Amazing Software Downloads

Here is a list of some amazing downloads:

Gimpshop:

Open Source software has never been known for its photo processing prowess. Until now, that is.

Gimpshop is an exceedingly powerful Photoshop lookalike that has far more features than you, or most people you know, will ever use. If you're looking to do something as simple as touch up photos, or something far more sophisticated, like work in multiple layers, it has the tools you need.

There are also numerous effects and filters, the ability to easily create color gradients, and plenty more. In fact, if all you want to do is basic photo-retouching, it's probably overkill. But if you want to indulge your inner artist, there's plenty. The program is based on a long-time Open Source favorite, GIMP, but has more fit and polish, and a Photoshop-like identity.



Inkscape:

If you're looking for a graphics program that lets you create illustrations and graphics, much like Freehand or Illustrator, then give Inkscape a whirl.

It includes a surprisingly powerful set of tools for creating graphics from scratch, or for editing existing graphics or photographs. You'll find numerous drawing tools, the ability to create layers and combine them, and more.


Miro:

Miro is the new name for Democray Player. Video is the most interesting thing on the web these days, but it's easy to get stuck on YouTube looking for the diamonds among the lip-synching teenagers and inebriated video camera abusers.

The Participatory Culture Foundation offers this video feed aggregator-cum-personal video recorder as part of its larger goal of jumpstarting a grassroots Internet TV model. Democracy player lets you browse and subscribe to video channels, including Seed Magazine's science clips, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, music video channels, and Democracy Now.

You can also search the major video web sites without leaving the player. Just like your Tivo box, Democracy Player expires and deletes older videos automatically to keep your hard disk from filling up.


MediaCoder:

If you need to transform media files between formats, shrink files with little quality loss, extract audio from video files, and much more, this is the program for you.

It'll convert files between media formats, giving you a great deal of control over the output. So, for example, if you have a file that you'd like to convert so it can be played on a portable media player, MediaCoder will do the trick.

It can also save you plenty of hard disk space by shrinking media files. There are also lots of extensions you can download that expand the program?s abilities, such as make it easy to transcode files for specific media players.


Audacity:

If you want to create media, not just consume it, try this open-source program, which includes audio recording tools and sophisticated editing functions. You can even create audio soundscapes from scratch. You can add any of several dozen effects, use a sound mixer...in short, the app has everything you need. While you don't have to be well-versed in sound editing to use it, people with some experience will particularly enjoy its power.


Media Player Classic:

Do you feel that most media players, such as Microsoft's Windows Media Player, have become bloatware, overblown applications that need to be slimmed down to their basics --- just playing media?

If so, this is the program for you. The title says it all. It looks and works much like an earlier, classic version of Windows Media Player, way back in the days when it was a simple, svelte program.

In fact, there's not even an installation program; just double-click the file and it runs. Despite its simplicity, it's a great program. It will play just about any kind of media file you can throw at it, and will even play DVDs.


HandBrake:

Got a DVD that you want to turn into MPEG-4 format so that you can store it on your hard disk, or make a backup to disc? Then you'll want HandBrake.

It grabs video from a variety of sources, including a DVD, and a DVD image, and grabs audio from sources as well, including MPEG audio tracks. You'll then be able to output a digital file in a variety of formats, including MPEG-4, AVI, OGM for video, or AAC, MP3, and Ogg Vorbis for audio.

There are some very nice extras in here, such as being able to select individual DVD chapters, grabbing subtitles, and more. You get plenty of control over your recording, including selecting the bit rate, maximum file size for video, and bit rate and sample rate for audio.


RogueScanner:

Think your home or small office wireless network is safe? Do you have any idea whether there are any intruders on it? This free program is a great way to find out.

Run it on a PC attached to your network via Ethernet. (The program won't work in Windows Vista, so you'll need Windows XP.) When you run it, it immediately does a network scan, finding the wireless and wired devices attached to it. For each device, it lists the unique MAC address (a kind of serial number), the IP address, the manufacturer if it can figure it out, and model number if it can find that. It also tells you what kind of device it is, such as a router, printer, PC, and so on. And it will also flag any suspect devices it finds.


ClamWin Free Antivirus:

Anti-virus software tends to be big and bloated, use plenty of RAM and system resources, and generally clog up your system. Worse is that increasingly, anti-virus makers make it difficult to buy anti-virus software by itself, and include firewalls, anti-spyware and other software with it. If you want a clean, mean piece of anti-virus software that does just one thing --- protect against viruses --- you'll want this program.

It has a small footprint, and doesn't take up much system resources. It will scan your entire hard disk at once for viruses and spyware, or can scan individual files and folders.

It also includes a Microsoft Outlook add-in to remove virus-infected attachments automatically from your email. There is one drawback to the program, though: It doesn't include real-time virus protection.


TrueCrypt:

The best things in life are free, and Truecrypt may be one of them. When you encrypt files on your hard disk, not only do you want to scramble the files, but sometimes you want to prevent others from discovering that the files even exist, a sleight-of-hand known as steganography. Not only does Truecrypt use strong encryption when it creates encrypted volumes (including 256-bit AES and 448-bit Blowfish), it also creates hidden volumes that are indistinguishable from random data.

If you take the time to learn how to use Truecrypt's steganographic features, the program will do a great job of protecting your data from snoops.


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Amazing Software Downloads Amazing Software Downloads Reviewed by Bobby on 1:31 AM Rating: 5

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