A List of Free and Open Source VFX Programs for Filmmaking

As I learned to create The Tear's VFX from scratch I decided to learn and utilized Maxon's costly Red Giant VFX suite to do so - and while it's great - there are many pieces of VFX software I've discovered along my journey that are free and powerful. In fact, I'm going to be porting over The Tear's elements into these free programs moving forward in all areas except editing. I use Adobe's Creative Cloud suite professionally every day and love it, but if I had to, I could accomplish everything I need with what I'm about to share.

This short list was taken from the Open Visual Effects blog, who's list is absolutely massive, and I've slimmed it down to what I think are the essentials. Besides the list, the body of the content is original to me. If you want more, I recommend visiting Open Visual FX for their full list of free tools to elevate your post production toolset.

Below, begins a list of free and open source VFX and editing programs you can use to not only take your filmmaking to the next level but do it on the cheap.

Blender - Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing and game creation.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine is a game engine that can be used to create 3D games and virtual productions. It is a powerful tool that has been used in many popular games such as Fortnite, Overwatch, and League of Legends. It is also used in the film industry for visual effects, animation, and video game cinematics.

Natron - Natron is a free and open-source compositing software for video editing, visual effects, and 3D animation. It is used by artists all over the world to create amazing videos.⁣

Fusion - Fusion is a powerful node-based compositing software created by Blackmagic Design for their coloring and editing software Resolve that lets you create stunning visual effects and motion graphics.

HitFilm Express - HitFilm Express is a powerful, yet easy-to-use video editing and visual effects software. It’s perfect for beginners and professionals alike. With Express, you can create stunning videos with just a few clicks of your mouse. You can also use the built-in visual effects to add more pizzazz to your videos.⁣

Gimp - This is a free and open-source image editing software that can be used in place of Adobe's Photoshop.

VLC - A free and open-source media player that plays most multimedia files as well as discs, devices, and network streaming protocols. It is able to stream media over a computer network and to transcode multimedia files. It can also be used to capture and record live audio and video content.⁣⁣

Davinci Resolve – Professional level color correction and video editing by Blackmagic Design.

Ardour – Ardour is a professional quality digital audio workstation, which was designed to take care of all your recording and post-production needs. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, Ardour makes it easy to produce high-quality music, audio recordings and ambient soundscapes. Ardour has more than 12 years of constant development and improvements. It has all the features needed to record, edit, and mix audio in a professional environment. It is available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X

Audacity – Audacity is a cross-platform recording and editing tool that revolutionized the way people make music, podcasts, and more. With its user-friendly interface, impressive features, and built-in tutorials for every task, it's never been easier to edit your audio like a pro.

Storyboarder – Storyboarder is a free online PowerPoint prototyping application that allows you to quickly sketch, edit, and share storyboard diagrams. Forget about having to spend hours on your computer or tablet trying to create an amazing presentation. With Storyboarder, you can have a prototype ready in less than a minute!