The Best Adobe Alternatives For 2024 (Free Software TIER LIST)

Davies Media Design
28 Aug 202313:18

TLDRIn this video, the host presents a tier list of Adobe alternatives for 2024, including both free and commercial software. WordPress is ranked as an S-tier CMS for website design, while GIMP is a B-tier photo editor lacking some advanced features of Photoshop. Blender is an S-tier software for 3D animation and video production, and Darktable is a B-tier choice for raw image processing with a steep learning curve. Scribus, a desktop publishing software, is considered a D-tier alternative to InDesign. Krita is an A-tier digital painting software with unique features, and Penot, a UI/UX prototyping tool, is also ranked A-tier due to its developer activity and adoption. Da Vinci Resolve is an S-tier video editing software, and Drupal, another CMS, is a B-tier option. Inkscape, a vector graphics editor, is C-tier due to stability issues. Commercial alternatives include Affinity by Serif, an A-tier suite offering photo, design, and publishing tools, and Canva, an S-tier browser-based design platform for non-designers, offering collaboration and AI features.

Takeaways

  • 🌟 WordPress is considered an S-tier CMS for designing websites without coding, being the industry standard with a large community and support.
  • 🎨 GIMP is a powerful free photo editing software but has fallen to a B-tier due to lacking features like adjustment layers and AI implementation compared to Photoshop.
  • 🚀 Blender is an S-tier software for 3D animation, sculpting, and video production, recognized for its constant innovation and development.
  • 📈 Darktable is a B-tier raw processing software, offering scientific and manual adjustments for high-quality image results, though it has a steep learning curve.
  • 📚 Scribus, a desktop publishing software, is considered a D-tier alternative to InDesign, needing UI/UX updates and more features for better competitiveness.
  • 🖌️ Krita is an A-tier digital painting software with unique features and a strong community, excelling specifically in digital art creation.
  • 🎨 Penpot is an A-tier UI/UX prototyping tool, similar to Figma, with growing adoption and developer activity, positioning it as a strong alternative.
  • 🎬 DaVinci Resolve is an S-tier video editing software, offering professional features and considered a solid alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro.
  • 🌐 Drupal is a CMS similar to WordPress but with a steeper learning curve and less third-party support, categorized as a B-tier software.
  • ✍️ Inkscape is a C-tier vector graphics software, a good alternative to Illustrator with recent feature updates but needs stability improvements.
  • 💼 Affinity by Serif is an A-tier suite of professional design tools comparable to Adobe's offerings, with a unified interface and new features like Studio Link.
  • 📈 Canva is an S-tier online design and creation tool, aimed at non-designers, offering collaboration features and expanding its market with AI and video editing capabilities.

Q & A

  • What is the industry standard for designing websites without coding?

    -WordPress is the industry standard for designing websites without coding, as it is the most popular CMS platform in the world and offers a lot of support and third-party plugins and themes.

  • What is the best free photo editing alternative to Photoshop?

    -GIMP is considered the best free photo editing alternative to Photoshop, offering a wide range of tools for basic photo editing and manipulation.

  • Why is Blender considered an S-tier software?

    -Blender is considered an S-tier software due to its constant development, innovation, and recognition in the industry. It is used for 3D animation, sculpting, and even video production, and has a strong community and third-party add-ons.

  • What are some of the weaknesses of GIMP compared to Photoshop?

    -GIMP's weaknesses include falling behind on features that Photoshop has made standard, such as adjustment layers, non-destructive editing, smart objects, and vector shape tools. Additionally, GIMP lacks a built-in AI implementation.

  • How does Darktable compare to Adobe Lightroom in terms of raw image processing?

    -Darktable is a raw processing software that is more scientifically based and offers a steeper learning curve with more graphs, curves, and manual number adjustments compared to Lightroom's simpler slider-based adjustments.

  • What is Scribus and how does it compare to Adobe InDesign?

    -Scribus is a desktop publishing software that some people consider as a potential replacement for Adobe InDesign. However, it is seen as not holding up as well due to its UI/UX and lack of new features and development.

  • What are some unique features of Krita that make it stand out as a digital painting software?

    -Krita has unique features like its carousel for selecting different brush types and a variety of great textures. It is also known for its consistent and stable performance, with a community that frequently releases resources and add-ons.

  • How does Penpot compare to Figma in terms of UI/UX prototyping?

    -Penpot is a relatively new UI/UX prototyping tool that has seen a lot of developer activity and has added many great features. It is considered a viable alternative to Figma, especially after Figma's acquisition by Adobe.

  • Why is DaVinci Resolve considered an industry standard alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro?

    -DaVinci Resolve is considered an industry standard alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro because it offers many of the same features and is constantly being developed with new updates and third-party add-ons.

  • What are some of the features that Inkscape has introduced in its recent versions?

    -Inkscape's recent versions have introduced features like the page tool, similar to the artboard tool in Adobe Illustrator, and its own shape builder tool, which are significant improvements for vector graphics editing.

  • How does Affinity by Serif compare to Adobe's suite of products?

    -Affinity by Serif offers Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher, which together are often referred to as the Affinity Trinity. These products offer almost all the features of their Adobe counterparts, with the main difference being that Adobe Photoshop has better quick photo manipulation tools.

  • What is unique about Canva and how does it cater to its audience?

    -Canva is a browser-based content creation and design platform that is particularly suited for marketers and content creators who are not design savvy. It offers a premium model with additional features and templates, collaboration features for teams, AI implementation, and a video editor and desktop app.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction to Adobe Alternatives Tier List

The video introduces a tier list focusing on common Adobe alternatives, including both free and commercial options. The speaker invites viewers to visit their website for additional resources and enroll in online classes. WordPress is highlighted as an S-tier CMS for website design due to its industry standard status, stability, developer activity, and extensive support through plugins and themes.

05:02

🎨 GIMP and Blender: Photo Editing and 3D Animation Alternatives

GIMP is discussed as a free photo editing alternative to Photoshop, praised for its basic editing tools but noted for falling behind in features like adjustment layers and AI implementation, placing it as a B-tier software. Blender is acclaimed as an S-tier software for its constant development, innovation, and use in 3D animation, sculpting, and even video production, positioning it as an industry disruptor with support from companies like Adobe.

10:02

📈 Tier Rankings for Various Adobe Alternatives

Darktable is introduced as a B-tier RAW processing software, similar to Lightroom, but with a steeper learning curve. Scribus, a desktop publishing software, is ranked as a D-tier due to its outdated UI/UX and lack of new development. Krita, a digital painting software, is rated as an A-tier for its unique features and active community. Penpot, a UI/UX prototyping tool, is considered an A-tier due to its viability as an alternative to Figma, especially after Figma's acquisition by Adobe. DaVinci Resolve is an S-tier video editing software, while Drupal and Inkscape are ranked as B-tier and C-tier respectively, with Drupal being a robust CMS and Inkscape a capable vector graphics software despite stability issues.

💼 Commercial Adobe Alternatives: Affinity and Canva

Affinity by Serif is highlighted as an A-tier suite of design software offering tools comparable to Adobe's Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, with unique features and a user-friendly interface. Canva, a browser-based design and content creation platform, is ranked as an S-tier due to its unique category, collaboration features, AI implementation, and expanding market reach, despite the speaker's personal preference.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Adobe Alternatives

Adobe Alternatives refer to software programs that serve similar functions to those found in Adobe's suite of applications, but are developed by different companies. In the context of the video, these alternatives are being ranked and discussed as options to use instead of Adobe products, which can be costly or require a subscription.

💡Tier List

A Tier List is a ranking system used to organize and compare items, often in the context of their quality or usefulness. In this video, the presenter is creating a tier list for Adobe alternatives, categorizing them into different tiers based on their features, stability, and industry acceptance.

💡WordPress

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) widely used for designing and building websites. It is mentioned as an S-tier software in the video because it is the industry standard for website design, especially for those who want to create websites without coding, and it has a large community and numerous plugins and themes available.

💡GIMP

GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free and open-source raster graphics editor used as an alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It is described in the video as a B-tier software due to its robust photo manipulation features but noted for falling behind in implementing certain standard features found in Photoshop.

💡Blender

Blender is an open-source 3D creation suite that supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, and motion tracking. It is considered an S-tier software in the video due to its constant development, innovative features, and recognition by even industry giants like Adobe.

💡Darktable

Darktable is an open-source photography workflow application and raw developer. It is positioned as a B-tier software in the video due to its scientific approach to raw image processing, which can yield excellent color results, but it has a steep learning curve and lacks a more user-friendly interface.

💡Scribus

Scribus is a free and open-source desktop publishing software that some consider as a potential replacement for Adobe InDesign. However, it is categorized as a D-tier software in the video because it may not match up to InDesign in terms of features and user interface, and there is a perception of limited ongoing development.

💡Krita

Krita is a free and open-source digital painting application designed for creating conceptual art, textures, and more. It is ranked as an A-tier software for digital painting in the video, praised for its unique features, stable performance, and active community that continually contributes resources and add-ons.

💡Penpot

Penpot is a UI/UX prototyping tool that has gained attention as an alternative to Figma, especially after Figma's acquisition by Adobe. It is considered an A-tier software due to its active development, robust built-in features, and growing adoption by organizations, positioning it as a viable alternative in the industry.

💡DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is a professional video editing software developed by Blackmagic Design. It is an S-tier software in the video, recognized as an industry-standard alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro, offering similar features and a strong development community with third-party add-ons.

💡Drupal

Drupal is another content management system, similar to WordPress, and is mentioned as a Tier B software. It is known for its security and is used by large companies, although it may not have as many third-party plugins or themes and has a steeper learning curve compared to WordPress.

💡Inkscape

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor, serving as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It is ranked as a C-tier software due to its instability issues, despite being recognized for its new features and active development. It lacks some advanced features like CMYK support, which affects its overall ranking.

💡Affinity by Serif

Affinity by Serif is a suite of professional graphic design applications, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher, collectively known as the Affinity Trinity. It is placed in the A-tier because it offers a comprehensive set of tools similar to Adobe's offerings, with a great user interface and unique features like the developed persona for editing raw images.

💡Canva

Canva is a browser-based platform for content creation and design, aimed at non-designers and marketers. It is considered an S-tier creative app in the video due to its unique category, collaboration features, AI implementation, and continuous expansion into new markets and audiences.

Highlights

WordPress is considered an S-tier software and the industry standard for designing websites without coding.

GIMP is a powerful free photo editing tool, but lacks some advanced features found in Photoshop, placing it in the B-tier.

Blender is an S-tier software, constantly in development and recognized by even Adobe for its innovation in 3D animation and more.

Darktable is a B-tier RAW processing software, offering a steep learning curve but excellent results for those who master it.

Scribus is a desktop publishing software that could be a potential replacement for InDesign, but is considered a D-tier due to its UI and lack of new development.

Krita is an A-tier digital painting software with unique features and a strong community, surpassing basic photo editing capabilities.

Penpot is an A-tier UI/UX prototyping tool, gaining popularity as an alternative to Figma after its acquisition by Adobe.

DaVinci Resolve is an S-tier video editing software, offering a professional alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro with continuous development and support.

Drupal is a CMS similar to WordPress, considered a B-tier software with a steeper learning curve but used by many large companies for its security.

Inkscape is a C-tier scalable vector graphics software, a strong alternative to Illustrator but with stability issues and lacking CMYK features.

Affinity by Serif is an A-tier suite of professional graphic design software, offering comprehensive tools similar to Adobe's offerings.

Canva is an S-tier browser-based design and content creation platform, popular for its ease of use and expanding features including AI and video editing.

Adobe has donated to Blender, recognizing its impact on the industry as a free and open-source software.

GIMP, while stable, has seen a decrease in community activity and development, affecting its ranking.

Darktable's scientific approach to RAW image processing can yield excellent color results, despite its challenging learning curve.

Krita's carousel for brush selection and rich textures make it a standout A-tier choice for digital artists.

Penpot's active development and adoption by organizations like Blender, Mozilla, and MIT make it a promising A-tier prototyping tool.

Inkscape's recent updates, including the page tool and shape builder, show significant improvements, but stability concerns keep it in the C-tier.

Affinity's Studio Link feature allows seamless transitions between its three programs, enhancing workflow for users.

Canva's success in expanding its audience and market, along with its AI features and new video editor, solidify its position as an S-tier creative app.