I guess it wasn’t mentioned in my job description but among my regular duties I’ve been tasked to search for opensource/freeware/cheap alternatives to common windows based tools used for video & photo editing, 3D modelling, DTP etc. that are a part of the usual software porftolio in a design studio (web/print/video/whatever).

I found some interesting options that might be of use to someone but to be honest from the start – although many of these are actually quite capable I’ve found a number of missing features that would be a deal braker for my personal use. But if you’re just starting out or are on a serious budget or there are some specific circumstances (that’s why I’ve been researching this in the first place) then these should do just fine.

Just one more thing… some of these might not be free but cost considerably less than the industry standard.

sound editing:

• Audacity
• GoldWave

3D graphics:

• Blender

Photo editing:

• GIMP
• GIMPShop (GIMP offspring that looks like Photoshop)
• CinePaint (GIMP offspring for the film industry with some specific features)
• Picture Window Pro ($90)
• Photoshop Elements 6 ($100)

Vector graphics:

• Inkscape

Non linear video editing:

• Jahshaka (free, latest release oct 06)
• ZS4 (free, latest release feb 07)
• Cinerella (free but only available on Linux)
• Adobe Premiere Elements 4 ($99)
• Pinnacle Studio Plus ($99)
• Pinnacle Studio Ultimate ($130)
• Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum ($120)
• Avid Xpress Pro Academic ($295)
• ULEAD Media Studio Pro ($400)

Desktop Publishing:

• Scribus
• QuarkXpress ($195)

As I said… I’m not switching completely but these might be very attractive to some.

It’s been a while since I’ve cleaned up subscriptions in sharpreader. 20 or so feeds appeared to be dead so those went out the window, a few more needed some attention because URIs changed etc. and I’ve added some new ones.
Among them is one I’ve also added to the blogroll in the upper right corner of this blog- The Late Greats, self described as “the home of greatest songs never heard”. I tend to agree most of the time. The posting frequency is far too big for me to keep up but I’ve found some great songs through it already. Awesome, goes down well with The Hype Machine…

I’ll also point out APhotoEditor. An anonimous insider with some interesting things to say on the business of photography. A slightly more philosophic and academic twist to photography comes from Conscientious. One could say the familiar words of Mike Johnston et al of The Online Photographer fall somewhere between these two so you’re nicely covered from all angles. That is if your interest in photography extends beyond gear talk and pixel peeping.

That’s it for now. No, you don’t get to find out how many feeds I subscribe to ;)

This video has been making the rounds in the past few days:

Superbly shot, excellent locations and some very fine music. And since youtube hardly does this video justice – here’s the original trailer.

I’ve watched it a few times already and every single time I get the urge to pack up and go to Iceland. And just so you know… Iceland is just as amazing underwater. Silfra…a crack in the earth’s crust where european and american tectonic plates meet and visibility is quite literally limitless… probably the most spectatular dive site on the planet.

NDR Silfra report on YouTube:

you can also freedive there…

I must warn you though…it is cold… ;)