By Kendra Dodds
(10/11/05)
The best things in life may be free, but most software isn't. Limited functionality, annoying adware, and pesky nag screens mean even most "free" software isn't actually without cost.
Don't give up, though--some gems are out there. Here is a sampling of absolutely free applications from Download.com's Design & Photo category. The open-source image editor The GIMP earns fans not just for its price, but for its powerful features. Picasa helps you import and manage pictures from your digital camera. The Font Thing presents all your fonts visually for easy access. ColorPic makes it easy to set a color palette for your projects, and Easy Thumbnails lets you create an image sampler in moments.
The GIMP
Word definitely is spreading about this powerful open-source graphics program, and deservedly so. The GIMP is jam-packed with professional features such as channels, layers, and tabbed palettes.
IrfanView
Taking pictures is only half the fun. IrfanView lets you assemble your images into a slide show, as well as offering solid editing options and multiple ways to preview images.
XnView
Overhaul your images with XnView. Edit, crop, and add filters to your photos with this quick and nimble image editor.
Easy Thumbnails
This little freeware program is the perfect tool for resizing individual images or entire folders, then saving them to a Web page.
Webshots Desktop
Upload, store, and share photos on your personal Webshots home page. You can keep your photos private among friends and family or share them within the community.
Note: Webshots is owned by CNET Networks.
The Font Thing
To help you find and preview your fonts, The Font Thing groups fonts into collections, lets you browse them in subfolders as a single combined list, and displays sample text and individual characters in your choice of colors.
CutePDF Writer
Installing itself as a printer, this utility enables you to convert any printable document into PDF format. To make a PDF, you just press Print. How easy is that?
Picasa
Picasa lets you scan your computer and connected USB cameras for images and organize them as chronologically sorted albums, complete with thumbnail previews.
ColorPic
If you're starting a design project, ColorPic is an absolute gem. This color picker gets you up close with a built-in magnifier, grabbing palettes of up to 16 colors at once.
PhotoPlus
Palettes and tools allow you to work with layers and masks, animations, transparency, and special effects in the same manner as more expensive programs.
