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Open Source and Free Software Directory
The following tables comprise a selective guide to various free and open source software tools for a variety of digital media applications.
This is an attempt to provide a first port of call for those looking for free and/or open source applications on the Internet. There is a bewildering array of such software and, as a result, we cannot hope to make this directory comprehensive. In addition, the almost daily changes in existing applications and the constant arrival of new ones means that the accuracy of information in these tables can't be guaranteed.
What this directory can provide is an easy way into the maze of applications on the Internet and a useful list of some of the most popular tools available. A quick glance at the tasks in the left hand column will immediately lead to one or more appropriate applications along with information about what machines it or they will work on. We hope to provide evaluations of some of these applications in the near future as well as keeping the directory as up-to-date as we can.
If a more exhaustive search for applications is desired, there are a number of places to look. Aside from the inevitable Google search, many tools can be found by checking the SourceForge website and the Open Source Software Directory.
Notes
- Webware applications are also known as cloud applications or online applications. They are tools which do not require the downloading of software to your computer. Instead, a browser is used to access the site on the Internet where the tool is used. There is some information available from an event at the University of Bristol. Also see our advice documents on free online image editors, free online audio editors and free online screencasting tools.
- Note that 'free' does not mean 'open source'. Often, free applications are stripped-down versions of commercial applications and, as such, may not provide all of the functionality you are expecting.
| AUDIO | Webware | Linux | Mac | Windows | Open source | Free | Notes |
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| audio editing |
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Audacity | Audacity | Audacity |
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| Audio Expert |
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SoX | SoX | SoX |
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Traverso DAW | Traverso DAW | Traverso DAW |
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WaveSurfer | WaveSurfer | WaveSurfer |
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Ardour | Ardour |
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LMMS | LMMS |
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Linux MultiMedia Studio | ||
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Ecasound | Ecasound |
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Snd |
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Jokosher | Jokosher |
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MusE |
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Qtractor |
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ReZound |
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Rosegarden |
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Sweep |
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WavePad | WavePad |
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| Myna |
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| audiobook authoring |
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Obi |
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Tobi |
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Tobi is intended for the conversion of texts into audiobooks or the improvement of existing audiobooks. For creation of new audiobooks, use Obi. | |||
| file conversion |
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| music creation | Roc |
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| STILL IMAGE | Webware | Linux | Mac | Windows | Open source | Free | Notes |
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| image colour editing | Toucan |
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| image compression |
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Smush.it | Smush.it | Smush.it |
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lossless |
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image creation and editing (see also our guide to Free Online Image Editors) |
DrPic |
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| FotoFlexer |
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GIMP | GIMP | GIMP |
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ImageMagick | ImageMagick | ImageMagick |
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bitmap | |
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Inkscape | Inkscape | Inkscape |
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vector graphics, can be used for video titling | |
| LunaPic |
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| Phixr |
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| Phoenix |
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| Photoshop.com |
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| Picnik |
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| PicResize |
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| Pixer.us |
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| Pixlr |
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| Splashup |
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| Sumo Paint |
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| image effects editing | Peacock |
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| image markup | Falcon |
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| image vector editing | Raven |
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| panorama creation |
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AutoStitch |
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| MOVING IMAGE | Webware | Linux | Mac | Windows | Open source | Free | Notes |
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| animation (2-D) |
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Pencil | Pencil | Pencil |
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for traditional hand-drawn animation |
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KToon |
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Synfig | Synfig | Synfig |
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vector-based | |
| animation (3-D) |
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Blender | Blender | Blender |
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| DVD ripping |
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Doom9 | Doom9 | Doom9 |
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repository for an enormous number of rippers, codecs, filters and much more |
| subtitling |
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Aegisub | Aegisub | Aegisub |
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Gaupol | Gaupol |
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Miyu |
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Subtitle Editor |
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Subtitle Processor |
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| Universal Subtitles |
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VisualSubSync |
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| video capture and processing |
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VirtualDub |
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| video distribution platform |
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Kaltura |
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includes editor and player | ||
| video editing |
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Avidemux | Avidemux | Avidemux |
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Avitricks Classic |
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for AVI files | |||
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Cinefx | Cinefx | Cinefx |
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also visual effects; used to be known as Jahshaka | |
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Cinelerra |
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also a compositor | |||
| Clesh |
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based on FORscene | ||||
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Hyperengine-AV |
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| Jaycut |
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LiVES | LiVES | LiVES |
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also a performance and VJ app | |
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Lumiera |
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based on Cinelerra | |||
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Kdenlive | Kdenlive |
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Kino |
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including FireWire capture from DV | |||
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Open Movie Editor |
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VideoPad |
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Windows Movie Maker |
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ZS4 & Zwei-Stein | ZS4 & Zwei-Stein | ZS4 & Zwei-Stein |
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| video playing, converting, etc. |
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Cineplay | Cineplay | Cineplay |
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Miro |
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Miro Video Converter | Miro Video Converter |
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MPEG Streamclip | MPEG Streamclip |
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can also edit | ||
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Mplayer & Mencoder | Mplayer & Mencoder | Mplayer & Mencoder |
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Prism Video Converter |
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VLC Player | VLC Player | VLC Player |
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probably the best open source app in the world... | |
| video transcoding |
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Cinecode | Cinecode | Cinecode |
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drag-and-drop utility to convert anything to Flash |
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HandBrake | HandBrake | HandBrake |
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| video website creation | Miro Community |
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No video hosting; rather, a front end for presentation of videos already hosted elsewhere. | |||
| webcam recording |
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Debut |
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| CROSS-MEDIA | Webware | Linux | Mac | Windows | Open source | Free | Notes |
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| audio & video qualitative analysis |
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Transana | Transana |
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| collections management system |
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Omeka |
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| multimedia authoring system |
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Sophie | Sophie | Sophie |
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Pachyderm | Pachyderm | Pachyderm |
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Pachyderm existed as a free online service, but this has been discontinued. It remains a free opensource server that anyone can download and intall. |
| OTHER APPLICATIONS | Webware | Linux | Mac | Windows | Open source | Free | Notes |
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| CAD (Computer Aided Design) |
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Google SketchUp | Google SketchUp |
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3D modelling software. Integrates with Google Earth | |
| cloud storage | Dropbox |
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| Mozy |
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| collaborative software |
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Dimdim |
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Etherpad |
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ProjectPier |
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| Google Docs |
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| content management system |
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Plone | Plone | Plone |
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Drupal | Drupal | Drupal |
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| digital repository management | DSpace |
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Fedora | Fedora | Fedora |
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Greenstone | Greenstone | Greenstone |
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| eLearning development environment |
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Xerte | Xerte | Xerte |
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| object identification and validation |
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JHOVE |
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DROID |
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| RSS aggregator |
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Brief | Brief | Brief |
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add-on for Firefox |
| screen capture |
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Jing | Jing |
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Camstudio |
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| Screen Toaster |
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| Screencast-o-Matic |
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| Screenjelly |
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| Screenr |
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designed to work with Twitter | ||||
| Talon |
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