Software and freeware reviews

All the software reviewed has been tried by me and my friends on computers running Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 and XP - they should also run in Windows ME - Vista is an unknown quality so far. Also, as far as I was able to ascertain, none of the free programs connects to the internet to send information about you and your browsing habits without your knowledge ( spyware - look in newsgroup:alt.privacy.spyware for more information).

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Graphics Software

Sometimes I wonder why you won't find some of the programs listed below in many freeware sites. Maybe the reviewers were not much familiar with graphics and found the programs difficult to learn?

Image viewers and converters

• Irfanview is a fast freeware (free for personal use) image viewer and converter. It also has some image manipulating special effects. It fits into a floppy and is low on resources and disk space. There are many free viewers around, but I think this is the best. I like it a lot and have made a shortcut on my desktop, where I drag any image I want to view or apply a quick format or size change, or even some of the (basic) special effects it offers.
  It even supports an unlimited (contrary to the large paint programs which support a limited number) number of Photoshop or Corel compatible plugins (the ones ending in .8bf), of which there are a whole lot offered freeware in the Web. Some example sites for plugins are:
  • The Plugin Site
  • FreePhotoshop
  • photoshop-filters.com
  There is more if you search the web.
  You can also make a web page with thumbnails for all the images in a directory.
  The newer version can also make slide-show screensavers from your images, send emails and more :-)
• Another nice viewer is 20/20 (website: www.hotfreeware.com dead since 2005) - The program can still be found. Sofotex has the correct links to download. This is ad supported, but not spyware - to remove the ads, you are supposed to register it (but of course you can't). Except for viewing and converting many formats, you can also apply a lot of special effects, including one hard to find: to make an image tile seamlessly.
• The larger number of file formats is supported by XNView, the best image file converter I have seen. It might be the only solution to open some unusual image, including WBMP, the cellphone format. The menus are available in a multitude of languages, even rare ones. You can also apply some special effects.

Texture makers

• Reptile, a freeware program for image manipulation; it is much fun!. It makes all sorts of (unreal) textures, - can be configured - based on mathematical calculations. You can save the whole image morphing sequence in video. It seems that (free) registering is no longer needed.
• 'sTile is another program for making more traditional textures. The program has been very much improved from previous versions. It is also small and fast.

Button Makers

• ZPaint is an excellent simple program for making buttons for web pages, or 3d frames for images. Its output is high quality and the images can be configured in any way you wish. You can even make the (so popular) interfaces for your web pages, although you will next have to configure the image map links, which isn't the simpler thing in the world. You can also use textures for your buttons (mine work well). You will need another graphic program to crop and convert your choices.

Landscape editors

• Terragen is a landscape program from the UK (free for personal use, you must register to use it commercially). With it, you can make 3d landscapes, which are surprisingly photorealistic. (for what it can do, look at my Terragen wallpaper pages. It is easy to use and despite the small number of its version (still below 1.0) no bugs have been discovered. (If only it supported adding trees, buildings etc...). Like all 3d programs, rendering an image, especially if it is large and you have specified more details, might take quite a long time, so you must be patient. Also, don't make the mistake I made the first time I used it: I hadn't noticed that one could specify how detailed the preview or the final image would be, so my first images looked awful.

3D Programs

• PovRay has become the standard, by which other 3D image editors are judged. Its images (renderings) are extremely clear and sharp, the shadows realistic and the quality is really high. This is, as I have read, because it uses ray tracing. If you see some PovRay galleries (check IRTC, the internet Ray trace competiton site), there is not much one can't do with it. There are versions for most operating systems.
  It is not used by many people as one would expect. Maybe the reason is that it used to be quite difficult. What you do with PovRay, is write the image directions in a plain text file and run this text file to render your image. This can sound frightening to someone who hasn't done this before. But there is an extensive help file with examples. So, with some cut - and - paste, a beginner can make his first red ball (this seems to be the first thing almost everyone does on starting a 3d program) or box or cylinder and from there, you go on to planes, backgrounds, lights, textures, atmospheres etc.
  I found the new version easier to use than the previous ones (or maybe I am getting used to it ...).

I have not tried all of the programs below (or have not tried them long enough to be able to give a full review), but they are quite popular and their output is good. (There are surprisingly many 3D programs that output very low quality images).

Before you read, you should know that my judgement may have been influenced by first using POV-Ray, where each object is precisely placed and not by mouse, which can be imprecise, although easier for many people.

• Another classic freeware 3D program is Blender (~1.2 MB). It is very powerful, but unfortunately it is not easy to learn and get familiar with, because of its unusual interface. But those who have persisted and learned it, make some impressive images (and animations). Blender is available for many operating systems.
• Wings 3D is a very easy to use and powerful modeller, that exports to many formats and supports uv-mapping. Recommended.
• Breeze Designer is a very good modeller for PovRay.
• Hamapatch is a simpler modeller, very easy to use. I use it myself (the fruits and the candle in the "table" POV Ray wallpaper were made with Hamapatch).
• OpenFX (44 Mbytes with examples, 20 without) is an impressive free 3D program that can do models and animations with many possibilities (NURBS support, kinematics-based animation, morphing and more). It is in version 1 now.
• Truespace 3.2 is offered for free from Caligari.com.
  I personally find the interface difficult to use, but then I also find that of Bryce.
• Softcad.3d Lite Version 1.16 - download link follow the links to "Télécharger" (~8.9 MB) is another 3D CAD program.
• Design Workshop Lite (5-7 MB) can also be used in architectural renderings.

If you want a more complete picture on 3d programs, you can check IDEA+, where you will find a database with 3d programs.

Image Editors

• GIMP is a Linux program ported into Windows. This is a full featured graphics editor and free.
  You can do web graphics, paintings, cartoons, wallpapers, photo manipulation, animations, work with as many layers as your computer memory permits and in any size from the smaller to the largest with an easy to use zoom in or out. I have read somewhere that GIMP was the stronger reason for some people to switch to Linux (I might do so some time, although I don't feel comfortable any more working too much in the command line).
  It can be installed just like any other Windows program - Be sure to follow the instructions on the sourceforge page. Remember to set your screen at 1024 X 768 and 16 bit colors at least during the installation or you will get a warning (it is a quirk of the installation program; the program works later at 800 X 600 if you want, although a larger resolution will give you more space to move the various windows around).
  It does take some time to learn.
  Be sure to download from gimp.org the 2 help PDF files for Linux (their size is greater than the program) - they are worth it. Another great GIMP tutorial is "Grokking the GIMP". Also, check back every month or so; there might be a new version.
  It also supports filter factory plug ins (the ones with a FFL extension, offered as freeware in the web), without need for any other special program. The latest version, also supports some Photoshop (8bf) plugins. There are more plugins, scripts, patterns, brushes etc. than those bundled with the program distribution, available by various people over the internet.
  It has been quoted as being still unstable, suitable for developers (a modest estimate), but I have not found it any more unstable than Windows itself. Some filters (and it has the coolest filters I have ever seen - and quite a lot of them) might crash once in a while (not more often than Windows), but GIMP can continue. A few people, though, might have difficulty installing it.

• Dogwaffle (used to be called Cyberoptics) is another gem, smaller and easier than GIMP with lots of features. It is also a full graphics program with mask support, layer editing, cool special effects, lots of brushes (my favorites: the very realistic ones of leaves and bubbles), gradients, palettes, paper textures etc.
  This program is more suited to painting than image manipulation.
  It has now become shareware. You can still download the last freeware version, 1.2, from thebest3d.com.
• Satori PhotoXL V2.29 is one more gem: an excellent advanced graphics editor. It is now freeware (you get the CD key with the download). It has everything you would expect a graphics program to have and then more: special effects, masks, mapping and much more. Like all graphic programs of its level, it takes some time to learn..
  

  Update : This version has been withdrawn from the Satori site pending release of a new freeware version. As of April 2007, you can buy v.3.00 for less than 10 US $.

• Embelish - former Home Page - don't visit it! and download is another graphics editor with many fans. It is simpler and easier than either GIMP or Satori Photo XL. It used to be shareware, now freeware.
• Image forge is definitely a simpler program, nice but quite basic in many respects (although much better than MS Paint). The special thing about it is that you can paint with icons and ICL files (icon libraries, offered free all over the web) like the "stamps" in kids' painting programs. You can also change the color depth and apply some effects.
• Pixia is a good image editor with a japanese style; it supports tablets and pressure sensitive painting, brushes, effects, painting with patterns, layers etc. Easy to learn with many special features. Check back often for updates and new filters; it is regularly updated.

Icon Editors

• PixelToolbox makes icons, cursors and patterns.
• SnIco Edit is an icon and cursor editor - Review by PC Plus.

Cursor editors

• Cursor dance is an old, but light and efficient, freeware program with which you can make animated cursors.
• Two other choices for animated cursors are:
  • Cursor Maker
  • and AniTuner

Icon Changers

• To change your desktop icons with the new ones you have made (or maybe found in the web) there is ActivIcon. You can change the shortcut icons in all flavors of Windows. With some versions of Windows and with Plus! you can change a few more. But to change more icons, you need a special program. This is the only one I found without bugs. Still: use with caution!

Icon Collections

• A very good icon collection is the iconcity collection by Craig Blair. It has some thousands of icons in ICL files (can be opened by Windows Explorer: right click - shortcut - properties - change icon - browse - all files), arranged neatly in categories.
• Mie Net's icon libraries is another large collection. You can download the categories that interest you or the whole collection.
• All Icons (direct download link) is yet another large icon collection (about 4000).
  

Screen Saver Makers

I have yet to find a freeware program that will let you make SCR files, which when put into your Windows directory will be read as screensavers, apart from Irfanview above (there are commercial ones and their free versions, if available, show the company's logo for a large part of the screensaver).
Most of the free ones let you make a screen saver in your own computer. There are also others that let you make files that you can distribute to users of the same program or as EXE files. I have also heard, but not tested, that you can change the extension of one of these EXE files to SCR and they will work, although I would be reluctant to run an EXE file from an unknown source.

• Son of Spy's Multimedia page has a list of programs for making your own personal screen saver. Just do a search on the page for "saver".

Wallpaper Changers

• Wallpaper changer" is the one I use - it has ratings, so that an image with a high rating (rated by the user) will show for longer, plus some nice resizing and stretching options.
• Wallmaster, a freeware wallpaper changing utility, that lets you change your wallpaper automatically, arrange your images in theme groups and also use all kinds of image files without converting.
• Winwall is another free wallpaper changer with many options.
  

Other Programs

• n_Gen Design Machine (broken link), is a program, that lets you make almost instantly a design (using presets) for a web page, a book or CD cover, postcard or poster. Very easy to use.
  Unfortunately, it seems it is no longer available for download from the above URL, either from n-generate.com or from movedesign.com.

Presentations

• AudioPix free is in my opinion, the poor man's multimedia presentation software. It allows you to create your own multimedia presentations with images and sounds or music (BMP, JPEG or GIF and MP3) and just a few mouse clicks. (I have made a movie with about 200 photos and music, showing a village and its people - it was much enjoyed!) The interface is easy to use. The output is an MPEG video that you can play on any computer supporting the format or publish to the web.

Fractal Programs

And, finally, by your demand, some fractal programs.
The ones I had earlier have gone commercial. Some are still available for download (I got this link from Wikipedia ).
Among the commercial ones, I think the best is Ultra Fractal - you can download a trial. It has a long learning curve though.
Those of the fractint family (the classic fractal program which still has many fans) are too difficult to learn and they are all paletted (only 256 colors - although with good use the results can be pretty).
For those of us unfamiliar with fractal formulas and equations, the best free today are the following:

• Apophysis (I use this) makes fractal flames. It is versatile and you can make fractals, without knowing much, using random settings and scripts. The mailing list is recommended!
• GNU Xaos can zoom in classic fractals in real time - there is a Mac, Windows and source version.
• Chaoscope makes 3D strange attractors, which have been made into glass sculpture by Bathesba sculpture
• ChaosPro is a multi-featured fractal generator.
• Fractal Explorer is used by many people - it is easy and makes beautiful images. It also has an online community
• ManpWin is an easier and more modern (true-color, animation) Fractint version.
• Raimu or Raimuraito (scroll down the page, until you see the "To english" link - unless you speak Japanese), is a fractal generator that can make beautiful images, using, among others, flower, fish and butterflies. Look at the gallery and the samples in the download page.

Web Publishing Software

I have tried all these programs, but I don't use them very often except for Xenu; I am a stubborn plain text fan, so I mostly use Notepad and copy and paste when possible to save typing. This makes a special kind of HTML errors that I find about later, when I view my pages in the internet or use one of the following programs.

HTML Editors

• 1st Page 2000 (I use this sometimes) is a nice web page editor from Australia (a download link, since the Evrsoft site features the 2006 edition). It is not a WYSIWIG (what you see is - usually - what you get) editor, like MS Frontpage; it is more like Arachnophilia or Homesite. What is special about it is that it is rich in features: it includes countless scripts (including some nice javascript games), supports dynamic HTML and almost everything that you could imagine. It is very easy to use; you choose for example the image to use and it generates the code to add it. It also has a very good tutorial for learning HTML from scratch.
  The preview also helps.
• AceHTML5 freeware is another good free HTML editor (text).
  
• The best freeware WYSIWIG HTML editor I have found is Nvu and its unofficial release KompoZer. In both versions, it is possible to also work on the source.
  You type your text and see how it would look in your web page at the same time. Once you learn more, you can view the source it generates in the source window.
• For WYSIWIG editors, Amaya and Mozilla composer are good too (they come as part of the browsers with the same name).
  

HTML Checkers

• HTML-Kit.This is a useful freeware program for validating your html in the web pages in your own computer, before uploading them to your site (it supports HTML 4.0 - the latest version). Contrary to others I have tried (including some commercial ones), I have not yet found it to make a mistake or omit something important. You have to check each page separately. It also has an auto-correct function, plus it can be used as an HTML editor (auto tag insertion) from basic to very advanced.

Link Checkers

• Xenu's Link Sleuth. An excellent freeware program for checking your links, either in your computer or in the internet. I think it is also the fastest.

WebTV Emulator

• The number of people who are using Web TV is increasing; so you should check whether they can view your pages. To do this you need the WebTV Viewer (original version) or MSN TV viewer (MSN version). It gives you a Web TV experience complete with a (virtual) remote control.