Free Creativity 2013: A Complete Guide To The Best Free Creative Software

Free Creativity 2013
A complete guide to the best free creative software.

Lightmaster Studios is proud to present Free Creativity 2013. This eBook lists, describes and explains to you some of the best free creative programs currently available. It contains details of where to find the software, how to download it and how to learn to use it. We hope you find this guide useful. Mark Wells and Matt Hall
Introduction
It always seems to be that the leading professionals in any industry use the most expensive equipment they can find. While you would expect this to be the case, it misleads many into thinking that they cannot be successful without first being rich. Professional tennis players, for example, will use the most expensive (and therefore highest quality) rackets, wear the most expensive clothing and run about in the most expensive trainers. However, this doesnt mean that they cant be good at tennis; they are simply forced to buy cheaper equipment. The same can be true for the film and music industries. A team of employed CG artists will have a large air-conditioned studio filled with powerful computers and more monitors than you would find in the television department of Currys. Similarly, professional musicians will record their music on very sensitive microphones before heading to the mixing room where thousands of buttons are pressed to turn that recording into a top-10 chart entry. For both film and music, this does not just stop at the hardware, but extends into the software too. Most of us would love to digitally produce music, animation and film, but are often limited to one computer and one monitor, neither of which being the best that money can buy. What many dont realise is how much can be achieved just from one computer of an average standard. Most professional software is available to the public, but it does come at a price:
Software Pixars RenderMan Studio Autodesk Maya 2013 Pro Tools 10 Adobe Photoshop Sony Vegas Pro 12 Adobe Premiere Pro CS6
(Prices correct, April 2013)
Purpose Animation & Rendering Animation & Rendering Audio & Recording Image Processing Video Editing Video Editing
Price 2,200 2,400 700 440 400 500
This is just a very small selection of professional premium software, but it clearly demonstrates that, for most people, such standards would be financially out of reach. There is software available with similar capabilities at a lower price, but often still exceeding 100. Nobody enjoys spending this much on software and especially for the younger generation, it can often be impossible.
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Lightmaster Studios 2013 www.lightmasterstudios.co.uk
Is there a solution?
Yes. Fortunately, there are free alternatives. Software that is legally free and will allow you to make videos, create animations and produce music on your home computer in very much the same way that the premium software does but without the expense. While your initial concerns may be that this free software is in no way adequate compared to its premium counterparts, if it is used correctly, it can produce the same results. In addition, it is more likely to be suited to home computers than their industry supercomputers. The trick is in finding this software and being sure that: It is not harmful or fake There are no hidden costs It meets your needs and requirements You can find sufficient training to be able to learn to use the software
At Lightmaster Studios, we believe in everybody having the opportunity to be productive and creative. This is why weve put together this Free Creativity Software Guide. We list, describe, explain and review some of the best free creative tools currently available, giving you an honest review and opinion based on personal use and pointing you to all the websites you need to not only download the software, but learn to use it as well. The range of software chosen is such that, by following this guide and only using the software listed within it, you will be able to create a feature film and publish it on DVD. All you need is a computer.
About This Guide

This guide is intended to be used as reference and education for those looking for free software to make images, music, movies, animations or other art forms. The software mentioned in this guide is by no means a definitive list of creative software available on the Internet. At the time of publication, all information, statistics and links were valid and up to date. Most links are to external websites not affiliated with Lightmaster Studios in any way. Lightmaster Studios does not bear any responsibility for the content of any external sites.
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1. Blender
We kick off in fine style with popular open-source software, Blender 3D. Click here to go straight to the official Blender website!
What is Blender? Blender is Open Source 3D modelling and animation software. Open source means that the code that creates the software is available publicly for anyone to study, change, improve and develop. Although there are official releases and developments to the software, it is also developed publicly, with users helping to identify bugs and expand functionality by creating new scripts. Developers work with the community, which is a very strong combination that has the potential to produce amazing software.
Blender has so much functionality that it is not restricted to 3D modelling and animation, it can be used for: 3D artwork Animation Creating 3D games Editing live action movies Image processing Post production
David Ward, a top Blender Instructor from Blender Cookie (http://cgcookie.com/blender/) says:
Blender is a phenomenal software; not only is it open-source and free to anyone who wants to download it, but with the constant development going on with it, it has now risen to rival the more industry standard programs that cost an arm and a leg. A lot of the features that Blender includes out-of-the-box (i.e. smoke and fluid simulators, game engine) are specialized plugins that have to be purchased separately with these other programs (or sometimes arent available at all).
For a full and more detailed list of features, visit: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/
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Blender In Action
Download and Installation Information: With such an extensive range of features and capabilities, the next thought is that it will be a huge installer, consuming most of your hard drive when installed and requiring 128 gigabytes of RAM to open. This couldnt be further from the truth! The installer for most versions is about 35 MB, with zip archives (meaning that it could run from a flash drive on any computer) being slightly more at about 45 MB. This being compared to a similar commercial product having an installer of 1.46 GB, is virtually nothing, and means that you will not need a super-fast Internet connection or massive hard drive.
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Downloading and installing: 1. Visit http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/. This is the official download page from the Blender Foundation for new Blender releases.
2. If you intend to use it on your home computer, I recommend choosing an installer. Select the one that matches your operating system. This includes checking whether your operating system is a 32 or 64 bit version. 3. Download and install your version. If prompted to do so, follow the instructions to install Python, though it is bundled with most Blender releases so a separate installation of Python should not be required. Python is a scripting language and is required for Blender to run. It will not harm your computer.
4. Check the download page frequently to see if there is an updated version that you can download. This might have further fixes or features, so is worth updating to.
What you will see when you start Blender
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Cool features in Blender: Though this could potentially be a very long list, well outline a few of the features that make us excited about Blender. The new Cycles Render Engine mean that your images or animations can be rendered to a Pixar/Dreamworks standard. Physics Simulations: particles, smoke, fluids and cloth can all be accurately modelled for animations or games.
Video/Movie editing to a high standard. The Video Sequence Editor (VSE) can rival premium alternatives.
Is Blender easy to use? If you are unfamiliar with movie, animation and 3D software, then there is a learning curve to using Blender successfully, but Blender is certainly no more complex than the premium alternatives.
Advice for beginners: Do not be put off when you first open Blender. To begin with, it will look very confusing and scary. We remember trying to use Blender for the first time and thinking that it was beyond us, but with just trying a few basic things, we immediately grew in confidence. Be patient and give it time. Play about with it and you will soon discover that it is not as hard as it looks.
Seek help, dont go it alone! The massive Blender community is exceptionally helpful. See below for the best places to start.
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Learning to use Blender: These are just some the places you can visit to find help with Blender:
Official User Manual: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual
All Documentation: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Main_Page
Forums Blender Artists: http://blenderartists.org/forum/ http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=91
Blender at CG Society:
Tutorials Blender Cookie: Blender Guru: Blender Nerd: http://cgcookie.com/blender/ http://www.blenderguru.com/ http://blendernerd.com/
There are so many that we simply cant mention them all! Fortunately, you can find a full list right here: http://www.blender.org/community/user-community/
Inspiration: Not convinced about how good Blender really is? Let the movies do the talking: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/
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2. GIMP
Next, we are going to analyse the aims, features and possibilities of GIMP, the open source GNU image editing software that is readily labelled the free Photoshop. Is it a worthy tool for the creative mind? Lets find out. Take a look at GIMP.org and you can immediately see the vision of the softwares makers. They share it all with their users; the programming, the updates, the news, every detail behind their lovingly created imaging program. Like all of the software in this eBook, GIMP is free to download, available on most operating systems in numerous languages, and anyone can contribute to its coding.
What is GIMP? In a nutshell, GIMP is a free open source graphics manipulation program. This primarily covers all types of image or photo editing, plus the creation (or rendering) of new images. This means that it can be used as a digital drawing or sketching package, though is not widely renowned for it. As well as photo retouching and complex filtering, it can be used with ease for simple tasks, such as cropping, resizing and saving in a variety of formats, including the popular JPEG, GIF and PNG.
So what is GIMP capable of? Painting and Drawing Photo retouching Basic image editing Advanced image filtering and modification Basic animation
For a list of all the features that GIMP has to offer, go to this page.
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GIMP in action 1
Download and Installation Information: Particularly with open source software, you will often see the words stable and unstable in the download pages. This is due to the constant development of the software, where versions are released that arent fully complete. This is what unstable refers to. It does not mean that it will harm your computer, just that there may be features that dont work fully and errors (referred to as bugs), which can cause the program to crash or not function as expected. Unless you are a developer or very keen to explore subtle updates, it is recommended that you always download the stable releases. Once again, following the trend of Blender that we explored in the first part of this series, the GIMP installer is not large and impractical. The current version is 20 MB, with most versions being in this region. If you wish to use GIMP on-the-go from computer to computer, you can get a portable version to put on your memory stick here.
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Tips for downloading and installing: 1. Visit http://www.gimp.org/downloads/. This is the official page for GIMP releases. Note that the downloads are hosted on SourceForge; they are perfectly safe. 2. Select the version for your computer. For most Windows users, this will be the link at the top of the page. 3. Install GIMP on your computer as you would any other software.
Is GIMP easy to use? If you have ever used the most popular imaging processing software Adobe Photoshop, then you will find that some features and tools in GIMP are a little different, while others remain in the place that you would expect them. Something unusual that you will probably notice when opening GIMP is the floating toolbox (in its own window) and the rather small and blank main screen. For those who get particular about organising their screen, this might look messy, but you shouldnt be put off by it. It may not seem immediately clear where you should start. Go to File >> New to create a new blank image of the size you choose. To load an existing image you can either go to File >> Open or copy the image and go to Edit >> Paste. Once you have got underway, the rest is fairly simple. Use the toolbox on the right to make changes, or the buttons along the top of the window. Image effects (like Blur) are all in one place, under Filters. A key component to more advanced image editing and composition in GIMP is the use of layers. Layers are an easy way to organise your image and make selective changes.
GIMP in action 2
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Learning to use GIMP: With GIMP being the most popular free image processing software available, there is a lot of support that can be easily found with any search. As well as the official tutorials and manual, there are many dedicated GIMP support sites. These are just some of the sites you can use to help you learn more about GIMP:
Official Documentation including manual, tutorials and books: http://www.gimp.org/docs/
Forums GIMP Forum: GIMP Talk: http://gimpforums.com/ http://www.gimptalk.com/
Tutorials GIMP-Tutorials.net: GIMPology: http://gimp-tutorials.net/ http://www.gimpology.com/
What has been listed here will get you started, but there is much more support out there that you can search for. Chances are, you are probably already friends with someone who is a closet GIMP expert!
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3. Audacity
For number three were taking a look at one of the most widely used yet scarcely talked about programs in the open source environment, the free audio editing suite, Audacity. Yes, they have a website! And its simple-yet-friendly look is exactly what Audacity is all about. Uncomplicated, straightforward software that does exactly what you need, without any costs or any compulsion to burden you with advertising.
What is Audacity? Audacity is free, open source, cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds. What it lacks in fancy features and frills, it makes up for with sheer simplicity and functionality. It does all the basics that you would want from an audio-meddling program, and it does them very, very quickly and effectively. Before we go into detail, well point out that one of Audacitys real strengths is its crossplatform element. The software works with all significant versions of Windows, Mac and GNU/Linux, for a start. You can also download the source code, if youre into that sort of thing. And its multilingual, available in a whopping forty-eight languages! The developers, who volunteer from around the world, are keen to stress not just the fact that Audacity is free, but that anybody has the freedom to use it, study it, program it, update and develop it in a shared, friendly environment, all financed and supported by dedicated sponsors.
Some of Audacitys main features: Recording - Any sound coming out of any audio device of your choice connected to your computer. You can only record one track at a time, but the total number of tracks is unlimited. Editing Like the magnetic tape of days gone by, you can cut and chop and splice together all your different snippets of audio, without the mess. Dynamics You can amplify, create automatic fades and cross-fades, equalise with high precision, bass boost, and use traditional high and low-pass filters. Plus, there are the all-important compression, limiters and noise removal tools.
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Effects - You dont need Pro Tools to have some fun with your audio. Audacity gives you pitch change, tempo change, reverb, delay and echo, phasing, wah-wah, tremolo etc. with millions of changeable parameters. They are adding more effects all the time. Synthesising An oft-ignored feature of Audacity is its ability to generate sine, sawtooth and square waveforms at any pitch and amplitude, just like your costly Moog synthesizer. You just have to type in the data rather than play it on a keyboard. The Logistical Stuff - Audacity exports to a host of audio formats, uncompressed and lossy, including WAVs, mp2 and mp3, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, and a bunch that you wouldnt have even heard of. You can drag the same range of files into a project as well. Easy. Here is the full feature list, for your pleasure!
Audacity in action
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Mastering the software: If you Google Audacity good or bad, youll get an idea of Audacitys endearing popularity. People love this software. The extent of this is best evidenced by the lengths people have gone to with Audacity and the advice and achievements theyve shared over the Internet. Here are some examples:
The Audacity Wiki has an online manual, complete with FAQ section. AudacityTeam.org is a wonderful forum for sharing work, projects, advice and ideas. Its users are dedicated experts and amateurs alike.
In this article, How To Get The Higher Audio Quality When Using Audacity, the authors go into immense detail about sound cards, drivers, sampling rates, interpolation, and theres even a section for obsessive quality purists. Check it out! Good old YouTube is full of Audacity gurus who post clear, concise videos thatll teach you particular tricks on the software. Theres a pretty good example here, where the user teaches you how to make a mash-up.
This Audacity Tips Page allows users to type in their own little findings for the benefit of others. You can contribute or steal as you wish!
What can be done? Things like this: the wonderful Frequency Song, entirely created on Audacity by one of its loving users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0th9-g48o
So, how do I download this thing? Go to the Audacity websites trusted download page and click on your operating system. It will take you less time to end up with Audacity on your desktop than it will to play your favourite song which you can then record your own version of with the software!
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4. VirtualDub
Next up, VirtualDub, another open source video editing tool. This can be used alongside the other programs that we have already looked at (Blender, Gimp, and Audacity) in your video projects. This guide will help you get started with VirtualDub and show you how you can use it with your videos. Click here to go straight to the official VirtualDub website!
What is VirtualDub? The first thing to note with VirtualDub is that it is NOT a video sequencer. It will not help you make your videos like Windows Movie Maker or Sony Vegas Pro does. It is primarily used to make quick modifications to existing videos, being capable of performing the same task on one or many at the same time. This is known as batch video processing. In the movie making pipeline, the use of VirtualDub would fall before or during using a sequencer, as you may wish to make modifications to video clips/shots before they are used in the final production. The main attraction of VirtualDub are its filters and plugins. Being open source, many of these are unofficial, but it means that there is a wide range to choose from to suit your needs. Filters include modifications such as Blur, Sharpen and Greyscale, all of which are included in the initial program. Hundreds of other filters made by the public are available online, so you will be able to find almost anything you need to modify your video.
A summary of VirtualDubs main features:
Adjust frame rates Cut, move and remove segments of video Remove or replace audio tracks Live output preview Use video filters for modifications: blur, sharpen, emboss, smooth, 33 convolution, flip, resize rotate, brightness/contrast, levels, deinterlace, and threshold are just some of the filters available
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Download and Installation Information: VirtualDub comes packaged in a Zip archive, and once unzipped will run without installation. The download is just 1.9MB, by far the smallest piece of software weve covered. Click here to go to the VirtualDub download page. From this page, select the latest stable version for either 32 bit or 64 bit operating systems. Save the folder to your desktop and extract, storing the unzipped folder wherever you wish. To run VirtualDub, double click on Veedub64 or Veedub32. This will always be the larger of the two application files in this folder. To allow yourself to be able to run the program without having to go into this folder in the future, right click and copy the application. Then go to the desktop, right click and select paste shortcut. Rename it as you wish. You will then be able to run the program just by double clicking this icon.
Is VirtualDub easy to use? VirtualDub is certainly not as user-friendly or pretty as it could be, but it doesnt take long to become acquainted with it. It does have sufficient help within the program and online, should you need it. All of this can be found by following the Help tab. It is best to check out all the menus, see what options are available and start experimenting; you will quickly find out what works best. The number of technical options available makes VirtualDub primarily suited to the advanced user but it can still be used for basic functions. A good knowledge of frame rates, bit rates, resolutions, formats, codecs and compression methods would certainly make it easier to choose settings when using VirtualDub, as there is no particular guidance as to what you should be using for your desired result.
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VirtualDub Screenshot. Input on the left, output on the right. The bottom right hand pane is the filters window.
Are there any limitations when using VirtualDub? Yes and, in our opinion, these are the main flaws that prevent VirtualDub from becoming a well-rounded video processing tool. It only works with .avi video file formats. It will only load an AVI file and will only export as an AVI. This means that if you want to have any other format as your output video, you will need to use another tool to convert it. However, being open source, plugins and different versions of VirtualDub have been created that support the opening of other file formats. Being a popular topic amongst its user community, a quick search on Google will tell you if there is a plugin supporting the format that you desire to load. The only other way around this is to convert to AVI before you load your video, and convert back after you have made the intended modifications. Most video converting software will be capable of this; Any Video Converter is an example of one that we have used, which is also free.
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5. DVD Flick
Once youve produced your masterpiece in Blender, Gimp, Audacity and VirtualDub, you may want to create a DVD to distribute your work and watch back any videos or movies on any DVD player. With DVD Flick, you can do this for free. Well now show you how you can get the best from this cool free software. Click here to go straight to the official DVD Flick website!
What is DVD Flick? DVD Flick is a tool for DVD authoring. This means the process of setting up your DVD and then burning to a physical disc. It is not video editing software; it takes the videos that you want to put on a DVD, encodes them in the correct and specified format and then burns to disc. This would be the final stage of any movie or video making projects. DVDs arent always used for commercial distribution; they can be used to distribute showreels, taken to screenings or simply as personal copies and for family and friends. For all uses, DVD Flick makes it simple to produce a fairly professional product with the correct settings required for use in most computers and DVD players. Though there are some limitations with the features (see below), DVD authoring software of any use is usually confined to expensive, premium alternatives.
The main features of DVD Flick: Encode videos for DVD burning Burn to discs Add a menu for the DVD Supports a broad range of codecs Add subtitles Add alternative audio
The DVD Flick website (linked to at the top of this page) will provide you with a more comprehensive list of features.
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Download and Installation Information: DVD Flick is one of the smallest programs in your Free Creativity suite. The installation executable is about 13 MB, and the system requirements are low by todays standards. Naturally though, the faster and more powerful your computer is, the faster your DVD encoding will be.
To download and install DVD Flick: 1. Visit http://www.dvdflick.net/download.php 2. Click the large Download button and you will be taken to SourceForge, where the file is hosted 3. Your download should start automatically at this point 4. Once downloaded, install as you would any software
NOTE: DVD Flick uses other software like ImgBurn to perform some of its functions; be sure to allow this software to be installed too it IS safe to do so
Is DVD Flick easy to use? DVD Flick is very simple to use and rather self-explanatory, compared to some of the other more complex DVD authoring alternatives. Sometimes it almost seems too simple, but be sure to visit all the options before burning your DVD, as it can be easy to overlook a setting. Typically, you add titles to the list and edit the settings for burning with the options given. You then set the project options and menu settings, after which you are ready to create the DVD files and then burn them. Be sure to select a location for the encoded files to be placed, and save your project. Depending on your system specification and the length of the videos you are putting on to your DVD, encoding is not that fast but we consider it satisfactory for free software. Burning takes place with a separate program but will run automatically.
Top Tip: If you are making multiple copies of the same DVD, you only need to use DVD Flick once. With the encoding taking the most time, it is wise to only have to encode the files ready for burning once, after which you can use ImgBurn (included with DVD Flick but, if not, can be found here) to select the encoded files and burn them to disc. For large DVDs, this could save over 2 hours of time per disc and ensure that exactly the same files are being burned to each single disc.
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DVD Flick Screenshot
Are there any limitations when using this software? Though DVD Flick is simple and easy to use, for advanced users, its lack of options can be frustrating. What stands out in particular when using this program is that the menus cannot be customised easily. Each menu is a template, and can be found in the program files folder for DVD Flick. More templates are available on the web and if you are an advanced user, you can make your own, but this is time consuming and there is no friendly user interface to help you out. The best way to go about it is to copy an existing template and rename it, then proceed to make small modifications. For personal or backup projects, the menus provided should suffice.
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Afterword
Thank you for taking the time to read our Free Creativity guide. The software weve covered should form a decent basis for any budding filmmaker who needs to keep costs down; it is only a starting point though! There are dozens of other programs out there that can add efficiency and professionalism to the filmmaking process with no price tags attached. Keep an eye out on the Lightmaster Studios blog for guides and reviews of some more of our favourites. Use the Like and Follow links below to keep up-to-date with our future eBook releases and other downloads.
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Free Creativity 2013

A complete guide to the best free creative software.