Description:
Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.
It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool.
It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.
Portable Version:
http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable
Click here for earlier shareware versions - much simpler for students to use - download v4 or download v5 ((17Mb zip includes layers)
PSP5 tutorials:
Tutorial - including how to use all the tools
Other Options - Adobe Photoshop Elements.
360 stitching Software -
Drag and drop digital photos, then add music, and you have stunning presentations that export as .exe files and work on any version of windows.
All future upgrades free once you purchase the software.
Examples at www.wnsoft.com/apr/pp.htm
Use - Create slideshows
Description Create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories. Then, personalize them with titles and captions. Small file sizes make it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. Watch them on your TV, a computer, or a Windows Mobile–based portable device.
Description:
Alice is an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a teaching tool for introductory computing. It uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience.
Tutorials:
Description:
A 3D games authoring platform which allows students to
create and play their own games.
Description:
Game Maker allows you to make exciting computer games, without the need to write a single line of code. Making games with Game Maker is a lot of fun.
Using easy to learn drag-and-drop actions, you can create professional looking games within very little time. You can make games with backgrounds, animated graphics, music and sound effects, and even 3D games! And when you've become more experienced, there is a built-in programming language, which gives you the full flexibility of creating games with Game Maker.
Useful Downloads:
The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners book
http://www.gamelearning.net - a variety of game-making software options - some free..
Tutorials:
Download the latest service pack here
You can use the Quiz wizard, but you will need to adapt the code for existing pages if you do - click here for the repair tutorial.
For more advanced editing of pdfs including merging see http://www.pdfill.com/
Other Options - TextBridge Pro v11 Windows £45 (inc Vat)
Update: you need anydvd to be sure this will work - see http://www.slysoft.com/en/
Forums: http@//forums.afterdawn.com, http://club.cdfreaks.com/lite/f-74.html
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/AnyDVD.htm
CD-Freaks.com (english & dutch) http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=18 CDR-Info.com (english) http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=16
Video clip ripping:
Description:
FairUse is a DVD backup software designed to be very easy to use. It makes turning DVD into high quality DivX, XviD, H264 avi or mp4 files a breeze by guiding you in a step-by-step "wizard" interface.Tutorials:
Description:
Import DV video from a digital camcorder or add movie clips from a camera. Drag and drop the scenes onto the timeline. Then export your new video.
Description:
View media AND easily download embedded videos. Make sure you choose NOT to link it to all your media files when installing.
Right click then choose to download video - sometimes you need to start video first.
alternatives cut and paste the utube URL into http://www.savetube.com/
Other options - windows moviemaker 2 is a similar spec but not all students will have access to it at home.
Contact Logotron support:
http://www.logo.com/support.html for online support or an e-mail
Description:
VLC Media Player Portable is the popular VLC packaged as a portable app, so you can take your audio and video files along with everything you need to play them on the go. You can place it on your USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive or a CD and use it on any computer, without leaving any personal information behind.
Portable Version:
Description:
Switch is a audio file converter for Windows. It can convert mp3, wav or wma format and more to the format of your choice. Switch Converter is very easy to use. Just add the files you want to convert to the list, select the format you want to use, and then click the convert button.
Description:
GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program, also referred to as 'The GIMP',) is a free open source image editing program. It has a comprehensive set of tools comparable to those available in commercial software such as Adobe Photoshop.
GIMP can help you with simple and advanced image editing tasks, such as photo retouching, image composition, image optimisation and image creation.
Tutorials:
Download version 4.1 which allows you to add shapes to make tutorials clearer.
Essential Downloads -
Powermeter to adjust input levels.
Also, Microsoft monopolising means that MMJ does not convert .wma files. Audio-convertor from www.e-soft.co.uk does any file conversion including .wma's to .wav and .mp3. Cost £16.67
Always rip files with Artist / Album / Number / Track to give you flexibility with playlists and MP3 playing.
Use Musicmatch to
rip your files from CDs using the online database to automatically name all the tracks (choose recorder -> options -> tracks directory for Artist - Album - Track Name - Track Number)
convert to mp3s - compress at 192 kbps (7 times smaller than the original CD .wav)
Create tagged ID MP3s to show on your player -> super tagging -> tag from filename
create playlists that can be used on your portable player
record ANY broadcast music or radio program at CD quality to use when you want
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/82215 - How to Increase the Maximum Recording Time in the Sound Recorder Utility
Other Options - Use Music Match Jukebox for recording any sound input for any length of time. Use Audacity for any sound editing you need to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How can I download videos off U-tube and play them on my computer?
A1. Download Real Player - Free, then in your browser - right click to download any embedded video you wish, then play it back from your memory stick using VLC Media Player portable version - http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/vlc_portable
Drawplus X2
Use - Drawing, Stopframe and Keyframe animation.
Cost - £10 for LLS students
Developer - www.serif.com
Updated:
Tutorials:
Description: Pivot makes it easy to create stick-figure animations. You can build your own stick figures and load your own backgrounds. The animations can be saved as animated gifs to be used on web pages. An example animation is included
Actual Download:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Graphic-Others/Pivot-Stickfigure-Animator.shtml
Description:
Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.
Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.
Description:
Stop Motion Pro is a stop frame animation application for users running Windows™ on a PC (XP or Vista).
Use a wide range of animation techniques, claymation, pixillation, painting, drawing, time-lapse; the possibilities are endless.
Useful links:
http://www.kudlian.net/products/stopmotion/
Example movie:
Tutorials:
http://www.stopmotionpro.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=84
Description:
Anvil Studio ™ is a free Windows Vista(32-bit)/XP/2000/ME/98/95 program designed for people who want to:
- record music with MIDI and Audio equipment,
- compose music for MIDI and Audio equipment,
- Sequence music with MIDI equipment, or
- play with music using a computer and sound card.
Description
A digital sound editor with drag and drop editing of .wav, .mp3 and ogg vorbis files.
Useful Downloads:
Download Program v1.2.1 (3Mb)
Portable Version:
http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/audacity_portable
Tutorials
www.gr8ict.com/ This page was last updated on .