Course Resources:

The Ultimate Free Creative Technology Stack (2026 Edition)

Welcome back creators, artists, students, designers, educators, and digital explorers!

A year ago I published a list of free creative tools (its also below) that could help artists and creators like you to experiment with digital media, AI, virtual reality, animation, design, and storytelling.

A lot has changed since then!

Artificial Intelligence has become a standard part of creative workflows. Browser-based 3D tools have improved dramatically. Mixed Reality experiences are becoming easier to create. Open-source creative software continues to thrive. I created more software in the last 12 months then I ever have in my life! Im not slowing down either.. is this osmosis? Is this a simulation? Is this the collective human creative potential running through us all?

This updated 2026 edition highlights some of the best tools available today for creating images, artwork, writing, design, animation, video, games, XR experiences, and experimental media.

Every tool listed below offers a free version, free tier, or open-source alternative.

🎨 Digital Art & Graphic Design

Photopea
https://www.photopea.com

A powerful browser-based image editor that feels remarkably similar to Photoshop.

Canva Free
https://www.canva.com

Excellent for graphic design, presentations, social graphics, posters, and educational content.

Adobe Express
https://www.adobe.com/express

Adobe’s free browser-based design platform with templates, AI tools, and quick publishing features.

Pixlr
https://pixlr.com

Fast browser-based image editing with AI-assisted tools and effects.

🎭 AI Writing, Research & Creative Thinking

ChatGPT
https://chatgpt.com

One of the most versatile creative assistants available for writing, brainstorming, coding, research, lesson planning, storytelling, and creative experimentation.

Claude
https://claude.ai

Excellent for long-form writing, document analysis, project planning, and thoughtful creative collaboration.

Gemini
https://gemini.google.com

Google’s AI platform with strong multimodal capabilities and integration with Google tools.

Hugging Face
https://huggingface.co

A massive hub for open-source AI models, datasets, and creative experimentation.

🖼️ AI Image Generation

Leonardo AI
https://leonardo.ai

One of the most accessible AI image generation platforms with a generous free tier.

Krea
https://www.krea.ai

Excellent for real-time image generation, enhancement, and visual exploration.

Playground AI
https://playground.com

A beginner-friendly AI image platform with powerful editing features.

Adobe Firefly
https://firefly.adobe.com

Adobe’s AI image generation ecosystem integrated into Creative Cloud workflows.

🎥 Video Creation & AI Filmmaking

Runway
https://runwayml.com

One of the most important AI video creation platforms available today.

Wonder Studio
https://wonderdynamics.com

Automatically places animated characters into live-action footage.

Clipchamp
https://clipchamp.com

Microsoft’s free browser-based video editor.

Kapwing
https://www.kapwing.com

Fast browser-based editing, captioning, and content production.

🧊 3D Modeling & Digital Sculpture

Blender
https://www.blender.org

The gold standard of free and open-source 3D creation.

Meshy (my personal fav!!)
https://www.meshy.ai

Generate 3D models from images and text prompts.

Tripo
https://www.tripo3d.ai

Rapid AI-assisted 3D model generation.

Spline
https://spline.design

Create interactive 3D objects and scenes directly in your browser.

Mixamo
https://www.mixamo.com

Free character rigging and animation tools from Adobe.

🌍 AR, VR & Mixed Reality

Open Brush
https://openbrush.app

The open-source evolution of Tilt Brush. Paint and sculpt directly in 3D space using VR.

Spatial
https://www.spatial.io

Build immersive virtual exhibitions, collaborative spaces, and digital experiences.

OnCyber
https://oncyber.io

Create browser-based virtual galleries and exhibitions.

PlayCanvas
https://playcanvas.com

A powerful browser-based platform for creating interactive 3D and XR experiences.

Polycam
https://poly.cam

Create 3D scans of real-world environments using mobile devices.

🎮 Game Development

Godot Engine
https://godotengine.org

One of the most exciting open-source game engines available today.

Unity
https://unity.com

Still one of the most widely used engines for games, AR, and VR experiences.

OpenProcessing
https://openprocessing.org

Explore creative coding, generative art, and interactive projects.

📚 Research, Archives & Inspiration

Internet Archive
https://archive.org

A treasure trove of public-domain media, books, software, and historical artifacts.

Are.na
https://www.are.na

A visual research and knowledge organization platform loved by artists and designers.

Rhizome
https://rhizome.org

A leading organization documenting the history and future of digital art and internet culture.

Sketchfab
https://sketchfab.com

Explore millions of 3D models and immersive digital objects.

🛠 Ryan Seslow & AREMES AI Studio Stack (2026)

My current workflow combines traditional art making, digital design, AI, mixed reality, teaching, and experimental research.

Core tools include:

• ChatGPT
• Claude (Im hooked on the pro version that includes Claude Code & Claude Design)
• Blender
• Meshy
• Adobe Dimension (packs a punch but many peeps underestimate it!)
• Open Brush
• Meta Quest 3
• Adobe Creative Cloud
• WordPress (since 2006!)
• Photopea
• Canva
• Spatial
• Sketchfab
• Mixamo
• Polycam

Increasingly, I find myself moving between physical drawing, digital drawing, AI-assisted image creation, AI assited 3D model generation, virtual reality painting, web publishing, and agent-based creative systems. Its been an amazing year for creativity.

The boundaries between artist, designer, researcher, educator, and technologist continue to blur.

Final Thoughts..

Yes, tools matter, but the tools are never the point. The most exciting creative breakthroughs still come from curiosity, experimentation, play, failure, iteration, and persistence mixed with FUN.

Whether you are sketching in a notebook, painting in virtual reality, building an AI-assisted archive, creating a game, or designing an immersive course syllabi (I am!), the technology is simply a vehicle for ideas. And ideas are always for your energy unconditionally.

Keep exploring.

Keep making.

Keep building worlds.

PS – If interested – check out some of the most recent posts from this past semester here

PSS – If interested in world building inspiration – check out AREMES-ENTERPRISES here

PSSS (is there even such a thing as “PSSS”? – well, while you are at it, check out the RSMAD here

<—————————- tranmission snip ————————————>

All legacy items below are kept for posterity, nostalgia and the shear passage it time!

Free Digital Art & Creation Tools List (2025 Edition)

Welcome back creators, artists, students, and digital explorers!
As part of refreshing and expanding the resources at The NET-ART Website, I’m excited to share this updated collection of free digital tools you can use to create, experiment, and innovate across many forms of media.

These tools are accessible to all skill levels and are meant to encourage playful exploration, bold storytelling, and creative growth.

Every tool on this list is active and has been verified as of May 2025.

🎨 Free Digital Art and Design Tools

Photopea — Photoshop-style online image editor (no download needed!)
Pixlr E — Powerful browser-based image editor, great for quick graphic design
Kleki — Simple and intuitive online drawing app
Canva Free — Graphic design templates for posters, social posts, and more
Autodraw — AI-assisted sketching tool that guesses and cleans your drawings

🤖 Free AI Art and Creative Tools

Craiyon (formerly DALL·E Mini) — AI image generator based on text prompts
Runway ML (Free Version) — AI tools for generating video, image, and effects
Artbreeder — Blend and evolve images with AI-assisted manipulation
Mage.Space (Safe Mode) — Free simple AI image generator
Leonardo.Ai (Free Tier) — High-quality AI image generation with templates

🧩 VR and AR Art Creation Tools

OnCyber — Build free 3D/VR galleries and worlds directly in the browser
Spatial.io — Create VR/AR spaces for art shows, meetings, and exhibitions
Tilt Brush Open Source (via OpenBrush) — VR painting in 3D space (desktop VR needed)

🖼️ Free Image Remix and Experimentation Tools

GIPHY Create — Turn photos and videos into GIFs or stickers
Photomosh — Create glitch art effects easily
Deep Dream Generator — Surreal AI-assisted image remixer
Remove.bg — Instantly remove backgrounds from images

🎥 Free Video Editing Tools

Kapwing — Online video editing for trimming, effects, captions, and GIFs
Clipchamp (Free Tier) — Microsoft’s web-based video editor
Canva Video Editor — Free simple video editing inside Canva
VEED.io — Quick browser video editing for reels, shorts, and presentations

🌐 Research, Remix, and Exploration Resources

Internet Archive — A treasure trove of public domain and creative commons media
Are.na — Visual bookmarking and research platform
Open Processing — Explore creative coding artworks and make your own
Rhizome — Explore the history and future of net art

Final Thoughts

The tools listed here are only starting points. The best way to learn them is by playing, remixing, experimenting, and building your own mini-worlds of art and communication.

Your creativity is the true software!

Keep exploring, keep pushing, and stay tuned — we’ll be publishing more resources and challenges soon here at the Net-Art website!

Below is the original page content published on May 26th 2017 – I am leaving it here for archival purposes!

Below is a growing list of OER resources, Useful links and digital desktop / mobile art making platforms. Desktop and mobile platforms will be regularly introduced and discussed here. What role do you play? If you have arrived here, you have a choice to make, contribute, observe, re-share, learn and assimilate. Collaborations will take place and artistic / creative interventions will expand. We need you! This page will grow over time as students, faculty and community members contribute.

{This page is also a metaphoric activation portal for those who have been asking the universe for a sign, this is it!}

Tutorials:

NET-ART Making Tutorial – http://www.ryanseslow.com/a-how-to-net-art-gif-making-tutorial/

2. More NET-Art Making Tutorial Examples- http://www.ryanseslow.com/to-howto-augment-reality-at-a-museum/

3. Net-Art to Animated GIF – Process & Examples in Public Space – http://www.ryanseslow.com/howto-storytelling-a-netart-series/

4. Embedding to.be & newhive fields into wordpress posts & pages – http://wp.me/p5YSN2-HE

5. How to GIF a Static Portrait – https://www.ryanseslow.com/cuny-qcc-2d-design-students-gif-the-portrait/

6. Newhive Net Art Making to Screen Recording .Mov file out-put – http://art642.com/gifs/video-tutorials-with-newhive-quicktime-screen-recording/

Helpful GIF & Net Art Making Video Tutorials on the Web:

How to make an animated GIF in Photoshop – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omdfcGYEqPY
How to make an animated GIF in Photoshop from a Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgFU6zRxUZQ
Creating an animated GIF with the Puppet Warp Feature in Photoshop – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsq0b12JuOc
Making Static photos animate & move – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmEcxGghzHE
Creating Vapor wave Net-Art 1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKokry41Ixg
Creating Vapor wave Net-Art 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ_ZT0Phfo4
Professor Smith’s YouTube Channel of Awesome Tutorials – https://www.youtube.com/user/michaelbransonsmith/videos
Dansky’s YouTube Channel of Awesome Tutorials – https://www.youtube.com/user/ForeverDansky/videos
Terry White’s YouTube Channel of Awesome Tutorials – Subscribe here.

Open Education Resources (OER) for Content and Subject Matter:

(organized via – http://guides.cuny.edu/c.php?g=225386&p=1493709 )

Public Domain Images Public domain images, royalty free stock photos, copyright friendly free images. Not copyrighted, no rights reserved.

U.S. Government Graphics and Photos

Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Images from the Library of Congress, now in the public domain.

National Gallery of Art With the launch of NGA Images, the National Gallery of Art implements an open access policy for digital images of works of art that the Gallery believes to be in the public domain.

Digital Public Library of America The Digital Public Library of Americabrings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

NYPL – The New York Public Library Digital Collections Archive

Flickr CC – Creative Commons on Flickr.

Gif Cities – Internet Archive

Desktop / Web Browser Art Making Platforms:

photopea – https://www.photopea.com/

Click Drag Click – clickdragclick.com

Imgur – imgur.com

Verctr – https://Verctr.com

Pixlr (photoshop alternative) – https://pixlr.com/editor/

Glitcher – http://akx.github.io/glitch2/

Image Glitch Tool – https://snorpey.github.io/jpg-glitch/

c64 – http://c64.superdefault.com/