Quality apps offered for free help to pass the time at home
One of the bright spots in this dark time is companies offering formerly paid services and apps at no cost for a limited time. So, here are some things to try (for free) while you’re stuck at home.
The makers of two apps I use and love — Filmic (Filmic Pro) and LumaTouch (LumaFusion) — have joined forces to offer a Mobile Creator Summit, which they describe as, “A virtual gathering of the world’s best mobile video filmmakers, journalists, and storytellers to inspire, share insights, and teach new skills.”
Sessions will be streamed for the next three Fridays at no cost; for additional information, or to register for the summit, visit www.mobile creatorsummit.com.
If you’ve ever wanted to check out Apple’s pro-level media creation apps Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, but were put off by their prices ($299.99 and $199.99 respectively), Apple is now offering three-month free trials of both. Now you can use these killer apps to produce that video or audio masterpiece that’s been rattling around in your brain for free.
Visit www.apple.com/ final-cut-pro/trial/ or www.apple.com/logic-pro/ for details.
If you like playing music, check out the Minimoog Model D Synthesizer and Korg iKaossilator, two fascinating synthesizer apps you can play on your iDevice, which are currently available for free.
Even if you know nothing about synthesizers, you’ll have fun making sounds with Minimoog Model D and Korg iKaossilator, which are available at
Apple’s app store, www.apple.com/ios/ app-store.
In a similar (musical) vein, my sister forwarded this excellent offer from Fender Play to me last week:
“To see people through, Fender is offering three months of free online guitar, bass and ukulele lessons with Fender Play. To ensure your unique code appears, Fender recommends accessing the page using an incognito mode or window. No credit card required. https://try.fender.com/play/playthrough.”
I didn’t expect much for free, but I have been quite impressed with both the quality of the lessons and the variety of songs available as lessons.
I’m recording a cover version of the Animals’ classic ’60s hit “House of the Rising Sun.” After watching the excellent Fender Play lesson on how to play the arpeggios, it sounds much better.
If you want to learn to play guitar, bass or ukulele (or improve your skills on them), don’t miss this most excellent offer.
Thanks, sis!
Finally, I love to read, and I especially love reading eBooks for free using the Libby app from the App
Store on my iDevices .
Although Libby has always been free, it makes a perfect ending for this column. This free app has been among my favorites for years. I use it to check out eBooks and audiobooks from my local public library and then enjoy them on my iDevice (for free). All you need to use Libby is a library card from a public library including Houston, Harris County, Austin, as well as most other public libraries.
There is one more thing: Please stay safe!