This page features various tools for editing images, art, design, & even recording sound or music!

*If you haven't read the statements & general tips yet, visit the ~Tech Tips page before you continue.*

*under construction as of 12/09/06 (pardon the typos & check back soon for more!)*


*I've spent countless hours sorting out the bad, the truly free, the spam-free, malware-free, to come up with this list of FREE reliable & safe tools! I hope it helps *other* poor creative people (& dabblers) get some experience &/or explore new avenues!*

-ArtRage2: Mimics the nature of real world painting, without the odor, storage, & cost of supplies! Files can be exported to JPG files & reopened in secondary programs for even more dramatic touches. http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html

-GIMP is a good alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Great for those in photography & anyone working with any other art programs, for tweaking details, color adjustments, & adding effects, and more. http://www.majorgeeks.com/The_Gimp_d4485.html

This is the GIMP official site, for tutorials, GIMP news, & more wonderful free resources:
http://www.gimp.org/

-Project Dogwaffle v 1.2 is another amazing tool for painting, drawing, 3D images, & some support for animation. Airbrush, sponge paint, tempra, & layering are just a few of the tools packed in this rather small download for it’s potential! Files in the free version can be saved as BMP or TARGA & opened in other sources for polishing details & adding effects. http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/free/

-If you have ANY interest in creating 3D designs with a breath-taking realistic look, you need to download Blender right away! Look at the gallery while you’re there…wow! http://www.blender.org/cms/Home.2.0.html

-The next one is great for those interested in web design & art for web related display. Create eye-popping graphics! The site says it all: Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Supported SVG features include shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping. Inkscape also supports Creative Commons meta-data, node editing, layers, complex path operations, bitmap tracing, text-on-path, flowed text, direct XML editing, and more. It imports formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and others and exports PNG as well as multiple vector-based formats.
Inkscape's main goal is to create a powerful and convenient drawing tool fully compliant with XML, SVG, and CSS standards. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development.
(They also have a free library of clip art—handy for educators & students, as it is safe to use, without copyright infringement being a concern!) http://www.inkscape.org/

-For strictly technical designs in 3D, rather than art, there is an alternative to AutoCad! FreeCad

Those with older PCs or limited disc space should also consider:

-Paint.NET as a Photoshop alternative. While you won’t have all of the bells & whistles in some of the files above, it does support layers, selection tools, text support, and effects in a tiny 3.63MB download. http://www.getpaint.net/features.html
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mtPaint for some handy features in a small file (4.3MB) that will give you more freedom than MS paint-better brushes, a transparent “color” option, and the ability to save your palette if you must quit working on your project. http://www.majorgeeks.com/mtPaint_d5119.html
Here’s a link to the handbook: http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html



These are just a few freeware options for artists, designers, & hobbyists, however, those are the most powerful & popular. If you’re still looking for more, try going to the link listed for mtPaint. It is a secure website which reviews all programs before adding them to the database. Downloads are available from various sources—both within the US & overseas. In addition to art related freeware, you’ll find sources for virtually anything you need or want to do on your computer. They list options for all operating systems. They also have support forums for those scary moments when your PC is misbehaving! (or search for MajorGeeks.com)
If you’re overwhelmed by options & want a side by side comparison of features & system compatibility Wiki offers a great chart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster_graphics_editors

-This website has a great database of tutorials geared at Photoshop, however, may of the tip & tricks can be used with GIMP or other alternatives with similar features. If you join the site, you can save a file of those you found helpful for later reference & rate those available. In addition, the tutorials are hosted at other sites (from hobbyist to pro) & you'll find even more info! GoodTutorials.com
(More tutorials, tips, tricks links coming in the future--probably on their own page, so check back!)

Free image sources:

-Image*After.com was created by three young men in the design field who found it frustrating to find copyright free images to use in their struggle to get started. They (along with site members) provide high quality (high pixel) photos for anyone to use, no strings attached, no kidding! If you are going to show work using elements from or based on their work, do the right thing, & mention (or link to) their site--& please don't set up your own website offering the images as if they are your own! All of their images are free to use in art, non-commercial, or commercial projects. If you’re in a pinch and need an image, but have no camera, ask in the forum. If they can’t get it, chances are, someone else will offer another source or take the pictures for you. Look at their resources & for their great listing of free resources—including textures, 3D models, and more! The forum is FULL of great tips & tricks too. Amazing, talented, nice guys! Feel safe joining the site…zero spam. http://www.imageafter.com/


-The next image site was created by a Google employee with a passion for photography. Request a photo & volunteers will (try) to take it for you. These images are free to use as is by default, however, it is up to the individual volunteer to decide if what limitations they wish to place on use. It would be an excellent opportunity for young photographers to get exposure, as you can link back to a website when you volunteer. You communicate though the Photorouge website via email without exchanging actual addresses, so it is secure & spam free. You could state your intentions & perhaps someone will give you the freedom to alter or work from their images. I do the story no justice, so poke around the site at: http://www.photorogue.com/

-For clip art without any headaches try Hassle Free Clip Art!
This clip art is truly without limitations, as long as you don't copyright them for your own use, use a page ripper to gather them all at once. There are a few other guidelines which are best explained here, however, this is a great source for educators, small businesses, & students. The "retro" clip art is particularly fun! HassleFreeClipArt.com

Free fonts:

This is a terrific source for free fonts with more flair. Download quickly & easily. Use them for art applications. If you like too many to choose, the CD available is sanely priced, with 4000 fonts. http://www.1001freefonts.com/fonts/afonts.htm
Show off:
DeviantArt.com is a website that allows you to create a gallery of your work. If you feel you’re ready they also offer the ability to sell prints & merchandise with your art for under $5 a month. Warning: it’s easy to get lost looking at the art of other members! http://www.deviantart.com/

Audio:

Whether you simply want to record a message to family & friends, need to record a tutorial, want to convert old records or tapes to a new format, or have an unsigned band, the next tool will will meet your needs & surprise you with it's powerful potential. Record in multiple tracks, add effects, speed or slow down sound, edit your mistakes, layer one track multiple times for richer sound, import your music as a background to spoken words, or blend previously recorded sounds & songs like a DJ--& MORE!



Download Audacity 1.3.2 Beta at MajorGeeks.com
You may want to look at the FAQ, tutorials, or visit support forums for this program, by clicking here.

It's possible to convert recoridngs to MP3s for smaller, more efficient files, by downloading a plug-in. Read directions for installing the plug in & see a list of website to download it from here.


Need music for a project. but lack the skills to record your own?
As long as you credit the source & you aren't using it for commercial (TV, or pro film making) purposes, this is a site that offers free music! Incompetech.com


About download security: the sites on this list are trusted for clean virus/spyware free downloads, spam, & pop-up free sites. It’s still smart to run a virus scan anything you download, on the odd chance there was malicious website tampering that has not been caught yet. ALL of these programs are free, but always read the agreements in the installation, just in case anything has been updated recently.