If you are like me or everyone else in the world who don’t
like to dish out hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars for software, then you
have come to the right place.
1. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Replaces Photoshop
Photoshop is a powerful and extremely popular photo editing
tool (so popular that photoshop is in the vernacular), but comes at a hefty
price tag. GIMP is essentially the “free
photoshop” as it can do most of the things photoshop can. Photo editing, retouching,
adding layers, background editing and even animation are all within one free and
surprisingly lightweight software package. The Developers understand that no two
tasks are alike and offer a customizable interface, enabling you to reconstruct
GIMP as you see fit.
GIMP is available on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X and is
available here.
2. FreeCAD
Replaces AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Creo , etc.
FreeCAD offers a full suite of computer aided-design tools, perfect
for mechanical engineering and product design. FreeCAD is capable of accepting
open-source libraries or itself as a library itself to other programs. Other
notable features are a robotics simulator, a constraint solver and the
modelling of all objects by user-defined properties and parameters. FreeCAD is
even capable of opening and exporting files in DXF, allowing compatability
between FreeCAD and AutoCAD.
FreeCAD is available on Windows, Ubuntu and Mac OS X and can
be downloaded here
3. Blender
Blender is definitely the Swiss Army Knife of the list. only
is Blender an CGI-grade modelling program, it has integrated tools for UV
unwrapping, used rigging and skinning, animation in addition to smoke, particle
and soft body simulation. And as if that wasn’t enough already, Blender is
capable of camera tracking, match
moving, video editing and an integrated game engine.
While some may argue that all of these features are “OK for
a free program”, Blender has been professionally in a number of animated films.
Blender is available on Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD and can be downloaded here.
4. HandBrake
At first glance, HandBrake looks like the standard video
converter, but has the ability to rip video files from DVD much like how iTunes
and Windows Media Player can take music from CDs. As if this wasn’t a sweet
enough program already, the icing on the cake is HandBrake’s ability to
optimize video for mobile devices.
HandBrake is available on Windows, OS X and Ubuntu and can
be downloaded here.
5. VirtualBox
VirtualBox lets you create simulated iterations of operating
systems inside your computer, which provides a safe way to experiment with a
different operating system on your computer without fear of permanently
damaging your system. Some of the features of VirtualBox include trying out Windows
8 before you upgrade, putting Mac OS on a PC, combine and share desktops with a
friend miles away.
VirtualBox is available on Windows, OS X, Linux and Solaris
and can be downloaded here.
A tutorial to install Mac OS within Virtual Box will be
posted soon.
