Free software names and uses.

[ericmark]

Picturenaut - HDR I find with some better than CS4 other CS4 has the edge must admit CS5 is in the main better but this is free.

Hugin - Panorama Stitcher more options than CS5 seems to work very well.

PhotoStage Slideshow Producer - Produces an AV has to be down loaded as part of package but rest can be deleted after PicturestoEXE is better but this one does not write produced with evaluation copy at the top.

SM Tether - Allows control of Nikon cameras with PC. Not as good as the paid for versions but does allow timed long exposures and time lapse. One problem seems to be have to start as administrator but good to try out options.

FastStone Photo Resizer - Again have to down load as package and delete the rest but being able to select a whole batch of files and walk away and let it do it's stuff is an advantage. Also allows a water mark to be added so great for resizing before posting on web.

RawTherapee - Not only converts from RAW to Jpeg or other format but allows you to use the extra information in the RAW file in a similar way to Photoshop RAW 6.5 with sliders rather than having to drag the points on a curve. OK since I an use to using RAW 6.5 not really worth me changing but it is far better than UFraw which is normally used with Gimp.

Gimp - Can't really miss this out of the list. Photoshop CS5 is clearly better but for those on budget this is about the best of the free programs. However it will not deal directly with RAW files see RawTherapee above.

Although there are many cheap programs which are very good like Picturestoexe I have tried only to list the free ones here. There are also many bundled bits of software which are good but not really free. Again not including bundled software. May be others can extend this list? I realise those who already have Adobe products be it Light Room, Elements or Photoshop will not be really interested but I know my Nikon D7000 will not work with less than Photoshop RAW 6.5 but RawTherapee still works. So some listed will still be of use to those who have Adobe products.

[asnow]

Thanks for compiling this list. I have a couple of free ones that Windows users could try.

Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE) - Software created by Microsoft Research used for stitching. The few times I've tried it, it seems to work quite well.
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/...roups/ivm/ICE/

Microsoft Camera Codec Pack - This package will allow supported RAW camera files to be viewable in Windows Explorer.
Download Microsoft Camera Codec Pack (16.4.1970.0624) from Official Microsoft Download Center

[Marko]

Nice thread!
(For audio rather than photo) but For a while I used Audacity to record and process audio. Fab program.

[ericmark]

I have a couple of Codex loaded for the Nikon it's Nikon's own for the Pentax it's a third party Ardfry Imaging the problem is some will only work with some operating systems with XP could get Nikon working but not Pentax with Vista both work A1.

Audacity was the main audio program but the lectures I have been to show how now it can be done with Picturestoexe however this is not a free program although not expensive it is not free with early versions there was free upgrades but that has been discontinued and upgrades are at reduced cost but not free. My demo version of Picturestoexe does do all functions but has a banner which says made with demo version on the presentation. It is very similar to flash and since I had used flash I found it easy to use but others in the club have struggled.

What really upsets me is to look for software for a one off job go through all the hoops then be told you need to pay for it will US dollars and since I don't have a US dollar account does not matter how good it is can't use it. The other is to find something like tube dimmer has been down loaded with it and once down loaded it's a real pain to get rid of it again.

I have had my Vivitar 3500 flash from new and so many asked for copies of the instructions I OCR scanned and stuck it on my website hope that link helps anyone with that flash gun.

[QuietOne]

Paint.net. It's windows only. I've only used it in a pinch, but it does have a community that writes plugins, and the interface is a bit more standard than Gimp. For some people, that's important, even if Gimp is the more powerful program. There is a raw plugin for it, but I don't know how good it is.

An exif data viewer plugin, for your browser of choice. For Firefox, Exif Viewer seems to have the cleanest interface. I haven't found one I really, really like yet. Chrome's got several, none of which I've tried.

[aubintbay]

DOF Calculator by Aimen RG. This is actually a free Android App I put on my cell phone a couple of months ago but is available I believe in other formats. Until I started playing with this I completely unaware of how focal length can really minimize your depth of field. Solved a few problems for me when I realised that your focal point needs to be spot on what you want at longer focal lengths.

[Barefoot]

It was almost a year ago that I posted a thread on free apps here. Since then, I taken a couple off the list and added one.

Forget about DSLR Remote HD and Remote Your Camera. Even free, they're no longer worth the price of admission. If you're an Android device user, look no further than DSLRDashboard. If pressed to put a price on this free app, then I'd have to say it's worth every bit as much as the device you install it on. What that means is if you don't already have a tab, then go get one and install this app on it. Trust me, its that good.

Picking just one from that old list, I'd have to go with The Photographers Ephemeris as there seems to be a version for everyone no matter the platform both mobile and desktop. Little over a year ago, someone posted a pic on photography.ca of the shadow of a tree falling on the side of an old barn. It was noted by a couple of us that the photo might have been improved by being there when the shadow fell between the two windows in the frame instead across one of them. This app will let you know what time of year and day it would take to make that happen. Don't set yourself up for disappointment by showing up at the once in a lifetime location without knowing everything there is to know about it before you get there.

Let me tell you something else, though. On my Nexus 10, DSLR Dashboard is the f'ing bomb!

[Iguanasan]

I missed the original post but I'm so glad I saw it. I'm going to have to check out the RawTherapee since I currently use ufRAW with Gimp. While Photoshop may be better my "photoshop" skills are such that Gimp does everything I need to do for free.