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Open Source @ PLU

Digital Media

   
    The Digital Media Center at PLU is an
instructional technology open lab for members of the PLU Community to produce digital media projects.  The DMC maintains a number of free and open-source applications pertaining to digital media.  These programs can be used in place of often-expensive commercial software like Adobe's Creative Suite, but are available free.  This means you can use the same digital media software here in the lab and then go home and install the same software on your own computer.

    Please feel free to visit these projects' respective sites, download, and install them on your own computer.  If you have ideas for other applications that you think might be a good fit at the DMC, let us know.

Open-source Software

    GIMPShop

        GIMPShop is a popular version of The GIMP image-editing package but geared toward Adobe Photoshop users.  GIMPShop seeks to provide a similar but open alternative to Adobe's industry-standard Photoshop.  Long-time users of Photoshop will be quick to acclimate to GIMPShop's similar design, and will undoubtedly be attracted to its price tag.

    InkScape

        InkScape is an open-source vector graphics editor.  Its features are based on Adobe's Illustrator application and takes things further in a number of ways.

    Audacity

        Audacity is a audio editing and recording application that replaces Adobe's Audition.  Audacity has been the DMC's program-of-choice for audio production due to its choice set of features and intuitive design.

    OpenOffice.org

        OpenOffice.org or "Open Office" is an office suite in the vein of Microsoft Office.  It has slide presentation, spreadsheet, database, and word processor components which combine to make a great alternative to MS Office.  Any user of Microsoft Word will get used to Open Office quickly and easily with it's backward compatibility with MS formats and familiar layout.  In addition to effectively replicating MS Office in many fashions, Open Office boasts seamless PDF creation, standards-based document formats for future backward-usability, and a consistent, user-centric release cycle.

Freeware Software

    Microsoft Movie Maker

        MS Movie Maker is Microsoft's home movie creation platform.  Because many people don't need the industrial strength of Adobe Premier to edit short clips, we offer MS Movie Maker as a free, easy-to-use alternative.

    Google Picasa

          Google Picasa is an image editing and organizing application that can be used to store and quickly edit your digital images.  It is made freely available by the folks at Google.