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Digital Art Programs
Office and Productivity Programs
Video and Audio Production
Email: library@alextech.edu
Phone: 888-234-1222, ext. 4465, or 320-762-4465
For 24/7 Library Help, go to https://askmn.org/academic
The 24/7 live chat is for general help only. For questions related specifically to your ATCC Library account, or ATCC Library resources, please contact us directly via the phone or email options listed above.
Larkspur Domka
- Library Technician
- larkspur.domka@alextech.edu
- 3207624694
A free and open source 2D vector animation program alternative to Adobe Flash. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It appears to have similar capabilities to the commercial software. There are optional paid training videos available through the website to walk you through using the program.
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
A free, open source image-editing program that functions across a variety of operating systems (Windows/Linux/Mac OS X/and more). Comparable to Photoshop, it offers a vast array of tools and filters, though there is a bit of a learning curve to using it. There are a number of comprehensive tutorials and documentation on the program’s capabilities found on the main website. It is a great program for creating and enhancing digital artwork.
A free (with limited resources) lightweight digital painting and comic creation software. It is available for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. It’s fairly intuitive and easy to use, and has a number of pre-loaded brushes, fonts, and other resources to help you create artwork. Registering for a free account through Medibang also gives you access to even more tools, and you are able to purchase more brushes, textures, etc. if you so choose.
A free, open source digital painting program for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It has a huge capacity for different brushes and textures that can be personally designed and shared with other artists. It’s fast and flexible, and also publishes its own tutorials online to help new users get started learning the tools and functions. There is also a paid version of Krita through either the Windows Store or Steam, which, by purchasing, helps financially support furthering the development of the program (paid version costs about $10 USD).
A lightweight, fast, and high-quality painting program for Windows only. It has a month-long free trial, and purchase of the full program costs about $45 USD, but it is well worth the cost. Many digital artists use Paint Tool SAI for how smoothly it runs and the high quality images it is able to create. The interface is also very straightforward and easy to use. Downloading a license certificate can be a bit tricky, so below is a link that walks through how to do this.
- How to purchase & download Paint Tool SAI full version: https://youtu.be/7lAfG3bEzqM
A somewhat more advanced digital art program for Windows, Mac, and iPad. Costs about $50 USD for the full version. Geared towards creating manga and comic book style art, with many useful tools and features.
A free, Windows-only drawing and painting program with an easy-to-use interface and support for additional plug-ins.
A free and open source vector-based drawing program available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It is an alternative to Adobe Illustrator, specializing in the creation of vector graphics which are easily scalable, and great for the creation of logos and other illustrations.
A simple, yet powerful 3D design and creativity app that’s easy enough for any age or skill level to learn. It is available on iPad, Mac OS X, and Windows, and each has a free trial version (full version costs about $10 USD). This is a newer program that is catching a lot of attention, especially for its easy-to-use and intuitive interface. Its capabilities include: many different ways of creating 3D models, texture tools for rendering, augmented reality placement and editing, easy import and export of 3D models for use with other software, connectivity to 3D printers, and more.
A free and open source 3D creation suite that is more advanced than Morphi, and available on a wide variety of operating systems. It includes capabilities such as “modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing and game creation”. There are optional paid tool additions and training available through the website.
Google Account
Anyone with a Gmail account has access to a variety of other Google services, including online Microsoft Office alternatives like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and much, much more. All of these services are free to use with your Gmail account, and also make working on projects with other Gmail users very easy.
Microsoft Office Applications for ATCC Students & Employees
Instructions for installing Microsoft Office applications on personal devices for ATCC students and employees, from the IT Department page on the ATCC website.
A free, open source office suite software bundle that includes several applications: Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing). Available across a wide variety of operating systems.
Free and open source office suite software bundle that’s very similar to LibreOffice, but with less frequent updates. Available across a wide variety of operating systems.
Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)
A free and open source video recording and live-streaming software available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It offers a wide variety of settings and layering/mixing capabilities, as well as direct connectivity to platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
A free screen capture software for older versions of Windows only. It does not have many setting options, but it's fast and simple and will get the job done. Files are saved to your computer as AVI file type, so if you’re planning on editing video clips recorded by Hypercam, make sure your video editing software is capable of working with AVI files, or have a file type converter close at hand.
A free screen capture software available for Windows, Mac, and Chromebook. It allows you to narrate or add stock music and captions to your recordings, along with other helpful features. There are also some fairly inexpensive video editing and animation upgrades available for this program.
Windows Live Movie Maker (not available for Windows 10)/iMovie (Mac)
Windows Live Movie Maker is a very simplistic video editing software that comes preloaded with versions of Windows prior to Windows 10. It doesn’t have many features, but is still capable of putting together very basic videos. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued for Windows 10; for previous versions of Windows, Movie Maker can be found by doing the following:
Click Start→(Windows) Accessories→Windows Live Movie Maker
Similarly, iMovie is a video-editing software that comes free with Mac and iOS. It’s a little more advanced than Windows Live Movie Maker, and is, as of yet, not discontinued.
A free and open source video editing program available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It has screen, webcam, and audio capture capabilities built in, and a customizable user interface for ease of access tailored to you. There are also free training videos available on YouTube to help familiarize you with all the tools and features.
A very professional video editing software with a bit of a learning curve to become proficient. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It has both a free version, and a paid version (Davinci Resolve Studio) which costs about $300 USD, but just adds extra features. The free version is still very polished, professional, and functional without draining your bank account.
A free and open source video editing program available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It has many templates and effects, and seems similar to Shotcut minus built-in recording capabilities, but a more straightforward user interface.
KDE Non-Linear Video Editor (Kdenlive)
A free and open source video editing program for Windows and Linux. It has a lightweight feel and a relatively beginner friendly user interface, but is capable of producing results that look professional.
A free and open source multi-track audio editor and recorder available across a wide variety of operating systems. It has a number of different features including the ability to support plug-ins for different audio effects.
A free and open source music creation software that is similar to GarageBand (for Mac). LMMS, however, is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
A free to use music creation and collaboration website that is completely online and requires no software downloads. In addition to the online application, BandLab has created a downloadable software package called Cakewalk that is also free, but for Windows users only. Cakewalk allows you to compose, record, edit, mix, master, and share your music creations to popular platforms while offering a ton of different features already included in the package plus the capacity for downloadable plug-ins. You can check out Cakewalk and download it from this link: Cakewalk.