Open CS- Inkscape (Vector Images)

I am not much of an expert on vector graphics, but having discovered Inkscape I threw myself into the vector world for a week and found Inkscape quite natural to work with. To test out the program I decided to ink and color an entire comic book page that I wrote and drew some years ago. I quickly learned that while I was able to ink and color the entire page, it does take time to get use to vector tools versus raster tools.

There is one tool that is unique to Inkscape which Illustrator does not have, and that is the bucket fill tool. This was developed by a comic book illustrator in conjunction with some of the Inkscape developers.

I won't go into a ton of detail on the tools in this document, however, I did find a well made series on Youtube which more than covers the basic tools in Inkscape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SRkALUGXDw&feature=share&list=SPxxNwIiCCunS7X6mBzXYa4Xiq2w1t-cng

Open CS- Blender (Video Editing and 3D Modeling)

I have looked at lierally dozens of free video editors, and none of them hold a candle to Blender. Blender is more widely known for its 3D modeling capabilities, and as a result I would have to say that the Video Sequence Editor (VSE) is the best kept secret in Blender. Most of the reviews online state that Blender has a steep learning curve. While that may be true for the 3D modeling aspects of the program, that is not neccessarily true for the VSE. A little coaching about the interface and video clip preparation, and the learning curve practically disappears.

Default Interface

User Interface

When you first open Blender the gut reaction is "What have I gotten myself into?" The default interface is for 3D modeling and is quite intimidating. Never fear, just a few guided clicks to open the VSE and the interface becomes much more user friendly.

VSE Interface

First, (1) click on the icon to the lower left and select the video reel. This opens the VSE, to make it more user friendly (2) click the "preview and timeline" view. Finally, (3) click the "+" sign in the top-right corner of the preview area to get the clip properites dock. Now we are ready to edit!

Note the bottom of the VSE view has Start, End, and current frame boxes, you can use this to control the length of the video and the current frame will be used when you trim video and for other tasks.

The far right column controls the video properties and is also where you will set up your codecs for rendering your finished video. If you make changes to the framerate after you have loaded clips, you will need to reload the clips using Strips > Reload strips and adjust length.

Open CS- GIMP 2.8 (Image Editing)

The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is probably the most well known of the Open Source programs.

GIMP has been referred to as “free Photoshop.” This is both true and misleading. They share a large portion of functionality, but they accomplish that functionality through different processes. Their toolboxes alone are 60% identical, but how you use those tools is slightly different. The bonus that GIMP has over Adobe Photoshop is that it is free, and with a few pointers you can make professional level edits at no cost to your pocket book. Like all programs, GIMP has its quirks; I have tried to outline the more common ones in the “Trouble Spots” section. If GIMP has one downfall it is CMYK support. Fortunately both Scribus and Inkscape do support CMYK, so you can import your GIMP creation to one of these programs before you send it off to your printer.

Adobe CC vs Open CS

Yes, I am going there! The Adobe Creative Suite (now Creative Cloud) has been the industry standard for years, and people have had to pay through the nose for it. There have also been open source alternatives for years, and with the recent change in Adobe’s pricing structure ($600/year for Creative Cloud) to mitigate migration to less expensive programs, I think it is high time we recognize how good the programs in the “Open Creative Suite” really are.

First and foremost, I would like to clarify that I am not saying Adobe software is bad. What I am saying is there are lighter weight counterparts that can do just as good a job for those of us who can’t afford their software, let alone the hardware to run it on. I would also like to clarify that these programs offer comparable functionality, not work flow. For example, both Photoshop and GIMP can create a drop shadow. However, the steps to create that effect will be different because they are different programs.

If these free programs have been around for so long why don’t more people use them? Good question. I think the biggest factor is the learning curve. These programs do have different icons and menus, so unless professional designers and editors are willing to take the time to learn a different user interface, they are not likely to switch. (I personally have used GIMP long enough that I now know it better than I know Photoshop.) Colleges and Universities teach industry standards, so unless the professional world is willing to accept these alternatives, these educational institutions will continue to teach Adobe.