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Want to make animated GIFs? GiFfun makes composing web animations dead easy. Individual slides or images are dragged directly into the GiFfun window; then, simply saving it as an animation makes it into a an animated GIF. It can then be edited further by setting the delay between frames, varying the number of loops on each frame, and more.

The resulting animated GIFs will run under any standard web browser. GIFfun and the other programs by Stone Design all run on either any Mac (including the new Intel models) running MacOS X. GiFfun has a short but sufficient on-line manual.

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Xara Xtreme is a graphics package that has been around for a long time. It has been running on Windows for at least ten years but was in existence even before that. In that time, it has established its reputation as being among the fastest graphics tools available. Under the hood, it's an object-oriented vector drawing program, but it handles photos and drawings with elegance and ease. The product literature claims that the package has pioneered many industry standards, such as vector anti-aliasing, first vector transparency, including graduated transparency. The latest versions contain such innovations as "real-time vector feathering and embedded JPEG". And, lest modesty should be imputed to the package's writers, it also has "the world's most efficient file storage and unrivalled performance" and is very easy to use. Marketing enthusiasm aside, the reviews available indicate that Xara Xtreme lives up to most of its hype and is a very solid value for the money.

Recognizing that there are worlds apart from Windows to conquer, the company is moving into the Linux and Mac platforms. At the end of 2005, it was announced that the program would be made available for Open Source development on those systems. The news "'went down a storm", says the site, and between March and May of 2006 there have been four successive downloads for Linux available. That indicates a lot of developer activity! The company has all the infrastructure in place for open-source development, from forums, mailing lists, and newsletters, right up to a complete development environment for those who don't have the appropriate system. (Information about Mac progress is available on the site).

This looks like a very exciting opportunity for software engineers and graphics users to have a hand in developing and improving an already excellent product, not to mention further freeing graphics users from the Windows universe.

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Set your imagination free and get your creative juices flowing. Let the painter in you find expression, and mix metaphors on a digital canvas. Here’s an application for digital art beginners as well as maestros (and of course, wannabes) who want to move on from Windows’ Paint and take their skills to the next level. Available for both Windows and Mac OS X, ArtRage is best used with a graphics tablet or a Tablet PC where the user can use different types of brushes, pens, pencils, and crayons in a seemingly realistic environment, but without the mess. A unique feature of the software is its ability to load a picture that can be used as a canvas, or as tracing paper that can be painted over. Of course, you may opt to start with a blank canvas, utilizing varying canvas textures and background colors to create an original work of art.

However, this freeware is not without its own quirks. Brush strokes lag behind the cursor, and pressure sensitivity can be inconsistent. Despite these limitations, this painting application lets you have some good fun with a few master strokes of the brush.

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Children should be encouraged to experiment with computers and Tux Paint gives them just such an opportunity. This simple paint program allows little ones to experiment with colors and textures alongside a cute animated Linux penguin. Tux Paint supports more than 50 languages, and is perfect for schools and day care centers. The teacher tools prevent kids from printing 50 copies of their artwork. Your little one will have access to the program and nothing else — putting you at ease. Windows, Mac, and Linux users can enjoy this gem for free. If you are looking for a fun way to encourage creativity in your children, look no further than Tux Paint.

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If you’re serious about graphics modeling and animation — or just want to explore them without spending a fortune on software — then you need to take a look at Blender. This open-source program is packed full of features that will impress even graphic-lovin’ tech-gurus. The heart and soul of this application deals with 3D rendering — including meshes, textures, vectors, curves, and metaballs. If animation is more your thing, you can take advantage of the "IPO" system which allows you to work with motion tweening and traditional key frame methods. You can export files to TGA, JPG, PNG, and several other popular graphics file formats. At less than 10MB, Blender is a little graphics modeling program with a big heart.

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It's tiresome to use a hundred tools to perform a hundred tasks. The GIMP, a powerful all-in-one image editor, enables an ordinary home user to design and work with images as a professional graphic designer might. With this multi-featured tool you can author, compose and retouch images with the simplicity of Windows Paint and the robust functionality of Adobe graphic design applications. GNU allows you to do everything from tweak images to convert image formats to perform online batch processing. Like professional graphic design tools, the GIMP application is extensible via optional feature plug-ins. GIMP works with all file formats and is easy to use overall.

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