I’ve bought a lot of software over 30 years. Most of it collects dust after the novelty wears off. These eight pieces live on my dock — the tools I open almost daily, across almost every project.
1. The full Adobe Creative Cloud
Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, Adobe has gotten lazy in spots. But Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, and After Effects still do things no competitor matches when you add them up. For a working pro doing client work across print, web, and motion, CC is still the default.
2. Affinity Suite (for specific jobs)
I keep Affinity Publisher and Photo around for the moments when a client wants files they can open without a subscription. It’s also genuinely good for long-form layout and single-purchase licensing. Not a replacement for Adobe — a complement.
3. Figma
For anything web, UI, or collaborative: Figma. The live-sharing workflow is unmatched, the component system is excellent, and your clients can actually review work without installing anything. I use Illustrator for brand identity, Figma for everything that lives on a screen.
4. Topaz Gigapixel & Photo AI
Nothing else gets me a printable 4000-pixel version of a 600-pixel logo a client “found in their email.” Topaz has saved my bacon on more print jobs than I can count. For photo restoration, Photo AI handles the initial noise and detail pass in one click — then I do the skilled work on top.
5. DaVinci Resolve
Premiere Pro is fine. Resolve is better for color. If your workflow includes video at all, even occasionally, learning Resolve’s color page is a force multiplier. The free version is more powerful than most studios need.
6. Cleanshot X (Mac) / ShareX (PC)
Unsexy pick. Essential. I annotate client screenshots, grab references, and record loom-style walkthroughs dozens of times a week. A real screenshot tool turns a 10-minute back-and-forth into a 30-second answer.
7. Font Base (or any font manager)
If you’re still activating fonts one at a time, stop. A proper font manager — Font Base is free and excellent — lets me browse 3,000 fonts like a library instead of praying Character Map has what I need.
8. A plain text notebook
Hear me out. Before I open a single design tool, I write the brief, the headline, and the three words I want a viewer to feel in plain text. No one sees it. But the job goes faster every single time, because the thinking happens before the pixels.
Working on a project and not sure if your toolkit is holding you back? Send me a note and I’ll share what I’d use for your specific job.