Drawing applications are a dime a dozen and can go from the professional 3D drawing tool to just fun brush and pencil sketching programs. More serious users will go for advanced solutions with animations, layers and advanced drawing tools while normal users will look to a simple solution to scribble around. Let's take a look at the some of the top drawing software and what you can do with them:

• Toon Boom Studio - Aimed at people in the animation industry, this program lets you create cartoons in the cut-out way by using motion paths.
• OpenCanvas - This is more of a sketching app, with lots of highly realistic brushes. The program is very similar to Photoshop, uses layers and offers a friendly interface easy for newcomers to handle.
• Manga Studio - Ever wanted to recreate Ranma 1/2, Dragonball Z or Astro Boy? Create your own anime with Manga Studio, which has more than 3,000 screen tones and 80 different templates.
• Google Sketchup Pro - Easy to use yet very powerful, it lets you create realistic 3d models. Good for architects and field planners.
• Facial Studio - You can use this tool to quickly draw up anybody's face. Just scan a portrait, let Facial Studio analyze it and you'll then be able to change anything from the skin texture to chin, nose or hair.
• Artweaver - A free drawing tool that offers a wide range of brushes and layers and can load up plugins. Accessible to beginners.
• Paint.NET - One of the best free apps you'll ever find, Paint.NET offers you loads of powerful tools and special effects in an intuitive interface.
• Sketch Master - One of my personal favorites. Create sketches out of any photo. Use one of the many brushes provided or just let the random settings generator come up with a sketch for you.

There are many ways to spice up your photo collection but perhaps one of the most impressive is to make them 3 Dimensional. Giving your photos a 3D look can be useful for a number of reasons. Maybe you'd like to breathe new life into an old photo collection or maybe you're working on a presentation and want to give it an original touch? Whatever your reasons, there are several programs out there that can bring a new dimension to your photos in a few clicks.

One of the most popular is PhotoPlus probably because it allows you to create many effects in just one package. This free program offers everything from reducing red eye, adjusting contrast and of course 3D effects through its 'Layer Manager'. However, because it's not a dedicated 3D photo program, the results can look somewhat artificial and unconvincing.

For better results, you're probably better using 3D Photo Builder Professional which creates 3D panoramic shots with your photos. The program makes an analysis of your photo borders and then 'stitches' them together to create the panoramas. You can even pan and zoom the 3D shots as well as send them by e-mail. Because this is a dedicated 3D imaging program, the results are considerably more realistic than with PhotoPlus.

If you’re feeling  creative and want to give animation a try, you’ve got a lot of software choices. Pivot Stickfigure Animator is one of the options available to you. Plus, it’s free!

Pivot Stickfigure Animator lets you make stick figure animations by creating individual frames of action and then playing them in sequence. If done correctly, you’ll end up with a seamless cartoon.

The program also gives you a good variety of custom options, like modifying frames, preset characters, the ability to add different colors and even altering the appearance of the background. You can preview every change you’ve made before saving, to ensure your animation comes out just the way you want it to. Take a look!

A famous frog once said that it wasn't easy being green, but loveable Ogre Shrek has blown this theory out of the water by topping the box office charts in the third installment of the movie of the same name. Shrek's popularity highlights the public's appetite for CG movies and follows a long line of DreamWorks success stories. If you fancy trying your hand at a spot of cartoon-making then head for Softonic's animation section, which contains tons of tools for both beginners and advanced animators. Here's the pick of what's showing there at the moment:

• CrazyTalk - Facial animation & lip-sync software
• Toon Boom Studio - Create high-quality professional animations
• Pivot Stickfigure Animator - Make stick figures come to life
• Animation Workshop - Create GIF, MNG, AVI, MOV and SWF animations
• Nature Illusion Studio - Transform your pictures into living nature scenaries
• 2D & 3D Animator - Produce high-quality images, titles, and banner ads
• Artoonix - Make your own cartoons and animations
• ATani - Animated file creator with built-in editor
• Magpie Pro - Lip syncing and timing tool for animators
• LipSync MX - Make your Flash characters talk