2.1 Types of multimedia graphics design tools

Multimedia graphics design tools are the hardware and software a designer uses to create, edit, combine and publish graphics, video, audio and animation. A digital journalist chooses tools according to the task, the budget, the deadline and the platform. Many newsrooms combine professional subscription software (such as Adobe Creative Cloud) with free and open-source tools (such as GIMP, Inkscape, Blender and DaVinci Resolve's free version) and browser-based tools (such as Canva and Figma) that allow quick work and team collaboration.

Example: a two-person digital news desk may use Canva for daily social cards, Datawrapper for charts, DaVinci Resolve for video editing, Audacity for cleaning interview audio and Blender for an occasional 3D explainer, keeping costs low while covering every format.

Hardware tools

Raster image editors

Raster editors work with pixel images such as photographs and digital paintings.

• Adobe Photoshop: the industry-standard raster editor for retouching, compositing, masking and preparing images, with AI-assisted features (Adobe Firefly generative tools) in current versions.
• GIMP: a free, open-source raster editor; version 3.0 (released in 2025) added non-destructive filters and an improved interface.
• Affinity Photo: a professional raster editor now part of the Affinity app owned by Canva, offered free of charge.
• Krita: a free, open-source painting program suited to digital illustration.

Vector graphics editors

Vector editors create scalable graphics from paths.

• Adobe Illustrator: the industry-standard vector editor for logos, icons, illustrations, maps and infographics.
• Inkscape: a free, open-source vector editor that works natively with SVG.
• Affinity Designer: vector tools in the Affinity app.

Layout and publishing tools

• Adobe InDesign: professional page layout for multi-page documents, magazines and print newspaper pages.
• Affinity Publisher: layout tools in the Affinity app.

Browser-based and template design tools

• Canva: a browser and mobile design tool with templates, brand kits and team sharing, widely used for social media graphics, presentations and short videos.
• Adobe Express: Adobe's template-based tool for quick social graphics, short videos and simple animations.
• Figma: a browser-based collaborative tool for interface design, prototyping and layout, where several designers can work on the same file at once.

Video editing tools

• Adobe Premiere Pro: professional non-linear video editor used in many newsrooms.
• DaVinci Resolve: professional editing, colour grading and audio software with a capable free version.
• CapCut: a desktop and mobile editor popular for short vertical videos with automatic captions.
• Final Cut Pro: Apple's professional editor for macOS (one-off purchase, or within the Apple Creator Studio subscription since January 2026), also available on iPad.

Motion graphics and animation tools

• Adobe After Effects: the standard tool for motion graphics, animated titles, lower thirds and compositing.
• Blender: free, open-source 3D software for modelling, animation, rendering and video effects, which also includes 2D animation tools.
• Adobe Animate: Adobe's 2D animation tool; in February 2026 Adobe placed it in maintenance mode (fixes only, no new features), so new learners are better served by After Effects, Blender or other actively developed tools.

Audio editing tools

• Adobe Audition: professional audio editing, repair and mixing.
• Audacity: free, open-source audio recorder and editor for narration and interview clean-up.

Data visualisation tools

• Datawrapper: browser tool used by many newsrooms to make charts, maps and tables quickly.
• Flourish: browser tool (owned by Canva) for animated and interactive charts and scrolling stories.
• Spreadsheets: Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets for cleaning data and making basic charts.

Choosing tools