Some have asked me over the course of my time on social media what programs I use to create whatever I make. I have since decided to make a mega-thread explaining what software and website resources I use, as well as my personal thoughts on my top picks! I hope this post is helpful.

Sound Effects & Digital Audio Workstations

soundjay.com ➤ Albeit sporting a limited (yet still extensive) catalog, best possible option for those wanting free-of-charge, royalty-free sound effects without needing to sign up. Neatly categorized on-site, and are completely free to use in any of your projects.

sounddogs.com ➤ Over one million available tracks, and they have contributed to sound design for various companies as well as blockbuster films and video games. A subscription wth an admittedly steep price tag is available if you don't want to simply download the free preview tracks, although you can also simply pay for the sounds you want. The customer support team responds with clear, concise and helpful replies within a few hours.

freesound.org ➤ Over 500,000 completely free Creative Commons-licensed audio samples from over 8 million registered community members. Welcoming both for those looking for free sound effects and those wanting to upload their own, original foley work. Signing up with an account is required to download the sounds you want and to upload your own.

audacityteam.org ➤ Completely free-of-charge DAW; no accounts required, no payments, nothing of the sort. Quite the range of effects, and it even support various VSTs and plugins.

nch.com.au/wavepad ➤ Although it has a quite steep price tag, a surprisingly decently-useable "Lite" edition and a demo are available. It is so easy to use that it can even be used on mobile devices, and it also includes VST support.

Other resources I use include sourceaudio.com, soundbible.com, image-line.com/fl-studio and reaper.fm.

3D Modelling & Textures

blender.org ➤ An open-source, completely free 3D modelling and animation software that has been and will continue to be completely free, no accounts needed. It is upkept strictly through donations.

polyhaven.com ➤ A community-supported resource based in South Africa featuring completely free HDRI skyboxes, texture maps, and 3D models. Just select the format you want your assets and download. You can also optionally donate to them on Patreon for some additional incentives and benefits.

free3d.com ➤ The name is a little bit misleading in that they also have "Premium" models that cost money, but it's still quite the library and is worth mentioning.

texturelib.com ➤ A completely free library of textures and images, although they have a rather limited 2-credit quota per day that always gets reset at Midnight UTC. Small images use 0.5 credits and large images use 1 credit.

Other resources I use include turbosquid.com, sketchfab.com, and free3d.io.

Images & Videos

paint.net ➤ One of the most popular pieces of image-editing software available online, and for good reason. It is available completely free and without requiring an account, although you can support the developers by buying it from the Microsoft Store with the sole added perk of automatic updating. Also contains highly extensive plugin support.

nch.com.au/videopad ➤ Surprisingly easy to use/learn video-editing software. Like WavePad, it has a quite steep price tag, and a surprisingly decently-useable "Lite" edition and a demo are available.

Other resources I use include Adobe Photoshop and Sony Vegas Pro.