Stills & Anis Screencap Software for Icon Makers?

Hi, there. I'm an icon and fan art maker (LiveJournal), but I've been having to rely on others' screen captures to make my icons and fan art. And, if someone makes an animation from one of my favorite shows, I'm stuck with whatever form they share it in because they say they can't resize it once they've saved it...and I'm not allowed to change someone else's fan art.

To make a short story long...:-o

Is there a program (or programs) that I can get for capturing frames and/or scenes from DVDs?

I appreciate any help you can give me. Oh, I should also note that I can only afford freeware.