What Software Should You Get To Create Vector Art?

Chances are if you're on this website you already own software to create your vector art, but if not, or if you are just interested in learning more about the programs that are available, then this article is for you.

The Top Programs

These two software programs are my top two picks for creating vector art. I use both of them daily. I like them both and if I had to pick one exclusively it would be difficult. I also use both to create art for Microstock. The only problem I have is if I have to move files from one of these programs to the other. The problem has to do with using certain gradients, gradient mesh fills and certain transparency effects. Otherwise files created in one of these programs generally can be opened and edited in the other.
Why would you want to do that? iStock gives you an option when uploading your files to include a zip file of alternate or additional formats. Sometimes I like to include both an Illustrator file and a CorelDRAW file in the additional formats.
I've listed many other vector programs below but I don't have any personal experience with any of the software besides Illustrator and CoreDRAW.

Adobe Illustrator

At the very top of our list is the industry leading vector creation program Adobe Illustrator. It comes as part of Adobe's creative suite but is also sold individually. It is also the most expensive of the vector software programs. It does offer some amazing features that can make the price worth it to the graphic designer or illustrator. The .ai format is widely accepted by vendors and printers and considered the industry standard.
The program was first released in 1987 and was designed for the Apple Macintosh. Used mostly for typesetting and logo design it was the companion to Adobe Photoshop. The first Windows edition was version 2 and came out in 1989. It was not popular among Windows users at the time. In 1997 version 7 of the program was finally compatible between both Macintosh and Windows.
The program improves on its features in each new version and is considered by most in the design industry to be the best.
http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html

CorelDRAW

Developed originally for Windows 2.x and 3.0. The software was the Windows version of Adobe Illustrator. The first version was released in 1989. The program is different from others in that it comes with a suite of companion programs that now includes CorelDraw, Corel Photo-Paint (for image editing), Corel PowerTrace, Corel Connect (to search the suites content), Corel Capture (screen capture utility) and Corel Website Creator. One advantage of the program is that it supports multiple pages.
CorelDRAW was available for the Apple Macintosh but after version 11 of the program it became unavailable due to poor sales. Mac users prefer Illustrator.
CorelDRAW is a great program and is a great choice of software for creating Microstock art. It can do just about anything you could ask for in a vector program and in my opinion is as good a choice as Illustrator for Microstock, especially if you're working on a PC.
http://www.corel.com/corel/category.jsp?cat=cat3430091&rootCat=cat20146

Alternatives to Illustrator or CorelDRAW

Inkscape

From the Website

Inkscape is an open source drawing tool with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, and CorelDraw that uses the W3C standard scalable vector graphics format (SVG). With Inkscape, artists can freely create professional vector art for electronic and print illustration. Original features, such as direct access to the document SVG source code, set Inkscape apart from other vector art editors.
Inkscape's main motivation is to provide the Open Source community with a fully W3C compliant XML, SVG, and CSS2 drawing tool. Inkscape works natively in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
The software is available in packages for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. Rapid development, regular updates and Inkscape's exceptional stability are helping it to become one of the most active and widely used desktop open source projects.
http://inkscape.org/

Xara Designer (Windows)and Xara Xtreme (Linux)

Xara Designer is available for a lot less money than other vector programs. Granted it doesn't offer all of the features of the more expensive alternatives, but it has many. It claims to have the fastest rendering engine in the business.  The website has lots of information about this program and others that they offer and includes many videos showing how the program works and the features it offers.  Xara Designer Pro is $299 when this was written.
http://www.xara.com/us/products/

Sketch (Macintosh)

From the Website

Sketch is a professional vector graphics app with a beautiful interface and powerful tools. We set out to build a better app for graphic designers. Not to copy, but rather to improve.
http://www.bohemiancoding.com/sketch/

Creative Docs.NET (Windows)

Creative Docs .NET is a vector-based graphic design tool with support for rich text, ideal to quickly write short documents, manuals, posters, illustrations, schemas, plans, flow charts, and much more.
The interface is tailored for high productivity: it does never get in your way. Creative Docs .NET tools are simple, yet powerful. All styles and attributes can be modified interactively with a minimum number of mouse clicks. A color gradient, for instance, can be modified directly by dragging its handles in the document window.
This software is being actively developed.
http://www.creativedocs.net/

Karbon

From the Website

Karbon is a vector drawing application with an user interface that is easy to use, highly customizable and extensible. That makes Karbon a great application for users starting to explore the world of vector graphics as well as for artists wanting to create breathtaking vector art.
Whether you want to create clip art, logos, illustrations or photorealistic vector images – look no further, Karbon is the tool for you!
http://www.calligra.org/karbon/

Serif DrawPlus (Windows)

From the Website

DrawPlus X5 is the powerful and versatile graphics studio that's perfect for digital art, illustration, and painting. With easy-to-use tools, it provides everything you need to express your creativity. Draw vector art, sketch ideas, design logos & graphics, paint naturally, turn photos into artwork, create Flash® animations, plus much more.
http://www.serif.com/drawplus/

Skencil (Linux)

From the Website

Skencil is a Free Software interactive vector drawing application. Known to run on GNU/Linux and other UNIX-compatible systems, it is a flexible and powerful tool for illustrations, diagrams and other purposes.
A somewhat unique (for a drawing program) feature of Skencil is that it is implemented almost completely in a very high-level, interpreted language, Python. Python is powerful, object-oriented and yet easy to use.
http://www.skencil.org/

ACD Systems Canvas (Windows)

From the Website

Looking for a single technical graphics solution? Analyze, enhance and share your rich information with ease, precision, and pro results, using just one integrated application.
Canvas 14 is how engineers and technical graphics professionals illustrate and communicate with confidence. Canvas' minimum precision levels and powerful object illustration and image editing tools ensure that the accuracy of your data is maintained from import right through to publication and beyond. Accelerate and streamline your technical illustration workflow from initial import and design to final presentation, facilitate collaboration, and improve your overall productivity with this complete technical illustration software solution.
http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/canvas-14

Intaglio (Macintosh)

From the Website

Intaglio is a traditional Macintosh drawing and illustration application exclusively for Mac OS X. Patterned after the original Macintosh drawing applications, Intaglio is intuitive to beginners and familiar to traditional Macintosh users. Intaglio builds on the 2D graphics, text, color, and scripting capabilities of Mac OS X to provide unprecedented power and flexibility in an inexpensive drawing program that is an ideal tool for beginners and experienced graphics experts alike.
http://www.purgatorydesign.com/Intaglio/

Microsoft Expression Design (Windows)

From the Website

Expression Design is a tool for creative professionals and developers who want to build graphics for application user interfaces, the web, or any other medium.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36180

Macromedia Freehand

Macromedia called Freehand as well but Macromedia was purchased by Adobe in 2005. In 2007, Adobe announced that no further updates to Freehand would be developed but continues to sell FreeHand MX as a Macromedia product.
http://www.adobe.com/products/freehand/

In Conclusion

The choice of which program you use to create your vector art in is up to you. If I was just starting out I would probably experiment with some of the free software that is available. The artist behind the program is what makes the difference, but if you have the wrong tools or an insufficient program you will be holding yourself back from attaining the results you're capable of. If you're serious about moving forward in the world of Microstock art then you should seriously consider buying the premier programs. You won't regret it.
With that said, for me it is an absolute must to have Adobe Illustrator. Not only do I use the program to create some vector illustrations, I use it to output different formats for every Microstock file that I upload. It has tools for checking the files for compatibility as well.
As a side note, I also use Adobe Photoshop to resize every image that I upload, so for me that program is a must have as well.
If you have or find other programs that will do the job as well send me an e-mail and I'll update this information.

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