Gimp is another example of a terrific open source program.  For myself and many users, Gimp offers an easier-to-use experience than Photoshop for less complex things.  Making a starfield is one of them, with the main principles being the creation of “noise” or static and colorization of certain regions.

Start by downloading and installing Gimp, for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.  In addition, obtain the planet-render plugin from here and paste it into the “plugins” folder in the application directory.  This is not necessary, but it enables for stylish planets to be added to the starfield when you’re done.  In ubuntu, you can install this plugin automatically by installing the gimp-plugin-registry package.

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Open source software has long been the passion of Linux users and general computer enthusiasts alike.  However, early applications were buggier and lacked the features of their commercial counterparts.

But these days are mostly over.  In the past several years, the open source community has taken great leaps.  OpenOffice.org, a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, recently released a new 3.0 version that strengthens its hold as a completely free alternative that accomplishes most of the same tasks as Microsoft’s offering.

There are literally thousands of open source projects in operation.  However, one especially worth mentioning is Blender.  Billed as “the free open source 3D content creation suite,” Blender offers astonishingly excellent animation capabilities that give DreamWorks and Pixar’s own proprietary tools and those from industry heavyweight Avid a run for their money.

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