Tech Tools and Tips

iMovie

For Mac users this is an excellent option for video editing. You may import and enhance video clips, images, and audio. You can also directly record voice-overs. You may also add text and transitions.

The video tutorial below will guide you through the basics of getting started with iMovie and exporting your final project to a file or an online service such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Please note that while a version of iMovie is available for iPhones and iPads, that version is not as robust and will not allow you to edit movies in the same way.

Adobe Spark

This is a free cloud solution which offers many of the same features as iMovie. You can add video, images and audio from external files, search for royalty free images and audio within the program, and add voice-over audio and text to slides. You may do some minor editing/clipping of video files. Adobe Spark structures content as slides. Final projects can be downloaded as an mp4 file or linked directly from Adobe Spark.

The video below will guide you through the basics of creating a video in Adobe Spark.

PowToon

This is another cloud solution which offers a free version for creating video stories and projects. If you would like to include pre-drawn cartoon figures and various types of animation in your project, this is a fun program to try. There are plenty of options available through the free version. The final version of your project can be uploaded directly to YouTube or Vimeo, or linked directly from PowToon.

Please visit the PowToon Quick Start Guide for more information about using PowToon.

Stop Motion Apps for Apple Products

If you would like to try something different and create a stop motion or time lapse video the following options are available in the app store.

OSnap! - Time Lapse and Stop Motion

Stop Motion Studio - Stop Motion

Free Video Editors for Windows/Mac

If you need something more robust to edit videos, you may want to consider a free option that can be downloaded to your computer. Both DaVinci Resolve and Lightworks are free to download and use on your personal computer. Both require that you register your free copy. Lightworks works for seven days without registration.

DaVinci Resolve for Windows or Mac

Lightworks for Windows or Mac

Adobe Premiere

For a complete video editing solution, Adobe Premiere is available in the Academic Technologies computer lab (1st floor of the Coates Library). For more information on how to use this software, please visit the Premiere Pro tutorials.

Moodboard Tools

Moodboard

This tool allows you to compile images that help organize your design ideas for your project. This is a great way to organize images, colors, objects and general inspiration for your project. Moodboards are also a great way to share your ideas with others.

Moodboard is a free online tool and requires no signup or registration. To get started, simply click on a blank board or use one of the other templates to get started. You can click the Save & publish button to share your moodboard with others. Just copy the share link to send it to others and be sure to save it or bookmark it if you want to come back to view it or edit it later. If you want to edit the moodboard just click the Edit Moodboard button on the share page.

Pinterest

Another way to create a moodboard is to use Pinterest to gather images, websites, and inspiration. To use Pinterest to create a moodboard, sign up for a free account, create a new board, and go to websites where you find inspiration and either use the "Pin It" button that many websites use or copy the link into Pinterest. For more information about how to "Pin" items, refer to the Pinterest help guide.

Storyboard Tools

You may want to consider using a storyboard to map out your project. You can do this with paper and pencil, but there are also some online tools to help you with this task.

StoryboardThat

This is an online digital storytelling solution. The free version allows you to create up to two storyboards per week, choose from thousands of illustrations, and setup a 3 or 6 cell storyboard. The free version does not allow you to upload your own photos or images.

Canva

In addition to being an image creation tool, Canva offers a variety of layouts to help you create a visual storyboard for your project. You can also upload your own images or photos to Canva. Canva can also be used to create a moodboard. Canva is free to use.

To practice using Adobe Spark or iMovie, you may use the images, video and audio in the shared folder.