I always recommend Windows Defender and a good sense of Internet security to anyone who uses a computer.

If you're dumb, no antivirus can protect you. If you're reasonably intelligent, any antivirus will protect you.

Avast should not be recommended.

In late 2019, Avast browser extensions were found to collect user data, including browsing behavior and history, and send it to a remote server. The discovery led to the extensions of the Avast and AVG brands being temporarily removed from the Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera extension stores, however, they returned a short time later as there was no concrete evidence that demonstrated a breach of private data of the users.

In January 2020, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag found that the Avast Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free version were collecting user data, which was being resold to personalize advertising through a subsidiary, Jumpshot. The leaked documents showed that Jumpshot offered to provide its customers with "Every search. Every click. On every site." from more than 100 million compromised devices. In response, Avast announced on January 30, 2020, that it would immediately shut down Jumpshot and cease all operations due to the backlash of its users' data privacy.

On the basis of the information revealed, on 11 February 2020 the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection announced that it had initiated a preliminary investigation.

In February 2024, the Federal Trade Commission fined Avast $16.5 million for collecting user data and reselling that data. The collection was done under their program to ensure that such collection of user data was not happening.

Yeah, just use the one built-in to Windows, or don't use Windows.

I successfully edited a video with it having never done so before, which I think speaks to how well it's designed. There's definitely a tiny learning curve, but it's a kiddy coaster.

I like Krita. But to be honest, after years and years of using GIMP, I ironically have nothing but trouble trying to rewire my brain to do things any other way. The same problem that many people have when moving from Photoshop to GIMP.

Also, i fundamentally need DDS files, which Krita (AFAIK) doesn't handle.

If you don't mind paid, Affinity is pretty nice too.

I've just found out about kitra right now but from the site it says it's mostly focused are drawing and stuff like that so would photo editing be netter with something like rawtherapee?

Gonna share this, because I had no idea... I think the last time I updated Audacity was, like, 10 years ago...

Here's Tenacity, which I'll be checking out shortly...

Some of us like free stuff though and the post never said that it was supposed to be a list of FOSS projects.

also, davinci is industry standard and highly respected

It might be the lack of sleep, but what are you trying to say here?

Cakewalk has been around for decades. It was a popular paid daw in the late 90s and 2000s. It became free a few years ago. Haven't used it lately. But, used it a lot many years ago. It was a top daw back in its day. I hear it's still pretty good.

Fairlight, which is part of Da Vinci Resolve, is pretty powerful. I don't use Audacity because it's mostly a destructive workflow.

Have you tried Ardour?