Serif DrawPlus was Discontinued, Here are The 6 Best Alternatives [2023 Update]
Last Updated on January 31, 2023 by Peter Wood
If you have purchased DrawPlus X8/9 previously, you should find the product was discontinued. Since Serif’s DrawPlus is such a useful design tool to achieve multiple tasks, especially when you need to show your creativity to others. It can stimulate your creativity to create logos/graphics and edit photos with almost all demands of artistic work. Should you choose the package of Affinity, or simply Affinity Photo 2 as the alternative? Here you can learn more about the features of DrawPlus and its 6 best alternatives for amateur designers and professionals.
Part 1: DrawPlus Simple Review
DrawPlus is a 2D graphics editing software by Serif and the first version was released in 1994. The latest version is DrawPlus X8. Let’s learn its pros and cons now. Unfortunately, Serif has decided to give up this design software. Serif said that DrawPlus was no longer supported. And no further updates would be issued on its website. Therefore, you might need an alternative to DrawPlus.
Pros
1. It has a free version, DrawPlus Starter Edition, with some limits.
2. It is an easy-to-use program.
3. Users could enjoy the most useful tools to create logos, posters, and other creative work.
4. DrawPlus provides multiple editing and creative features, like illustration and image editing tools.
5. Its website has support forums. So users could ask for help online.
Cons
1. If you want to grasp all-powerful features, you have to pay $99.99. That is a little expensive for amateurs.
2. It lacks photo editing tools, like creating an HDR image or stitching panoramas.
3. Its developer had stopped its updating. That means it is out of date soon.
Part 2: AI Alternative to DrawPlus
If you need to have an easy-to-use DrawPlus alternative, WidsMob AI Retoucher is always the initial choice. It has a whole series of HSL parameters, B/W analog films, color adjustments, and noise reduction settings. Moreover, you can use multiple AI algorithms to touch up portraits, hide faces with mosaics, convert photos to cartoons/paintings, and more. Of course, you can find the basic editing features to rotate and convert photos.
1. Enhance photos with exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, saturation, tint, temperature, sharpness, vibrance, and more.
2. Touch up the portraits with facial auto-detection, skin smoothing/whitening, shine removal, etc.
3. Provide AI Style Transfer to convert photos to multiple painting styles.
4. Apply multiple filters for lights, HDR effects, analog films, and more.
5. Remove image noises, recover lowlight photos, and remove haze automatically.
Step 1: Once you have installed WidsMob AI Retoucher, you can launch the program and click the Import button to add the desired photos you want to edit. It enables you to add RAW file formats, AVIF, WebP, and others. Moreover, you can also drag-n-drop multiple photos into the program for a batch process.
Step 2: Choose the AI Cartoonization menu and select the Classic option or the Portrait option to convert photos to cartoons. Moreover, you can also choose the AI Style Transfer menu and select the desired one from the drop-down list, such as Candy, Mosaic, Pointillism, Neon Light, Starry Night, and more.
Step 3: If you need to enhance photos, you can choose the AI Retouch menu to recover low light, reduce noises, and remove haze automatically within one click. Moreover, you can also click the Adjust menu to further edit multiple parameters, including exposure, sharpness, temperature, luminance, chrominance, etc.
Step 4: Similar to DrawPlus filters, there are multiple filters to adjust the lights, HDR, textures, and more. It has a whole series of black and white analog films, such as Kodak BW 400CN, Fuji Neopan Acros 100, Ilford Pan F Plus 50, etc. When you are satisfied with the photos, you can click the Save As button to export the photos.
Part 3: 5 Best Alternatives to DrawPlus
WidsMob Panorama: the smartest alternative of DrawPlus
WidsMob Panorama is a photo editor. If you have used it, you will attract by its seamless experience. Designers could utilize Photo Stitcher to do the most creative tasks. Just check the features of the program as below.
1. Photo Stitcher is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS, including Windows 10 and the latest version of Mac.
2. It provides a free trial for beginners. So you can download it freely. Although you have to buy it after a free trial, the price is lower than DrawPlus.
3. This DrawPlus alternative has an integrated automatic algorithm. It will select, organize and adjust photos automatically. That is efficient when you deal with a large number of images.
4. In addition to stitching photos, it also can edit images, like crop, resize, and add text and watermarks.
5. Another advantage of Photo Stitcher is supported HDR images and gigapixel images.
Microsoft Expression Design: the best alternative of DrawPlus for Windows
If you use Microsoft Office, Expression Design will be a helpful design tool because it supports WMF and EMF files. Although Microsoft had stopped updating Expression Design in 2012, This DrawPlus alternative is one of the best design programs for Windows users. Here are the basic features of the program.
1. It is freeware, so Windows users can download and use it freely.
2. The interface is concise and friendly.
3. Users could export parts of the design without impacting the entire project.
4. This DrawPlus alternative could extend features through compatibility with other Microsoft drawing tools, like WordArt.
Adobe Illustrator: most expensive alternative of DrawPlus
Adobe is the leader in the digital vision software industry. Although Adobe Illustrator is only available for subscription users, This DrawPlus alternative provides a comprehensive tool package. So it is one of the best alternatives to professionals.
1. The interface is spacious. It allows users to maximize the window to preview the project.
2. This DrawPlus alternative can customize menu layouts.
3. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac.
4. Other helpful features include Live Corners, Pencil tool, TouchType, and more.
Sketch: the best alternative of DrawPlus for Mac
Sketch is a drawing software for Mac users. The advantage of this DrawPlus alternative is advanced color controls. That is important to designers. Check more detail about the other features of the program.
1. It has an embedded vector-based workflow. So users could create high-quality and beautiful paintings.
2. This DrawPlus alternative supports editing with artboards and multiple pages.
3. Sketch has a simple interface. The standard layout of the interface is easy to navigate.
4. Other helpful features include blob, warp, push, pull, explode, twirl, and so on.
Bloom: the best cross platform alternative of DrawPlus
Bloom is another graphic editing program on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Check more detail about the cross-platform program as below.
1. It will record every action, including filter, effect, and vector. So users could call back any changes.
2. Bloom can convert between vector and raster editing automatically.
3. This DrawPlus alternative could import PSD files and read all the information, like layers, masks, and more.
4. Other features include layer blending effects and digital tablet support.
Conclusion
Based on the introduction, you might discover that DrawPlus is a good design program; however, its developer has given it up. So it will out-fashion someday. But there are many alternatives you can utilize. Microsoft Expression Design might be a good alternative for Windows users; Sketch is an alternative for Mac users. Adobe Illustrator is more suitable for professionals. Bloom is the best cross-platform alternative. When you need to choose a DrawPlus alternative with AI algorithms, WidsMob AI Retoucher is always the initial choice.