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Software for Web Designers and Developers

software that is not free and/or open source is denoted by an asterisk * sign next to its name.

2D Image Editing / Photo Manipulation

GIMP – The GNU Image Manipulation Program:

This image editor is proof that free software can still be top-quality software. If you’re looking for a free alternative to high-priced image editing applications, then look no further than GIMP. With its last few revisions, GIMP has become so powerful and versatile that many creative enthusiasts actually prefer it to commercial packages such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photopaint.

3D Modelling, Rendering and Animation

Swift 3D*

If you’ve ever seen 3D vector animation on the web, odds are it was developed using Swift 3D. If you’re a Flash artist and want to take your animations to the next level, then Swift 3D should be the next piece of software that you get.

Blender

This application single-handedly validated the open source movement and proved to the world that free software can still be top-quality software. Blender is 100% free, and it has almost all the same features and capabilities as high-end commercial 3D modelling, rendering and animation software suites. In addition to its already impressive set of built-in capabilities, Blender can also be extended through the use of Python scripts.

Indigo Renderer

What if I told you that it’s possible to create photo-realistic 3D rendered images using 100% free software? It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Well, that’s what CG artists are doing everyday using the Indigo Renderer in conjunction with Blender.

YafRay (Yet Another Free Raytracer)

The YafRay renderer is an excellent companion to Blender, and is available as a Blender plug-in.

Audio Editing and Production

Audacity

Audacity, despite being free, is a powerful, robust sound editing package that provides you with a great alternative to expensive commercial applications.

Flash Development

SE|PY ActionScript Editor

It’s no secret that the built-in ActionScript that comes with Flash leaves a lot to be desired. It’s slow, unwieldy, and doesn’t provide any of the advanced source code editing features that you would expect from such a development tool. The SE|PY ActionScript Editor is here to save the day—download it now and discover the joy of writing your ActionScript in a professional-grade source code editor. It’s free, too.

SWF Encrypt*

You can’t put a price on protecting your ActionScript. Whether it’s some custom classes that you’ve written for a Flash website, confidential server information belonging to a client, or just a powerful coding technique that you’d really prefer not to share, using SWF Encrypt is the best way to disguise your ActionScript and protect it from thieves’ SWF decompilers.

Web Development – Editors

Notepad++

This is the absolute best free text editor around. It allows you to have multiple files open at once, with an extremely intuitive tabbed interface. It also features syntax highlighting for over a dozen languages—especially useful for markup languages like HTML. If you’re looking for a better alternative to Notepad, then Notepad++ is the obvious choice.

Sothink DHTML Menu Maker*

This software lets you create some absolutely amazing JavaScript-driven menus, and you can do so very quickly. The menu code that Sothink produces is pure JavaScript, which allows you to include it in your pages with a simple