Using the toolbox in the Cloud (updated !) Free stuff
With internet access becoming more universal and faster, more and more tools and services are being hosted on the web. Many of these are free. With some there are file size limits and you can pay for extra features and functionality.
Basic requirement: a browser and Internet connection. Most are easier to use on a PC rather than phone or tablet.
The easiest way to find the tool you need is to Google it
e.g. Best free online audio converter
General
This list of Best Free Online Applications now includes 236 items in multiple categories. With these online or web apps and services, you mostly do not need to download and install them into your computer for using themyou just need to open up a web browser and use them online, or access them in a web browser with their add-ons or extensions where applicable.
Download videos:
- Youtube downloader: https://y2mate.com/ Download Video in various resolutions or just the audio as MP3 or M4A. Note – some downloads are forbidden by YouTube.
- Download from Vimeo and other video sites: http://savevideo.me/?lang=en
You can easily download from Dailymotion, Facebook Video, Vimeo, Twitter Video, Vine, LiveLeak, Aol Video, Rumble.com, Streamable.com, Break.com, Ustream and other popular video hosting/sites!. Just copy page URL with your favorite video and paste into the search box to download online. MP4 HD or low quality.
Convert Audio files:
- https://online-audio-converter.com/ Over 300 file formats, extract audio from video
- https://www.zamzar.com/convert/wmv-to-mp3/ Specifically for WMV to MP3
- http://www.audioexpert.com/ audio editor, file converter and sound recorder.
Convert files of many different types to many other different types
- http://www.convertfiles.com/ Many formats. Files up to 250MB
- https://cloudconvert.com/ 218 formats
- https://www.online-convert.com/ Audio, Image, Video, Document, Ebook, Archive etc. Upload the file, choose the format, tweak if you want and download the result.
- https://www.zamzar.com/ Free file conversions (file size up to 50 MB), simple, can be slow. Can do TXT to MP3 for text to speech, E-Books and Works spreadsheets.
Online OCR (optical character recognition)
- https://www.onlineocr.net/ 15 files per hour (and 15 pages into multipage files) in Guest mode. Get more features if you register. Service supports 46 languages
Resize images
- http://www.picresize.com/ Drag and drop picture into website then resize, crop and effects (works well in Firefox, I had problems in Chrome)
- https://imageresize.org/ Drag and drop picture into website then crop and resize – very fast. Also has basic editing functions and filters.
Edit images / design
- https://www199.lunapic.com/editor/ Lots of animations, effects, collages. Old fashioned interface, but many examples and some tutorials.
- https://www.fotor.com/ Modern interface, very easy to use. Graphic design and HDR. Need to log in with e-mail address or Facebook.
- https://tiltshiftmaker.com/ Create tiltshift (miniturised photos) Free for pictures of up to 2 megapixels
- https://www.canva.com/ Photo Editor and Graphics design. (fliers, ID cards, presentations etc) Need an account . Could be useful for charities and small businesses. Many How to videos on-line
- https://sketch.io/ Sketchpad 5.1: Brushes, clipart, shapes. Useful online guide: https://sketch.io/sketchpad/guide/
Edit and Compress videos
- https://clipchamp.com/en No need to upload – 5 videos per month for free (Compression e.g. 160mb down to 20mb in 5 mins)
- https://www.kapwing.com/ a modern editor for videos, GIFs, and images. Resizer, Video montage, Video Collage, filters, loop video etc.
Has Examples of how it works and you can play with sample videos. - http://www.videotoolbox.com/ Od fashioned interface File size up to 1500MB
Editing PDfs
- https://www.splitpdf.com/ Spilt a PDF into one or more pieces. (Free for files up to 15 MB)
- https://smallpdf.com/ Compress, convert, split, merge etc. Two documents per hour for free.
- https://www.pdfescape.com/?noredirect=true Edit, Create annotate, save and download PDFs. For Files up to 10 MB and 100 pages.
- https://online2pdf.com/ You can convert your files to PDF, you can edit, unlock, merge PDF files, you can export PDF files (to Word, Excel, Powerpoint, JPG) and much more. Max file size 100MB)
Virus Checker
- https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/forHome/products/housecall.html Trendmicro
- https://www.eset.com/int/home/online-scanner/ From ESET (their full programme considered best AV package in 2018)
Calendar Maker
- https://www.calendarlabs.com/ Calendar Labs – customise a printable calendar and download it, can include local holidays.
Word Processors
- https://www.thebalance.com/free-online-word-processors-1356661 More than Google Docs and Office on-line
Spreadsheet makers
- https://www.lifewire.com/best-free-online-spreadsheets-3486263 More than Google Docs and Office online
Dictation
- https://dictation.io/ Use the magic of speech recognition to write emails and documents in Google Chrome.
Presentation makers
- https://spark.adobe.com/make/presentation-maker/ Can make “slide shows” or movies. Adobe Spark Presentations remain on-line and can be embedded in websites etc.
- https://www.canva.com/create/presentations/ Huge number of templates. You can also download your presentation as individual JPEG or PNG images or as one PDF file.(see above)