As one living on a limited budget, and unwilling to shell out hundreds of hard earned dollars on essential image editing programs such as Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, and others, I've spent the last few months searching for free alternatives. The links here are from [link] and are guaranteed to be spyware-free. They also all run on Vista Home Premium x64. Hope you find this article helpful.

Instead of Photoshop try...
...Gimp -> Has customizable plugins, much like Photoshop, as well as the ability to add brushes. it's probably the closest thing you'll ever find to Photoshop for free. Even offers layers. [link]
...Photo Filtre -> For those who don't like or aren't comfortable with Gimp for whatever reason, Photo Filtre is another free alternative users of all levels will enjoy. The only drawback is the lack of layers. [link]

Instead of Illustrator, try...
...Inkscape -> A vector program almost identical to illustrator, including the menus. Users familiar with Illustrator will find the interface also familiar. The tools are slightly alien, but two minutes of experimenting quickly reveals what they do. The only drawback is a limited selection of tools, but a tiny bit of creativity in how you use them overcomes this problem. [link]

Instead of Flash, try...
...LiveSwif -> The interface of this program mimics Flash almost exactly, and that definitely isn't a bad thing. The ease of use makes this program suitable form amateurs to the experienced. For those who have used Flash before, the lack of individual frames may initially be disconcerting, but it's easy to adapt to. [link]

Instead of Painter, try…
…Artweaver -> Perfect for creating digital paintings, especially with a tablet. The interface, commands, brushes, EVERYTHING is the same as Painter. For FREE. ‘Nuff said. [link]
…ArtRage -> The large canvas dimensions are maximized by the placement of the color palatte, menu bar, and tools. As an added bonus, this program includes a pressure-meter. What really makes this program is the large canvas, though. It’s like drawing over your whole screen, not just a limited rectangle. [link]

Instead of InDesign, try…
…Scribus -> Built for professional results, Scribus can handle everything from brochures to posters. It’s an excellent desktop publishing program. [link]

Instead of Dreamweaver, try…
…Nvu -> With an extremely similar interface to Dreamweaver, this program has powerful web site creation capabilities. It’s probably a good idea for first-time users to read the help manual. [link]


…And some software just for fun…

Photo Wham! -> Don’t let the simple interface fool you, this is one program to make yout life earier. Quicly and easily resize batches of photos to optimize them for the web. For those paranoid about artwork theft, Photo Wham! Also includes a watermark feature, adding text watermarks to the corners of pictures either singularly or in batches. It will also resize and watermark at the same time. Choose where to save the resized and/or watermarked photos. [link]

Desktop Graffitist -> Totally worth it just to draw on your desktop. With a wide variety of colors and a nifty spray paint sound, this program is definitely enjoyable. [link]

Kristal -> This isn’t art software, it’s music editing software, but powerful nonetheless. As a professional sound recording program, it far outweighs Garage Band. Highly recommended for any musician who wishes to self record without purchasing expensive software. [link] [Note: This last link is from Komando.com, not the above mentioned website. However, this program is still guaranteed spyware-free due to the nature of Kim Komando’s website. If you don’t believe me, just have a look around.]


Have a great day, everybody!!!