Freebies

Who doesn't love free stuff?  Especially if turns out to be something useful.

Images

 The Internet can be a very good source when looking for images for whatever purpose.  Some are free to download and use.  Check my Image Source page for free image sites.  That page includes sites where photographs and other images can be obtained free of charge.  Some images have limits placed on their usage.  Pay attention to the information provided by the site hosting any image.






 
Image Editing Software

GIMP

GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulating Program.  It is a cross-platform program that will run on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux systems.

GIMP offers similar capabilities as found in Corel Photo-Paint and Adobe's Photoshop.  Unlike those two program families, GIMP is produced and supported by a group of dedicated volunteers.  The program provides basic image editing capabilities with some more advanced options.  The advanced options can be extended with various add-ons.  (Including one that allows GIMP to be used to create animation.)

The fee-based programs may be more intuitive or offer options not available in GIMP, and some of the filter add-ons can be CPU intensive.  The paid for alternatives may offer more efficient alternatives.  GIMP is still worth tying as it offers capabilities that can meet many users' needs.

Corel and Adobe don't currently offer Linux versions of their software.  GIMP is the best image editing software designed to be run on Linux systems.  (Linux systems can run Windows based programs with various degrees of success.  This gives Linux users the option to utilize Photoshop or Photo-Paint.)

GIMP probably is the most advanced free image editing software available. 


Alternatives:
Paint.net   (Basically an advanced version of Microsoft's Paint program.  Windows only.)
Pinta    Linux version of Paint.net
Pixia   (Japanese developer, translated into English and other languages.  Windows only.)
 -Pixia's Japanese site
Chasys Draw IES  (Includes support for RAW files.)


Online Editors:
Various sites offer online image editors.  Online editor does not necessarily mean one that requires an image to be uploaded on the Internet before it can be edited.  These programs can run as web browser plug-ins.  The browser can access images on the hard drive.  This enables these editors to be used with large files.

Many of these types of editors were designed for use on mobile devices.  This tends to lead to a much simpler interface than software initially designed for use on a computer.

Online editors can be useful for basic image editing.  They also typically offer special effects filters.  These filters can be a quick way to add interest to a photo before sharing it.  Browser based editors may require a plug-in to be downloaded before the work properly.


Some editors to try:
Pixlr  -Offers three different editors for computer web browsers and a mobile editor.
Potoshop Express Editor  -Fairly basic options with a few filters thrown in.


Image Creation Software

Image creation software focuses on creating art instead of editing photographs.  Editing software usually offers image creating capabilities along with image editing options.  Some of the software listed above may be better suited for creating images than editing photo files. 

Vector Programs:
Inkscape
Inkscape is an OpenSource vector image program.  Its main competition are CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator.  Like GIMP, Inkscape is cross-platform compatible and will run on Linux, Windows and Mac OS systems.

Inkscape is a decent vector program, but isn't quite at the same level as CorelDraw or Abobe Illustrator.  (It just doesn't have the same level of resources backing it.)  It is robust enough to meet the needs of many users, but some users will need to purchase one of those two options.


Alternatives:
SVG-Edit   Google's browser based vector editor.  Good for basic designs.
LibreOffice / Apache OpenOffice   More accurately, the Draw portion of the Office suite.  (Vector images.)


Painting Software:
Used primarily to create images instead of editing digital photography files.  May have some photo editing capabilities.

Krita  (Open Source Digital Painting Software.  Linux and Windows versions.)
Probably the most robust open-source drawing software.  In active development, latest version March 2014, added support for G'mic plug-in.

MyPaint  (OpenSource Digital Painting Software.  Linux and Windows versions.)
FatPaint  (Online Image Creation/Editing tool affiliated with Zazzle.  Do not need to be Zazzle member to use.)


Image Utility Programs

UFRaw Utility to read and manipulate RAW files.  Primarily designed for Linus, but does have Mac and Sindows versions.


3D Modeling Programs

Blender

Open source, cross platform, 3-D modeling program.  Blender is a good starting point for individuals interested in 3-D modeling as the commercial products can be very expensive.  (Maya and 3DS Max start at $3,675 at the time this was written.) 

Blender is written and supported by a fairly large volunteer base.  Like GIMP, Blender offers features normally only found in commercial products.  Artists looking for a good 3-D program may not need a commercial alternative.

Artists creating models for a specific project may need to use a particular program.

3D Modeling programs tend to require fairly robust hardware in order to run properly.  You'll need a something better than a cheap laptop to really utilize any 3D-Modeling program.


Alternatives:
K-3D
Art of Illusion


Specialty Programs

Knotter  Program does one thing: create Celtic knot designs.  Can output as vector or raster image.
Hugin  Cross-platform software designed to stitch images together to form panoramic images.