Adobe Creative Suites, this collection….more than any other could deserve the title: The most powerful suite of programs offered by a company.

However, this certainly is not the only way that you can go.  With prices ranging from $1300-2600, there certainly are other options available to rival the most popular parts of the suite, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are two key programs that are included in the suite.

GIMP – This is probably the most successful open-source piece of image editing software, from it’s robust list of features to it’s ability to correct anything, this software is a must have.  It may lack the sheer power of Photoshop;however, this doesn’t stop this non-resource hog from being able to fully substitute for Photoshop.

Inkscape – Think Adobe Illustrator had a twin and it’s twin is cooler.  This sleek program stylistically looks very similar to Illustrator and tools-wise this program does not disappoint.  Inkscape boasts a very easy to use interface that you can learn within the first 10 minutes of using it.  In addition, if you have used any design program before this application will be cinch to learn and push out some unique pieces of art. Add Inkscape and GIMP on any system and you’ll have a powerful one-two punch for image manipulation.