Graphic Artist Software Programs

Thirty Seventy Post: Graphic Artist Software Programs

There is seven programs that a graphic artist should have on their computer. The first is Photoshop. It has been out for years now and is understood to be the most essential program for art.

The second program is Flash. Flash is made for animation and dynamic web pages, but it was originally designed to do vector graphics. Remember that raster (bitmap) graphics take more memory than vector (line art) graphics and as such are perfectly suited from the web.

The third program is Dreamweaver is essential to put all the graphics and ideas on the web. You have to have a website if you are a graphic artist and this is the best program for the job.

The forth is AutoCad. Sometimes there is a need to make precision drawings or blueprints of and object. AutoCad also can help to make math diagrams and experimenting with shapes and geometry. This is the program to do drafting with. There are other less expensive CAD programs that may be an alternative.

The fifth program is 3DS Max. It is used to do 3D, animation, motion graphics, video game character design, etc. The only problem is that it is so expensive. Fortunately there is a free version to make 3D models called G-Max. There is also MilkShape 3D, Blender, and Maya Learning Edition for some alternatives.

The sixth program is a word processor. This is a given, but you need a good one and it may be a program needed that was overlooked.

The seventh program is a text editor. This is different from the word processor because of how it formats text. Problems arise with graphic art that sometimes require programming even if it is just editing HTML. I use ConText. It puts the correct format from everything from Java to C++. It helps by highlighted keywords and formatting the code to get it ready for the compiler.

These are the programs I recommend. Your list may be different. I left out programs that edit video. Most small jobs can be handled with Windows Movie Maker that comes with Windows XP. For advanced video editing I would recommend Combustion, but again its all a matter of personal preference. If you want to get started in graphic art I recommend starting with Photoshop and then moving to Flash. Good Luck!