I've been threatening this for a while now but I reckon it's about time to list the freeware options we've been experimenting with in the workshops and where you can get your hands on them.
Firstly, I think it's worth pointing out that we're concentrating on Windows based software as it seems more prevalent than Mac or Linux in the community. Although having said that if you do have a Mac I'd recommend a combination of iPhoto, Audacity and iDVD which are all pre-installed with your Mac OS.So, lets start with Audio:
Audacity: Latest releases available at this site.(Also get LameLib for MP3 export from Audacity (if you need some extensibility))
We all know and love audacity! A very intuitive user friendly interface that allows easy audio editing. It's just like using a word processor, but on audio.
Wavosaur: quality audio editor with ASIO and VST plug-in support. Similar to Audacity and well worth a look, especially if you want to work with VST effects; although audacity has VST support Wavosaur seems more stable, but that's just me...
VIDEO EDITING:
Movie Maker 2.6 Nooooo, I hear you cry! But wait, for the purposes of producing a working digital story that's ready for DVD export, it's difficult to find a better free and reliable product. I say reliable, but make sure to save your work constantly as it's not a matter of if MM is gonna crash but when it's gonna crash!
We know it's a little clunky and doesn't often lend itself to creative arrangement, but considering we're working from scratch it does the job nicely. Nearly all the films on our Stories section were produced using MM.
For our purpose we were quite desperate to get the pan and zoom working too and to this end we found a little package of effects called Dan's Pan and Zoom. Download and unzip the package and then put the 2 files danpan.xml and danpan.dll in Program FilesMovie Maker 2.6SharedAddOnTFX (you'll need admin priveleges for this. Also note that your Movie Maker folder may be called "Movie Maker 2.6"). Reboot MM and now you've got the pan files listed in the fx. I know it's not fully customisable but it does the job. Also be aware of issues with x-fades using these fx.
Also, be aware that you should have MM already installed on XP so just add the danpan files. If you're on Vista, there are pan and zoom fx bundled with the pre-installed version. You should only need to download MM 2.6 for Windows 7 as it's no longer pre-installed, also be aware of the new MM live! which doesn't have the flexibility we deemed necessary for DS: go for MM2.6.
PhotoStage Currently seems to stable on XP and Vista but not reliable on Win7. Fix may be coming soon! We're keeping an eye on this one as it's great for DS with a GUI very much like Photoshop elements slideshow producer. If it becomes stable on Win7, I think we'll be recommending this.
PHOTOSTORY3 This is a nice bit of software, again with the intuitive GUI I mentioned above, but no support for 48K audio, so a compromise on quality. Having said that, if you're using lower spec audio or happy with mp3, then I'd recommend it.
DVD Slideshow GUI: Integrated suite of tools for developing DS. Non-linear approach makes it a bit tricky to use but in development. Waiting for stable release at V 1.0.
PHOTO EDITING
GIMP: free free free. Just great! All the tools you'll need for effective image manipulation and graphics for a range of projects. Recommended!
DVD AUTHORING
DVD Styler Free and intuitive DVD authoring software. There does seem to be a bug thouh, whereby the dialogue says "Burning Failed" despite the disc seeming to work OK. Might be a script error. This software also allows custom menu building too.
