Collage Maker Software for PC: 5 Best in 2024
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Key notes
- Designing graphics for your book isn’t hard, especially if you’re using professional book illustration software.
- To create vector illustrations, the obvious choice for most people would be the first pick.
- If you prefer working with raster graphics and photos, then Adobe might be a better choice for you.
- In case you’re on a budget, we included other efficient and profitable book illustration apps.
Whether you are talking about children’s books or a college-level anatomy atlas, illustration is important since they help with the comprehension of the text that’s next to it.
Of course, book illustrations can’t be your typical doodles, as they do require an artistic approach, as well as quality rendering.
That being the case, we will be looking over several software tools that you can use in order to create fantastic and highly-detailed book illustrations, regardless of what they will be used for.
These applications have been tried and tested, and we will be ranking them based on the toolset that they provide, as well as how easy they are to use by both beginners and experienced users alike.
What is the best software for designing book illustrations?
Adobe Illustrator – Variety of book designs
Topping out our list is a software tool that even has illustrator in the name. This Adobe product can be considered the bread and butter of vector graphics software, allowing you to create pretty much anything as long as it involves shapes and colors.
Those of you that are familiar with other Adobe products will probably recognize the UI as well since the elements are arranged in pretty much the same fashion.
Regarding versatility, purchasing Adobe Illustrator will open up a whole world of possibilities to you in terms of customization, since there are hundreds of plugins to use for whatever task you are currently on.
Illustrations big or small will be easy to create from the ground up while using this tool, with the pencil tools brushes, and layer support making your job a whole lot easier.
More so, once you are done, you can save your work in many different formats, most of which are supported by all the other Adobe products.
Adobe Illustrator offers a wide array of features, and it’s one of the best book illustration software that you can use.
Here are some of Adobe Illustrator’s main features:
- Full layer support
- Supported formats work well with all products from the Adobe Cloud Creative Suite
- Professional-level tools and features
- Familiar UI
- Have all the tools needed for creating superb book illustrations
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is the world’s best vector drawing software, so it’s perfect for book illustrations and all other drawing needs.Adobe Photoshop – Professional visuals for books
Yet another entry in our list is a program that is also part of the Adobe family. Photoshop is arguably one of the most recognizable programs in the world, being used as the default word when talking about a photo that has been edited.
While the difference between Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator is only important to those that work in the business as professionals, suffice it to say that’s far as book illustrations are concerned, the two programs are almost identical.
The UI is arranged in pretty much the same manner, so anyone versed in the ways of Illustrator can easily transition to Photoshop and vice-versa.
Lastly, any illustrations created in Photoshop are compatible with Illustrator, so you can always make the needed edits on a dedicated tool.
Photoshop is an extremely versatile tool and it’s one of the best software for illustrating children’s books without a doubt.
Here are some of Adobe Photoshop’s main features:
- The best program as far as layer support is concerned
- Created illustrations are fully compatible with Adobe Illustrator
- Great for raster-based art
- Familiar UI
- It can be efficiently used to create digital art, including book illustrations.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the world’s best photo editor, which makes it perfect for creating book covers and illustrations.CorelDRAW – Typography and font management
CorelDraw has always been considered a fundamental graphics design tool since you can create pretty much anything. To that end, book illustrations are not an exception, and you can create incredibly beautiful ones using this program.
What CoreDRAW lacks in the sheer amount of options and tools as compared to the previous entry it more than compensates with the fact that it is extremely user-friendly. This makes it an excellent choice for those that don’t have much experience using such tools.
Importing image elements, working in layers, and all other operations you would otherwise be used to doing in different windows can now be accomplished within the same window using the simplest of commands.
More so, taking into consideration how feature-rich the program is, it is also surprisingly very easy on your PC, making it a perfect book illustration app for all users.
Here are some of CorelDRAW’s main features:
- A broad range of supported file formats
- Full layer support
- Can handle both vector and raster-based graphics simultaneously
- Supports 64-bit OS and multi-core processors
- Versatile and powerful drawing tools
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is one best-known illustration applications on the market, so it’s a perfect choice for any kind of graphics.Inkscape – Full-text support
If what you are looking for is a product that can be used for drawing book illustrations, regardless of whether they are scientific or artistic in nature, there’s no way you can go wrong with Inkscape.
If you have all the necessary hardware, then this software is the ultimate tool for those that want to know what it feels like to draw by hand, without any of the disadvantages.
Of course, Inkscape is not limited to doing only that. Whether you are an illustrator, designer, web designer, or just someone who needs to create some vector imagery, Inkscape has pretty much everything that you may ever need.
One great thing about this tool is that it is also actively updated with fixes and new features, allowing it to keep up even with some professional-grade tools.
Inkscape is completely free, and if you don’t want to use expensive software then Inkscape might be the best children’s book illustration software for you.
Here are some of Inkscape’s main features:
- Flexible drawing tools
- Broad file format compatibility
- Powerful text tool
- Bezier and spiro curves
- Free of charge
GIMP – Art creation on multiple platforms
Closing our list is probably what many of you already know as an entry-level graphics design tool. This tool can be downloaded freely and it is also open source.
These two make it an excellent choice for those that are just starting their journey into the world of creating book illustrations, or any other kind of digital art for that matter.
More so, the fact that it is open-source means it is also constantly updated with new features, without straying away from the original intent of creating the perfect beginner’s tool.
The UI is incredibly simplistic and clear that even a child could understand it. Admittedly, this comes at the cost of this program being the least feature-packed of all our entries.
However, if book illustrations are all that concern you, then GIMP should be on your priority list.
Here are some of GIMP’s main features:
- Completely free
- Open-source
- Constant updates
- Intuitive design
- Entry-level software
⇒ Get GIMP
Conclusion
Art is art, and with sufficient talent, you could probably get away with creating superb images using our handpicked platforms.
In conclusion, not everyone is born with that talent so having a good third-party graphics design tool can greatly reduce the burden of creation, allowing you to create illustrations that will definitely bring joy and awe to your readers.
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