Every artist and craftsman needs tools, but tools tend to be expensive and artists tend to be broke. Shitty artists especially can’t afford reliable tools which makes one wonder, “How does a shitty artist get better if they can’t afford tools?”
Well, thanks to the nature of digitization, cheap software allows modern artists to achieve great things at little cost (traditional artists, you’re still fucked, consider this clickbait and follow me on whatever, sucker). Additionally, we are in an era when finally good and free software is actually widely available, so we don’t have to choose between Adobe’s manipulative pricing plans and the ability to get the job done.
What I’ve done for you here is collect a wide set free software which almost any kind of artist can use. There’s something for illustrators, 3D artists, writers, video producers, musicians, and everything in between. Again, all of this stuff is free and actually good; it may not be perfect for you exactly, there may be something that suits you better, but if you can’t afford that, you can use this stuff to get the job done without sacrificing your vision.
Each entry is linked to the user manual, as well as a video tutorial that I’ve hand-picked for communicating the basics well. Comment below if you have any questions. Now let’s get to work.
Graphics and Illustration
For Photo Editing: GIMP
GIMP Download Page
It may have the worst name of all time, but GIMP is in fact a fully capable photo editing program popularly regarded as the “free alternative” to Photoshop, and rightfully so. They’ve improved the interface over the years and it shouldn’t be too hard to use if you’re familiar with Adobe’s suite, but there are some quirks. For example, text editing isn’t as intuitive, but works fine and isn’t missing anything. It has all the same essential photo manipulation features and can be expanded by installing free GIMP plugins. You can even download a special version called “GIMPShop” meant to look like Photoshop and wholly intended to steal its users, which is some real darkness after my own heart that I’m glad to help with.
GIMP’s website provides a great selection of simple tutorials, and this one for making a “Simple Floating Logo” should teach you the essentials quickly. Or, check out this video from Chris’ Tutorials on YouTube which does an excellent job of covering all the essentials in just 30 minutes.
If you like GIMP, if it helps you get some important work done and especially if it makes you any money, please keep in mind that free software developers essentially make near-zero income from their work, and consider donating to GIMP.
For Raster Illustration: Sketchbook
Sketchbook’s Download Page
A friend recently let me know that Autodesk’s Sketchbook is now free and, for me, it was a lifesaver. Frankly, I loathe sketching or free-hand drawing in Adobe’s products, which are clunky and tend to get in the way of normal drawing habits until you get used to it (I’m not). Sketchbook, on the other hand, is just for drawing stuff and it excels to that end. You can even download free brushes from within the app that extend the usability an insane amount. I use the custom brushes I downloaded more often than the originals, and they save me tons of effort with stuff like clouds and leaves.
There are quite of lot of guides for Sketchbook on Autodesk’s website. The Getting Started page is probably a good place to… begin. Once you’re comfortable, visit Autodesk’s helpful Finding Tutorials page where they’ve collected great tutorials from around the web to polish your skill. Watch the coloring stuff; it’s always fascinating even if you’re not trying to learn.
For Vector Illustration: Inkscape
Inkscape’s Download Page
Inkscape is another free illustration program, but this one uses vector graphics instead of raster graphics as in Sketchbook. Raster images are broken into pixels and each pixel has its own color info; they cannot be resized without distorting the image. Vector graphics are composed of points that are filled out by software, like filling in three points of a triangle, and they can be resized infinitely without distortion, making them perfect for logos and other brand images that are displayed in many different shapes and sizes. Working in vector requires thinking a little differently than traditional raster images, but it’s worthwhile to save time and effort, and to make especially crisp images for things like line art and tattoos.
You can find Inkscape’s official tutorials here, and I suggest starting with the Shapes tutorial once you’ve clicked around the interface to familiar yourself. When you’re ready to make something cool, watch this video from Logos By Nick to make a vector donut, and in less than 15 minutes he shows you everything you need to get to work.
If you like Inkscape, you should know their donation fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which not only means your donations are tax deductible, it means you’re giving to a good cause because 501(c) is not an easy status to achieve, trust me. Donate to Inkscape here.
For Image Viewing: Irfanview
Irfanview’s Download Page
Every digital graphic artist has mountains of images to pour through, making a responsive image viewer absolutely essential. Irfanview is a fast, efficient photo viewer that includes additional options for cropping, rotating, color adjustments, and saving portions of a photo to a separate image without opening the original in a real editor. This can save enormous amounts of time over the long-term and should not be underestimated if often you find yourself flipping through folders looking for that one image you swore you downloaded at some point.
There isn’t much need for tutorials for such a simple program, but review the FAQ page to learn all kinds of cool tricks with Irfanview. Again, if you like Irfanview, consider donating to the cause!
That’s it for today. Part II will cover Writing and Video Production software so check back in a few days for that, then Part III for 3D and Gaming Development software after that.
If you have any questions or especially any good suggestions for other useful free production software, please let us know in the comments below.
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