A Lot Of Good Free Software (If You Don’t Mind a Little Hassle)

Some software developers try to monetize freeware by bundling it with PUPs, hijackers, and even malware. Others try to trick you into clicking a download link that doesn’t download the program you think you’re getting, but malware instead. Some developers just give away freeware – no strings, no PUPs, no bundles, just the goodies.

The site we’re featuring today wants your name and email address – of course you don’t have to give them your real name – you can say your first name is Flower and your last name is Mister. It won’t matter. While I don’t think these folks are spammers, if you don’t trust anyone, you can use one of the following sites to create a throwaway email address to use for things like this:

www.throwawaymail.com

https://www.mailinator.com/

https://www.guerrillamail.com/

So, you can be clever and keep your name to yourself and give sites a throwaway email address so you don’t end up getting newsletters or sales pitches you don’t want. And let me say that it’s been a week since I’ve installed software from this site and I’ve not yet seen any sales pitches or annoying emails – the only emails I’ve received were the emails with registration keys and download info. However, your experience may differ.

Now that we have all that out of the way, let me say that this company has been around for a long time. Back in our Cloudeight Stationery days their software CDs were popular in stores. Oh! How the world has changed.

The company is Serif and they make a lot of good software related to scrapbooking, desktop publishing and photo editing. They tend to give away older, but still useful, versions of their software – and/or feature-limited versions.  We’ve tried a couple of them, and we think many of you will find their free products useful.

Here is a list of the free software Serif currently offers:

CraftArtist Compact

Download today and start crafting

CraftArtist Compact is available to download FREE from our dedicated digital scrapbooking site DaisyTrail.com. Download CraftArtist Compact now and you’ll soon be able to create beautiful digital craft projects without having to spend a penny on materials or wasting any time. This version is 100% free and is yours to keep!

PagePlus Starter Edition

Simple and free desktop publishing

• Desktop publishing made easy!

• Stunning stationery is so simple

• Easy drag and drop designing

• Layouts in a couple of clicks

• Precise and easy design tools

• Versatile desktop publishing

• Help is always on hand

DrawPlus Starter Edition

Free graphic design software

Create bespoke designs, logos, technical drawings, animations and so much more with our most complete and easy-to-use graphics studio yet.

Striking web graphics and animations
Web graphics and animations
Create pixel-perfect web buttons with rollover graphics that are HTML embedded as well as Flash banners that will instantly grab the attention of your visitors. Use keyframe or stop frame methods to capture movement frame-by-frame.

Authentic painting techniques
Authentic painting techniques
DrawPlus X6 includes a wide selection of watercolour, pastel, charcoal and other realistic-looking brushes. Photo-quality spray brushes allow you to add paint splats, glitter, flowers and many more decorative effects.

Achieve professional looking results
Achieve professional looking results
Achieve colour consistency across all the media you design and build up designs with layers. Enjoy creative options like Blend Modes and apply non-destructible Graphic Styles that make your designs stand out and shine.

PhotoPlus Starter Edition

Easy and free photo editing
Express your creativity for free!
Photo editing features that are so easy to use

Easily import and edit most image files
Restore classic family photos with ease
Use simple editing features like red eye and blemish removal
Turn photos in artwork with uncomplicated tools
Straighten and crop pictures in a couple of clicks
Incredibly easy to use

Photo adjustments made easy
Straighten and crop your photos to fit frames and collages and create stunning gifts or souvenirs.

Professional photo editing tools
Create perfect photos with tools for removing red-eye, blemishes and adjusting brightness and colours.

Restore old photos
Easily remove scratches, unwanted marks and creases with powerful Clone and Scratch Remover tools.

Descriptions (above) of the software products are from Serif.

There are even more free programs on this site -so you might want to check them out too. Just go to the Serif website  and click on PC Software on the menu at the top, then under “Free Software” you’ll find a list of all the free software offered by Serif, including the ones listed in this post.