More and more designers are choosing to work with Macs, and when you as a designer get your own Mac, the first thing you need to do is get the design software you need ready. Today we recommend a number of excellent design-related applications for you.
Graphic Design
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a recognized classic of photo-enhancing software. It offers a broad spectrum of tools that can turn your inspiration into incredible images, photos, composites, 3D artwork, paintings, and graphics on any device.
Sketch
Sketch is an innovative and fresh look at vector drawing for the Mac. Its intentionally minimalist design is based upon a drawing space of unlimited size and layers, free of palettes, panels, menus, windows, and controls. Though simple to use, it offers powerful vector drawing and text tools like perfect Boolean operations, symbols, and powerful rulers, guides, and grids.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator for Mac is the vector graphics classics in the design industry. It is a digital environment that allows you to deliver prominent results in typesetting and logo graphic areas of design.
Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is an incredibly accurate vector illustrator that feels fast and at home in the hands of creative professionals. It intuitively combines rock solid and crisp vector art with flexible layer management and an impressive range of high quality raster tools for finishing. With accuracy, quality and speed at the heart of every single design task, and the ability to finesse designs without switching apps, this fresh-faced multi-discipline illustrator lets creatives shine.
Interactive Prototyping
Axure RP
Axure RP is a desktop application that gives business and UX professionals diagramming, documentation, and interactive tools to quickly design and share interactive prototypes and specifications.
Principle
Principle makes it easy to design animated and interactive user interfaces. Whether you’re designing the flow of a multi-screen app, or new interactions and animations, Principle helps you create designs that look and feel amazing.
Framer
Framer lets you start with simple code to bring your design to life. Test it on any device, iterate as you go and share easily for feedback. Pioneer new interaction patterns or create groundbreaking animation. No limits, no constraints.
Image Editor
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Adobe Lightroom Classic for Mac is a complete package with top-notch photo-editing and organizing tools. Embody your boldest ideas using an incredible imaging toolset. Harness the power of Lightroom to manage your photos, make state-of-the-art adjustments, and present your artworks in beautiful print layouts, digital presentations, and online galleries.
Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro is an incredibly powerful, beautiful, and easy to use image editor designed exclusively for Mac.
Acorn
Acorn is a new image editor built with one goal in mind – simplicity. Fast, easy, and fluid, Acorn provides the options you’ll need without any overhead. Acorn feels right, and won’t drain your bank account.
Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is one of the most comprehensive photo editing apps you can get on the Mac. It has professional-quality tools, like advanced color manipulation and 32-bit channel editing. It also has dozens of useful features, like multiple editable layers, vector graphics tools, advanced image processing, and retouching and correction masking tools. View the Histogram, manually make color and lighting adjustments, or select from the suggested default options. There are so many tools it would take you months to actually try them all out.
DxO PhotoLab
DxO PhotoLab (was DxO Optics Pro) provides a complete set of smart assisted corrections that you can manually fine-tune at any time. Take control on every aspect of your photos: effectively remove noise, get rid of light constraints, recover color details, apply sophisticated optical corrections, and enhance details.
3D Design
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros can create, edit, analyze, document, render, animate, and translate NURBS* curves, surfaces, and solids, point clouds, and polygon meshes. There are no limits on complexity, degree, or size beyond those of your hardware.
AutoCAD
AutoCAD design and documentation software lets you create stunning designs. Speed documentation and detailing work with productivity tools, and share your work with TrustedDWG technology. Connect your workflow across integrated desktop, cloud, and mobile solutions. Select your CAD design software platform of choice with AutoCAD for Windows or AutoCAD for Mac.
SketchUp
SketchUp is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D. With just a few simple tools, you can create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects – even space ships.
If you also have any software you’d like to recommend, please leave a comment below.
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