free creativity 2013

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Free Creativity 2013A complet e gu ide to the be st free crea ti ve so ft war e.

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


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Free Creativity 2013

1 | P a g e L i g h t m a s t e r S t u d i o s 2 0 1 3

www.lightmasterstudios.co.uk

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 bothfilm 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 Purpose Price

Pixars RenderMan Studio Animation & Rendering 2,200

Autodesk Maya 2013 Animation & Rendering 2,400

Pro Tools 10 Audio & Recording 700

Adobe Photoshop Image Processing 440

Sony Vegas Pro 12 Video Editing 400

Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 Video Editing 500

(Prices correct, April 2013)

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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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 muchthe 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.
http://www.lightmasterstudios.co.uk/


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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/
http://www.blender.org/http://www.blender.org/http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://www.blender.org/


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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.

Blender In Action


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Downloading and installing:

1. Visithttp://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
http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/


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Cool features in Blender:

Though this could potentially be a very long list, we ll 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/

Blender at CG Society: http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=91

Tutorials

Blender Cookie: http://cgcookie.com/blender/

Blender Guru: http://www.blenderguru.com/

Blender Nerd: 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/
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manualhttp://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manualhttp://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://blenderartists.org/forum/http://blenderartists.org/forum/http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=91http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=91http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://www.blenderguru.com/http://www.blenderguru.com/http://blendernerd.com/http://blendernerd.com/http://www.blender.org/community/user-community/http://www.blender.org/community/user-community/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/movies/http://www.blender.org/community/user-community/http://blendernerd.com/http://www.blenderguru.com/http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=91http://blenderartists.org/forum/http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Main_Pagehttp://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.6/Manual


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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.organd 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.
http://www.gimp.org/http://www.gimp.org/http://www.gimp.org/features/http://www.gimp.org/features/http://www.gimp.org/features/http://www.gimp.org/features/http://www.gimp.org/


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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 arentfully 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 stickhere.

GIMP in action 1
http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portablehttp://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portablehttp://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portablehttp://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable


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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
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/http://www.gimp.org/downloads/http://www.gimp.org/downloads/


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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: http://gimpforums.com/

GIMP Talk: http://www.gimptalk.com/

Tutorials

GIMP-Tutorials.net: http://gimp-tutorials.net/

GIMPology: 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!
http://www.gimp.org/docs/http://gimpforums.com/http://gimpforums.com/http://www.gimptalk.com/http://www.gimptalk.com/http://gimp-tutorials.net/http://gimp-tutorials.net/http://www.gimpology.com/http://www.gimpology.com/http://www.gimpology.com/http://gimp-tutorials.net/http://www.gimptalk.com/http://gimpforums.com/http://www.gimp.org/docs/


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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 ofAudacitys real strengths is its cross-

platform 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.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/http://audacity.sourceforge.net/http://audacity.sourceforge.net/


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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 thefull feature list, for your pleasure!

Audacity in action
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/featureshttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/featureshttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/featureshttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features


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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 withFAQ section.

AudacityTeam.orgis 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, theauthors 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 youhow to make a mash-up.

ThisAudacity Tips Pageallows 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 pageand 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!
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq.htmlhttp://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq.htmlhttp://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq.htmlhttp://forum.audacityteam.org/http://forum.audacityteam.org/http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Higher-Audio-Quality-when-Using-Audacityhttp://www.wikihow.com/Get-Higher-Audio-Quality-when-Using-Audacityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxIxJwJOnwo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxIxJwJOnwo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxIxJwJOnwo&feature=relatedhttp://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tips.htmlhttp://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tips.htmlhttp://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tips.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0th9-g48ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0th9-g48ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0th9-g48ohttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0th9-g48ohttp://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tips.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxIxJwJOnwo&feature=relatedhttp://www.wikihow.com/Get-Higher-Audio-Quality-when-Using-Audacityhttp://forum.audacityteam.org/http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq.html


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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 getstarted 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
http://www.virtualdub.org/http://www.virtualdub.org/http://www.virtualdub.org/


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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 we ve 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.
http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/


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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 aroundthis 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

Converteris an example of one that we have used, which is also free.

VirtualDub Screenshot. Input on the left, output on the right.

The bottom right hand pane is the filters window.
http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_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 canget 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.
http://www.dvdflick.net/http://www.dvdflick.net/http://www.dvdflick.net/


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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. Visithttp://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

foundhere) 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.
http://www.dvdflick.net/download.phphttp://www.dvdflick.net/download.phphttp://www.dvdflick.net/download.phphttp://www.imgburn.com/http://www.imgburn.com/http://www.imgburn.com/http://www.imgburn.com/http://www.dvdflick.net/download.php


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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.

DVD Flick Screenshot


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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 isonly 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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