Toolkit

Pssst… pass it on! Here at Digital Creator, we’re always scouring the internet for the best, most useful & free online tutorials and resources.

Royalty Free / Creative Commons Music & Sounds:

YouTube Studio – Free to use music and sound effects. Able to add directly into uploaded YouTube videos in your channel.

FreeSound – online library of free sound effects.

Free Music Archive – online library of free to use music.

Royalty Free / Creative Commons Stock Images:

Unsplash – photos (jpg)

pixabay – photos and vector graphics (jpg, png, svg)

Pexels – photos (jpg, png)

Creative Commons – a search engine for finding royalty free images, sounds, etc.

Graphic Design Templates for Print & Social Media:

Adobe Spark – Templates for designing social media posts, posters, invitations, business cards.

Canva – Templates for designing social media posts, resumes, pamphlets, banners.

Digital Art & Graphic Design:

Krita – free & open source digital painting software for Windows / Mac / Linux.

Autodesk Sketchbook – free download desktop software for Windows / Mac. App version for Android and iOS.

Gimp – free & open source graphics editor & photo manipulation software for Windows / Mac / Linux.

Inkscape – free & open source vector-based design software for Windows / Mac / Linux.

Medibang Paint Pro  – free download desktop software for Windows / Mac. App version for Android and iOS.

Scribus – free & open source desktop publication design software for Windows / Mac / Linux

Pixlr X – In-browser photo editor for basic adjustments. Runs with HTML5 instead of Flash.

Photoshop Express Editor – In-browser photo editor with the basic functionality of Photoshop for quick edits and touch ups. Requires flash player. App for iOS and Android also available.

Snapseed – Free photo editing app for iOS and Android.

Lightzone – Free & open-source desktop photo editing software for Windows / Mac / Linux.

RawTherapee – Free desktop photo editing software for Windows / Mac / Linux.

Assembly – Create vector-based characters and scenes using a building block approach to design. For iOS.

Adobe Draw – Free mobile app used for vector-based digital drawing on a tablet

Adobe Sketch – Free mobile app used for pixel-based digital drawing on a tablet

Adobe Fix – Free mobile app used to retouch and enhance photos.

Adobe Capture – Free image capturing and processing app that coverts to vectors for future use.

3D Printing & Design:

Thingiverse – online library of digital design files for 3D printing.

Autodesk TinkerCAD – design and create your own files for 3D printing.

SketchUp – 3D modelling & design software (free plan available).

Sculptris – 3D design & digital sculpting software.

3D Animation:

Blender – open source & free software for Windows / Mac / Linux

 

 

 

2D Animation:

Pivot – Basic stick-figure animation.

Flipaclip App for Android and iOS.

Stick Nodes App for Android and iOS.

Pencil2D – open source & free software for Windows / Mac / Linux

Stop Motion Animation:

Stop Motion Studio – Free, well designed, stop motion software available for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.

Coding & Web Design:

Code Combat – Learn the basics of JavaScript and Python by playing games.

Studio Code – An online platform for action-oriented coding practices.

Open Processing – An educational platform to create projects, download and modify existing projects, and learn through coding tutorials.

W3 Schools – Online learning platform with resources and tutorials for every web language.

MIT App Inventor – An online app development platform to get started building apps for Android devices.

Digital Audio Workstations:

Reaper – A simple to use music editing program.

Garageband – A pre-installed music editing and loops software from Apple exclusively for Mac computers.

Audacity – A free and open-source digital audio editor and recording application software, available for Windows and Mac.

Ableton (Lite) – free music production and live performance

Chrome Music Lab –  A free online tool that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.

Video Editing:

DaVinci Resolve – DaVinci Resolve is a colour correction and non-linear video editing application for macOS and Windows.

Open Shot –  A free and open-source video editor for macOS and Windows.

Shotcut  – A free and open-source video editor for Mac / Windows / Linux

Filmora Go – Free video editing app for iOS and Android.

Adobe Premiere Clip – Free with Adobe account. Video editing for iOS and Android.

GoPro Quik – Free desktop app for Mac & Windows. Free app for iOS and Android.

Tutorials and How-To Videos:

Skillshare – Free video tutorials on a range of art and design topics.

Howcast – Free video tutorials on art and craft by Howcast experts.

Ctrl+Paint – Free Digital Painting 101 by concept artist Matt Kohr.