Freeware - Digital Imaging

Why spend more? Use freeware

Free software, or freeware, is getting better and better while remaining free of charge. LIM YEE HUNG shows you the top picks to save you time and money.

The cost of software from commercial vendors can be hefty. YOU wonder, sometimes, what drives people to create computer programs without price tags. A passion for programming? Or a great desire to spite the likes of Microsoft?

I don't know, but who cares when you can have the Gimp Image Editor, a program that gives Adobe Photoshop a run for its money, without a single cent.

And while most commercial programs have the upper hand in terms of features, that advantage is usually not big enough to justify the difference in price. Sometimes, the free alternative can even be better.

With the global economy looking wobbly, there is no better time to be more adventurous - and cheap. No apologies about it. Here we go.

# Digital imaging

IN THE age of Facebook, the need for photo editors is greater than ever, particularly among the image-conscious. Adobe Photoshop is the industry leader but it comes with a big price tag.

Gimp, dubbed the 'free Photoshop', is a full-featured digital photo editor with transformation, selection, layer and masking tools.

However, it is not designed to be a Photoshop clone, so it's incompatible with most of the plug-ins designed for Photoshop.

Google-owned Picasa comes with far fewer features than Gimp and is targeted at normal users who need only slight alterations to their photographs, such as photo cropping and red-eye reduction.

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However, it makes up for its no-frills limitations with an in-built photo uploader which streamlines the process of getting your photos off your camera and onto the Web.

For the artistically inclined, Paint.NET is an easy-to-use and effective digital imaging program. Originally intended as a free replacement for Microsoft Paint, it features an intuitive user interface with special effects, support for layers and other nifty tools, making it perfect for budding digital artists.

And did I mention Adobe's just-launched Beta of its Web-based Adobe Photoshop Express? Yes, even Adobe knows the words 'free' and 'online'.

# GIMP: gimp-win.sourceforge.net
# Picasa: picasa.google.com
# Paint.NET: www.getpaint.net
# Adobe Photoshop Express: www.photoshop.com/express