Aug. 24, 2009

Links to free websites and applications for producing multimedia

Audacity is a free, open-source audio editing software. Organize your audio files in one folder and save often.

Max is a free audio converter. Use Max to convert WMA files, WAV files and others to mp3s for easy audio editing. Editing audio in Audacity requires an mp3 file.

Soundslides is a free download and is fully functional. When using the demo version a “Made With Demo of Soundslides” appears before the start of your finished show. To unlock the demo, buy Soundslides for $39 to $69. The Soundslides Plus version for $69 is well worth the extra $30. It includes lower thirds and a motion tool that allows you to zoom in or out of images.

Animoto is a website that mixes your photos and music into a video that can be posted on your website or downloaded to a DVD in Hi-def format. You can create a free 30 second video or pay just $3 for full-length movie.

Vuvox is another free multimedia site that allows you to add photos, sound, video, graphics and text to a timeline.

Livestream, formerly known as Mogolus, is a website that allows you to broadcast live streaming video via the internet. You need a video camera with an ethernet port, a laptop and an internet connection. There are plenty of other live streaming video sights including Justin.tv and UStream.

Google Maps allows you to find a place, map it and add layers of information like photos, video and text. You can copy the code from Google Maps and post it on your website.

There are plenty of good tutorials on using Google Maps, I like Google’s and also a video version on YouTube.

Facebook and Twitter are fast becoming more than just social tools. News websites use them to give online readers up to the minute stories and breaking news.

Facebook is also teaming up with UStream, a live-streaming video site to allow users to stream video live on their Facebook pages.

URL too long to fit in your Tweet? No problem. Several websites offer URL shortening. Tinyurl and bit.ly are two popular sites. Twitter is now using bit.ly as its default URL shortening device.

Twitterfall is a tool that helps you read and sort posts in Twitter. It allows you to choose a topic or writer, then gives you only those posts in your Twitterfall.

To see the equipment we use at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute download the multimedia equipment article. Multimedia Equipment Article 2009

If you have questions or want to continue our multimedia discussion please leave a comment.