WinHex

WinHex: Computer Forensics & Data Recovery Software,

Hex Editor & Disk Editor

WinHex is in its core a universal hexadecimal editor, particularly helpful in the realm of computer forensics, data recovery, low-level data processing, and IT security. 

An advanced tool for everyday and emergency use: inspect and edit all kinds of files, recover deleted files or lost data from hard drives with corrupt file systems or from digital camera cards. 

Features depend on the license type (license type comparison), among them: 

Disk editor for hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROM & DVD, ZIP, Smart Media, Compact Flash, ...

Native support for FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, Next3®, CDFS, UDF

Built-in interpretation of RAID systems and dynamic disks

Various data recovery techniques

RAM editor, providing access to physical RAM and other processes' virtual memory

Data interpreter, knowing 20 data types

Editing data structures using templates (e.g. to repair partition table/boot sector)

Concatenating and splitting files, unifying and dividing odd and even bytes/words

Analyzing and comparing files

Particularly flexible search and replace functions

Disk cloning (under DOS with X-Ways Replica)

Drive images & backups (optionally compressed or split into 650 MB archives)

Simple scripting

256-bit AES encryption, checksums, CRC32, hashes (MD5, SHA-1, ...)

Erase (wipe) confidential files securely, hard drive cleansing to protect your privacy

Import all clipboard formats, incl. ASCII hex values

Convert between binary, hex ASCII, Intel Hex, and Motorola S

Character sets: ANSI ASCII, IBM ASCII, EBCDIC, (Unicode)

Instant window switching. Printing. Random-number generator.

Supports files of any size. Very fast. Easy to use. Extensive program help.

https://www.x-ways.net/winhex/

PhotoRec

PhotoRec is file data recovery software designed to recover lost files including video, documents and archives from hard disks (Mechanical Hard drives, Solid State Drives...), 

CD-ROMs, and lost pictures (thus the Photo Recovery name) from digital camera memory. 

PhotoRec ignores the file system and goes after the underlying data, so it will still work even if your media's file system has been severely damaged or reformatted.

PhotoRec is free - this open source multi-platform application is distributed under GNU General Public License (GPLV v2+). 

PhotoRec is a companion program to TestDisk, an application for recovering lost partitions on a wide variety of file systems and making non-bootable disks bootable again. 

You can download them from this link.

For more safety, PhotoRec uses read-only access to handle the drive or memory card you are about to recover lost data from. 

Important: As soon as a picture or file is accidentally deleted, or you discover any missing, do NOT save any more pictures or files to that memory device or hard disk drive; otherwise you may overwrite your lost data. 

This means that while using PhotoRec, you must not choose to write the recovered files to the same partition they were stored on.

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

TestDisk

TestDisk is OpenSource software and is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL v2+).

TestDisk is powerful free data recovery software! It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software: 

certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally deleting a Partition Table). Partition table recovery using TestDisk is really easy.

TestDisk can:

Fix partition table, recover deleted partition

Recover FAT32 boot sector from its backup

Rebuild FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 boot sector

Fix FAT tables

Rebuild NTFS boot sector

Recover NTFS boot sector from its backup

Fix MFT using MFT mirror

Locate ext2/ext3/ext4 Backup SuperBlock

Undelete files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS and ext2 filesystem

Copy files from deleted FAT, exFAT, NTFS and ext2/ext3/ext4 partitions.

TestDisk has features for both novices and experts. For those who know little or nothing about data recovery techniques, 

TestDisk can be used to collect detailed information about a non-booting drive which can then be sent to a tech for further analysis. 

Those more familiar with such procedures should find TestDisk a handy tool in performing onsite recovery.

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

CrystalDisk Info

A HDD/SSD utility software which supports a part of USB, Intel RAID and NVMe.

Features:

General Information

S.M.A.R.T. Information

AAM/APM Control

Graph of S.M.A.R.T. Information

Alert Mail

Resident and Alarm

https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/

HitFilm

Powerful VFX & video editing software. Make videos your way.

Break boundaries with HitFilm

Achieve your vision, no matter your experience or skill level. The ultimate video editing softwarefor creating your first social media video, or your tenth Hollywood movie.

Create quality content, faster

Work at lightning speed using HitFilm’s ultra fast technology. No lagging, no waiting around. All the editing, animation and audio tools you need to create your best work yet. Copy, trim, sync and slice your way to perfection.

Pro tools, pro results:

Editing must-haves

Drag-and-drop transitions

Ready-to-use presets

Built-in creative assets

Audio sync

Text tools

All the visual effects you’ll ever need:

Lighting & lens flares

Color grading & correction

Motion tracking

Keying

Powerful plugins at your fingertips:

Foundry 3D Camera Tracker

Mocha HitFilm

Boris 3D Objects

https://fxhome.com/product/hitfilm

Avid Media Composer First

In the world of video editing, Avid Media Composer stands as a venerable giant, trusted by industry professionals for decades. However, for those just embarking on their video editing journey or seeking a cost-effective solution, Avid offers an excellent entry point through its free software, Avid Media Composer First.

Avid Media Composer First: A Powerful Introduction

Avid Media Composer First is the gateway to the world of professional video editing. While the full version of Avid Media Composer is a staple in Hollywood and television production, the "First" edition is tailored for newcomers and budget-conscious creators who want to harness the power of this renowned software.

Key Features of Avid Media Composer First

Professional-Grade Tools: Avid Media Composer First doesn't compromise on essential editing features. You get access to advanced tools for trimming, audio editing, color correction, and more.

Intuitive Interface: Avid's user-friendly interface makes it accessible for beginners while offering the depth and precision that professionals demand.

Media Management: The software excels in media organization, allowing you to keep your assets neatly organized, whether you're working on a short film or a documentary.

Collaboration: Avid's collaborative features enable multiple users to work on a project simultaneously, a crucial aspect for larger-scale productions.

High-Quality Output: You can export your projects in various formats, ensuring your final product meets industry standards.

Avid Media Composer First vs. Other Editing Software

For newcomers, the question often arises: why choose Avid Media Composer First over other free video editing software options? Avid stands out for its professional-grade capabilities, making it a bridge to the more advanced full version. Unlike many free alternatives, Avid doesn't impose watermarks or restrict the output quality of your projects.

Ideal for Beginners and Beyond

While Avid Media Composer First is accessible to beginners, its depth makes it suitable for those who aspire to take their video editing skills to a professional level. It's a stepping stone that allows you to master the essentials of video editing while preparing you for more advanced work in the future.

Conclusion: Your Journey Starts Here

In the realm of video editing, Avid Media Composer First offers an exciting beginning. It's an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the same tools and interface that professional editors use daily, all without breaking the bank. So, if you're looking to dive into the world of video editing or expand your editing horizons, consider starting your journey with Avid Media Composer First, your gateway to the art of multimedia production.

https://my.avid.com/get/media-composer-first

InkSpace

A powerful, free design tool

Whether you are an illustrator, designer, web designer or just someone who needs to create some vector imagery, Inkscape is for you!

Flexible drawing tools

Broad file format compatibility

Powerful text tool

Bezier and spiro curves

Features of Inkscape:

Object creation:

Drawing: pencil tool (freehand drawing with simple paths), pen tool (creating Bézier curves and straight lines), calligraphy tool (freehand drawing using filled paths representing calligraphic strokes)

Shape tools: rectangles (may have rounded corners), ellipses (includes circles, arcs, segments), stars/polygons (can be rounded and/or randomized), spirals

Text tool (multi-line text, full on-canvas editing)

Embedded bitmaps (with a command to create and embed bitmaps of selected objects)

Clones ("live" linked copies of objects), including a tool to create patterns and arrangements of clones

Object manipulation:

Transformations (moving, scaling, rotating, skewing), both interactively and by specifying exact numeric values

Z-order operations (raising and lowering)

Grouping objects ("select in group" without ungrouping, or "enter the group" making it a temporary layer)

Layers (lock and/or hide individual layers, rearrange them, etc; layers can form a hierarchical tree)

Alignment and distribution commands

Fill and stroke:

Color selector (RGB, HSL, CMYK, color wheel, CMS)

Color picker tool

Copy/paste style

A gradient editor capable of multi-stop gradients

Pattern fills (bitmap/vectors)

Dashed strokes, with many predefined dash patterns

 Path markers (ending, middle and/or beginning marks, e.g. arrowheads)

Operations on paths:

Node editing: moving nodes and Bezier handles, node alignment and distribution, etc.

Converting to path (for text objects or shapes), including converting stroke to path

Boolean operations

Path simplification, with variable threshold

Path insetting and outsetting, including dynamic and linked offset objects

Bitmap tracing (both color and monochrome paths)

Text support:

Multi-line text

Uses any installed outline fonts, including right-to-left scripts

Kerning, letterspacing, linespacing adjustments

Text on path (both text and path remain editable)

Text in shape (fill shape following stroke)

Rendering:

Fully anti-aliased display

Alpha transparency support for display and PNG export

Complete "as you drag" rendering of objects during interactive transformations

File formats:

Perfectly compliant SVG format file generation and editing

Live watching and editing the document tree in the XML editor

PNG, OpenDocument Drawing, DXF, sk1, PDF, EPS and PostScript export formats and more

Command line options for export and conversions

https://inkscape.org/

Krita

Krita is a professional FREE and open source painting program. 

It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone.

-concept art

-texture and matte painters

-illustrations and comics

https://krita.org/

Kdenlive

Free and Open Source Video Editor

Introduction:

Kdenlive is an acronym for KDE Non-Linear Video Editor.

It is a free software (GPL licensed) primarily aimed at the Linux platform, but it also works on BSD 1 as it relies only on portable components (Qt and MLT framework). Windows versions are also available, with some drawbacks. See Windows issues for more information. A port on MacOS is also available.

Through the MLT framework Kdenlive integrates many plugin effects for video and sound processing or creation. Furthermore, Kdenlive brings a powerful titling tool, a subtitling feature with AI-supported speech to text conversion, nested timelines (new in version 23.04), animation support through Glaxnimate integration (new in version 22.08) and thus can be used as a complete studio for video creation.

Video editing features:

Multitrack editing with a timeline and virtually unlimited number of video and audio tracks, plus the ability to split audio and video from a clip in multiple tracks

3-point editing

Non-blocking rendering. You can keep working on a project at the same time a project is being transformed into a video file

Dozens of effects and transitions that can be used with ease and even saved as custom effects with their settings for use in other projects

Keyframeable effects with linear or smooth curves (more to come in future versions)

Simple tools for easy creation of color clips, text clips and image clips

Automatic Clips creation from pictures directories, with crossfade transitions among the images

Configurable keyboard shortcuts, toolbars and interface layouts to accommodate your workflow

Audio and video scopes

Proxy editing for your 4K+ footage

Themable interface supporting dark themes

… and much more!

https://kdenlive.org/en/

Windows Release Health

Official information on Windows releases and servicing milestones, plus resources, tools, and news about known issues and safeguards to help you plan your next update. 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/