downside is that it doesn't offer the same photo manipulation that raster editors often do, but it's a good choice for illustrations and logos.

[url=https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html]Adobe Illustrator[/url] ($20-$50/month)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Lots of learning resources online that can be easily followed
[*]Less intensive on memory than Photoshop
[*]A lot of different features for all kinds of art purposes
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Very expensive ($$$$); costs $50/month for Adobe Creative Cloud, or just $20/month for Illustrator
[*]No image manipulation like with Photoshop
[*]A majority of the tools probably wouldn't be used by hobbyist designers
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/]Affinity Designer[/url] ($49.99)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Combines raster and vector graphics (features of Photoshop and Illustrator in one program)
[*]Cheap design software but still very good quality
[*]Friendlier UI than Photoshop or Illustrator (in my own opinion)
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Costs money ($$); one time cost of $49.99 USD
[*]Not as comprehensive as either Photoshop or Illustrator
[*]Learning resources are limited since it's newer software
[/list][/indent][/indent]

[url=https://inkscape.org/]Inkscape[/url] (Freeware)
[indent][indent]Pros (+)
[list]
[*]Completely free
[*]Has a decent amount of learning resources on the Internet
[*]Comparable(ish) to Adobe Illustrator
[/list]
Cons (-)
[list]
[*]Can't save files to .jpeg (though there's an extension for this)
[*]Missing some of the more advanced functions that are offered in Illustrator
[*]Inkscape UI looks really dated and can take some figuring out
[/list][/indent][/indent]

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In my own personal opinion, the tool does not make the designer, and more expensive tools do not equate to better designs. In fact, I would recommend against getting Adobe products for the amateur/hobbyist designer. [b]DO NOT get them.[/b] They're so expensive, and I've always told people that if you're not getting paid for what you create, there is absolutely no sense in getting Adobe products. That being said, I do think the Affinity programs are great buys for the value. I've seen people create amazing stuff using them, and if you have the $50 USD lying around to spend on it, it would be a great tool to have.

Ultimately, the real standouts on this list (for me, at least), are [url=https://www.photopea.com/]Photopea[/url] and [url=https://pixlr.com/editor/]Pixlr Editor[/url]. [b]I think these are your best bet for free design software.[/b] They're amazing browser-based image editing tools that offer most of what hobbyists would utilize. They definitely would be enough to create something beautiful to use as an avatar or signature, and would be more than enough to have attractive roleplaying graphics. Plus, they're free, and who doesn't like free shit?

[url=https://inkscape.org/]Inkscape[/url] [b]is fun if you want to try a vector based software.[/b] It may take some learning, but you'll find that with things you'd maybe want to resize (like custom logo text), it's much easier using vectors to resize, and you never lose quality. It's also fun if you want to use a simple image and give it a more illustrated feel by converting it to vector shapes.[/color][/indent][/indent]