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Free and Legal Production Software
By Gary Ferrington
Perhaps you've just finished school where you had access to the latest equipment and software. Now you're on your own. You have student loans to pay. You're broke and yet you'd like to get some free-lance design jobs set-up but can't afford the software. What to do?
Well, my friend, there are free software programs available that you can legally download and install without the fear of punishment by the cyber police. But their legality is not the only reason for using these tools.
Although these programs don't have the latest bells and whistles there is a challenge in making do with less. Learning how to solve problems with basic tools enhances one's ability to think through design and production issues. Each of the programs listed below are far more sophisticated than software available only just a few years ago. For example Audacity, a sound editing program, is a far more sophisticated tool than many of the sound studios in the 1960' had available. If some of the great classic hits of that era could be produced with less, what can you do with this well reviewed piece of free software?
Here are four programs that will let you do word processing, photo-editing, sound recording/editing, and video work. Each of these has features that will facilitate your production efforts and challenge your creative spirit.
(1) Word Processing. AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for typing scripts, papers, letters, reports, memos, and so forth. You can use AbiWord on both your PC and Mac. Read Reviews.
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| Windows Screen: AbiWord |
(2) Photo Editing. The Gimp: Free Photo Editing Software is a nimble little file-swapping answer to more expensive photo software available for both the Mac and PC. The Gimp performs such tasks as photo retouching, online batch processing, image rendering, and format conversion.
The GIMP is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages. Read a PC Magazine Review or Digital Photography Review.
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| Mac OSX Screen: The Gimp |
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Windows Screen: The Gimp
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(3) Audio Editing. Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Audacity can be used to:
- Record live audio.
- Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
- Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.
- Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.
- Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
- See site for more!
Read OS Review of Audacity or, Jeff Towne's review of audacity for transom.org.
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| Mac OSX Screen: Audacity |
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| Windows Screen: Audacity |
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4. Video Editor. HyperEngine AV is a really good video editor according to Proscenia's Ken Loge. "I've been using it for a couple of years and really like it. It's probably the easiest video editor to learn that I've ever come across."
HyperEngine AV is a non-linear video editing software that lets you capture, import, edit, arrange together and process video, photos, audio and text to create DV quality movies and slide shows.
It combines an extensive set of features with a streamlined user-interface. It gives you an unprecedented ease of use while retaining the power of real time compositing and real time video and audio effects. HyperEngine-AV is now a FREE download according to Arboretum Systems.
Read review by Scott Dewbre for Mac Directory
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| Mac Screen: HyperEngine AV (Windows not available) |
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