Digital Media Production Resources

Multimedia Labs

A list of software available in computer labs on campus can be found - here.
Also includes lab hours and capacity.

 

Workshops and Training

Schedule of New Media Center workshops - Summer 2013.
Other software training offered on campus.

 

Online Tutorials

Media Services/New Media Center Blog
The NMC blog is a place to find tips, video tutorials, and best practices for all types of multimedia work.

Lynda.com
AU students, faculty and staff now have access to Lynda.com's extensive online training library. Lynda.com's library contains over 3,000 video tutorials on all types of software. Tutorials walk users through programs like Access, After Effects, Excel, FinalCut, iMovie, Photoshop, Pro Tools and many more.

AU users can use this link to access Lynda's full library. Off campus users will be routed to enter their AU login information. More information about Lynda resources is available here -
www.american.edu/lynda

Using HandBrake to Rip Video From DVD For Use In Mashups
How to Rip DVDs with Handbrake (text)
HandBrake Tutorial  (1)
HandBrake Tutorial (2)

More online tutorials are available on the Multimedia Resources page.

 

Free Design Software

The popluar media authoring applications - Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Dreamweaver are not cheap. Fortunately, there are many free or inexpensive alternatives that can give you most of the features you use. This is a selection of some freeware applications and their features. Media Services makes no endorsement or recommendation of any of these products.

2D CAD

QCad
www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad
Create technical drawings such as plans for buildings, interiors, mechanical parts or diagrams.

 
3D modeling

Blender
www.blender.org
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems.

SketchUp
www.sketchup.com
Google's intuitive modeling program interfaces easily with Google Earth. Allows photo images tobe layed over 3D models.

 
desktop publishing

Scribus
www.scribus.net
Supports professional publishing features and "press ready" output.

 
image processing

GIMPShop
gimpshopdotnet.blogspot.com
Photo retouching, image composition, and imageauthoring with a Photoshop like interface.

 
landscape generator

Terragen
planetside.co.uk
Create photorealistic landscapes and animations.

 
modeling animation

JPatch
www.jpatch.com
Spline/patch based modeling, wireframe and shaded rendering, keyframe/timeline animation,lip-syncing.

 
photo collage

Shape Collage
shapecollage.com
Create picture collages of any shape. Adjust the collage size, size of the photos, number of photos, and spacing between photos.

 
photo organizer

Album Shaper
albumshaper.sourceforge.net
Create and organize photo albums in html format. Includes editable metadata such as shutter speed, shooting mode and aperture.

 
presentation sharing, with audio

Authorstream
www.authorstream.com
Share PowerPoint presentations on iPods, iPhonesand YouTube or download them as video. Retainanimation, slide timings and even audio narration.

 
screen recording

CamStudio
camstudio.org
Record screen and audio and create AVI video files or convert to Streaming Flash videos (SWFs).

 
screencasting

Jing project
www.jingproject.com
Allows you to take a picture or video of any portion of your desktop, upload it and get a permanenturl to share.

 
slideshow sharing

Slideshare
www.slideshare.net
Access presentations anywhere and don't worry about the software availability when you get there. Both open sharing and private space

 
soundtracks

PumpAudio
www.pumpaudio.com
A web application that allows you to search through thousands of original music ques. For a fee, you can license these tracks in perpetuity for your video or audio project.

 
vector graphics

Inkscape
inkscape.org
An open source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, or CorelDraw, using the (SVG) file format.

 
video editing

VideoThang
videothang.com
A free video editor for Windows. Import video, edit, trim, add effects and audio. Export in files types for email or YouTube.

WeVideo
www.wevideo.com
A free video editing and hosting site. Allows for social editing - a project can have content submitted by and be edited by multiple users.