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Top 20 Free (or Free-Tier) Tools for Students in the Creative Arts

DaVinci Resolve

Pro-grade editing, color & audio in one suite

BandLab

Free online DAW for music scoring and collaboration

Blender

3D modeling, VFX, and rendering with a huge community

Storyboarder

Sketch boards fast; export animatics

Krita

Painterly brushes and 2D animation for illustrators

Trelby

Minimal, distraction-free screenwriting

GIMP

Powerful photo retouching and compositing

KIT Scenarist

Scriptwriting with research & card-based planning

Inkscape

Vector graphics for logos, titles, and posters

Trello

Kanban boards for shoots, assets, and deadlines

OpenToonz

Studio-level 2D animation tools (open source)

Miro

Infinite canvas for shot lists, flows, and collaboration

Shotcut

Cross-platform video editor with wide format support

Notion

All-in-one docs, tasks, and project hubs

OpenShot

Simple, beginner-friendly video editing

Photopea

Photoshop-style editor in your browser

OBS Studio

Record demos and stream your projects for free

Pexels

Free stock photos and videos for temp shots & comps

Audacity

Record, clean, and edit audio and VO tracks

Invoice Ninja

Create invoices & get paid as a freelancer

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