14 free tools: Obscure yet helpful software from Adobe, Microsoft, and more

Many of the biggest software makers are known for their expensive, but nevertheless popular purchase programs. Yet many of these companies also offer free software with some surprisingly useful features. Yes, even giants like Adobe and Microsoft! This article will introduce you to these mostly unknown free gems. It’s important to note that the free programs from Adobe and Ashampoo are best downloaded via their own software platforms — Adobe Creative Cloud and Ashampoo Connect, respectively — which require you to create an account before you’re given access to the freebies. For even more no-cost stunners, be sure to check out our roundup of the best free software for your PC. This article was translated from German to English, and originally appeared on pcwelt.de. As such, some of the screenshots below still appear in German. Adobe Fresco Painting and drawing Adobe If you like to paint and draw, Adobe Fresco is an easy-to-use program to let your imagination run wild. You have a choice of three brush types — pixel brush, interactive brush and vector brush — which you can customize in terms of color, size, ink flow, and smoothing. For each type of brush, you have different options: For example, you can choose the pixel brush, which shows the individual pixels when you zoom in, as charcoal, marker or ink pen, and each of these types also offers other choices (for example, charcoal pen and charcoal, marker brush and marker crescent or wet... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2023-07-19 12:30:00 UTC ]
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Help dad get through his reading list this Father’s Day

If you’re tired of hearing your dad talk about how he can never find time to get through his reading list, it’s time to nip that in the bud. This Father’s Day, give up a subscription to Headway Premium, the top-rated learning app that makes it easier than ever to learn something new every... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-06-12 08:00:00 UTC ]
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Saint Dolly does it again: Imagination Library expands free book efforts in California

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library will expand its program to send children free books across all 58 California counties, Gov. Gavin Newsom announces. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-06-07 15:51:03 UTC ]
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Microsoft appeals for a new US agency to regulate AI

Microsoft has called for the US federal government to create a new agency specifically focused on regulating AI, Bloombergreports. At a speech in Washington, DC attended by some members of Congress and non-governmental organizations, Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith remarked that... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-26 09:55:10 UTC ]
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Little Free Library Announces 2023 Outstanding Achievement Awards

The five winners of this year's awards are individuals and organizations that "embody LFL’s mission to build community, inspire readers and expand book access for all." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Hogwarts Legacy’ adds arachnophobia mode for spider-free gaming

Arachnophobic Harry Potter fans, rejoice. Developer Avalanche Software has added a new accessibility feature to Hogwarts Legacy that removes spiders from the game. The update coincides with the title’s arrival on PS4 and Xbox One today.The Hogwarts Legacy update (build 1140773) launched Thursday... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-05 19:42:15 UTC ]
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Amazon rolls out free Roku-like TV channels for Fire devices

Amazon just announced the impending launch of Fire TV Channels, allowing customers access to a wide variety of “premium, free content” on Fire streaming sticks, streaming boxes, and, of course, Fire-branded televisions. The company promises there will be no forced sign-ups or fees associated... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-01 23:00:56 UTC ]
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Microsoft inks another cloud gaming deal after the UK blocked its Activision takeover

Despite suffering a significant blow this week in its attempt to take over Activision Blizzard, Microsoft still believes it can get the job done. The company has signed a 10-year agreement with Spain-based cloud gaming provider Nware to make PC games it builds in-house available to stream on... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-28 17:25:18 UTC ]
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Kindle Scribe update lets you send documents directly from Microsoft Word

Amazon’s well-reviewed hybrid tablet, the Kindle Scribe, is receiving a software update that brings some new tools to the e-reader/doodle machine. The most notable feature here is the ability to send documents directly from Microsoft Word to the e-reader with just a few clicks. This allows you... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-24 16:00:04 UTC ]
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Summer Listening Sorted: Don’t Miss Out on These 28 Free Audiobooks from SYNC

SYNC, an annual summer audiobook program for teens, is back to provide 28 free audiobooks from April to August. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-24 10:37:00 UTC ]
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My Close Friend Is Spiraling And I Don’t Know What to Do. Help!

Jenée Desmond-Harris is joined by bestselling author Lane Moore on this week’s episode. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2023-04-21 09:00:00 UTC ]
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CNN’s new, proprietary publishing platform helps ‘reduce tech debt’

CNN has a new CMS, which it built to cut back on costs, improve reader engagement and draw in advertisers. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-04-20 04:01:00 UTC ]
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The Week in Libraries: April 14, 2023

Among the week's headlines: concerns that 'defund the library' may become the new front in the book banning wars; the Texas Senate passes its school library bill; librarians in Illinois weigh in on the state's proposal to defend the freedom to read; and ALA launches a new initiative to combat... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Book banning is sweeping parts of America. These celebrities want you to help stop it

Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Julianna Margulies, and Selma Blair are urging people to take part in the #LetAmericaRead campaign. April is National School Library Month but, unfortunately, some of the books in school libraries have never been under greater threat in parts of America than... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-04-11 12:01:00 UTC ]
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'Halo Infinite' creative head Joseph Staten is leaving Microsoft

Joseph Staten, one of the creatives most closely associated with the Halo franchise, is leaving Microsoft. News of the departure was first reported on Friday by IGN. “We’re grateful for Joseph’s contributions to the Halo franchise and Xbox as a whole," Microsoft told the outlet. “We wish him all... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-08 19:10:51 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Amazon’s Halo Rise sleep tracker is surprisingly helpful

The Halo Rise is also a small but significant piece of Amazon’s ongoing foray into health and wellness. For $140 (on sale now for $100), the Rise uses motion sensing to predict and track your breathing rate and calculate how long you’ve slept.Like Google’s Nest Hub, which also uses motion... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-06 11:15:05 UTC ]
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Little Free Library Aims to Eliminate Book Deserts

The Little Free Library nonprofit literacy organization announced that it hopes to eliminate book deserts across the U.S. by partnering with local community organizations to install and maintain book-sharing boxes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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7 Newsletters That Will Help Get Your Book Published

For writers at every stage, the publishing industry can feel inaccessible. There are so many steps between drafting a book and seeing it out in the world. Especially for debut hopefuls, it’s more than a little intimidating: how do we know what we don’t know? Meanwhile, those who’ve already... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-24 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Adobe is bringing generative AI features to Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro

Adobe’s suite of photo and video editing software has long leveraged the assistance of machine intelligence to help its human users do their jobs, having employed the Sensei AI system for more than a decade to power features like Neural Filters in Photoshop or Acrobat's Liquid Mode. On Tuesday,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-03-21 13:00:34 UTC ]
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Women Now Publishing More Books Than Men — And It’s Helping Sales

According to data, women are now publishing more books than men are, and it's affecting the publishing world in a big way. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-07 17:36:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble to Overhaul Membership Program, Cut Free Educator Program

"Just use your library" is not the solution to the new price hikes and benefit decreases in Barnes & Noble's membership changes. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-01 12:57:36 UTC ]
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