You are the Content Editor/ Social Media Specialist/ Webinar Organizer/ Videographer/ Podcaster/ Image Consultant for your company. You probably also make the coffee, since you drink more of it than anyone else in the office. Your supervisor looks at you quizzically whenever you mention the word ‘budget’ because, apparently, it’s not in any dictionary at use in your company. You are the Multimedia Specialist, and you need tools to do your job; in spite of the apparent belief that, with your wizard-like talents, you can make great content appear out of thin air.
Please allow me to point you in the direction of some tools and sources which, I guarantee, will become your new best friends. There is no need to weep with gratitude; this is just me paying it forward. All I ask is that you, someday, share similar wisdom to needy content marketers.
Audio Resources
Audacity
This audio recording and editing tool is one of the most valuable tools for the multimedia specialist. You can pay almost $240 for Sony’s Sound Forge, or you can download this baby for free – your choice. Either way, you can professionally record, edit, and/or enhance audio for any purpose you can name. This was, no lie, the very first download I made on my new laptop.
Kevin MacLeod’s Incompetech.com
This oddly named website is the home of a film composer who believes in the benefits that Creative Commons brings to artists, schools, and creative types everywhere. Here you will find many compositions of various lengths which you can download and use for your videos and presentations. You need to provide attribution, and you may donate to the cause, but this is a totally free resource.
Video Resources
VLC Media Player
The second thing that I downloaded to my laptop was this versatile audio/video player. You won’t ever need another one, and it absolutely should be your default media player. It works with every format, and there are some nifty features which you’ll find come in very handy ‘- Like an instant screen capture to create thumbnails with!
Handbrake
You are going to need to convert video formats. That is one of the realities of multimedia. There may be a bit of a learning curve to using this always dependable converter, but Handbrake has an active open-source community to help you. Put it on your desktop. Believe me, you’ll use it.
Photo Resources
Pixabay, Morguefiles and Foter
You need images? These people have your images! The vast majority of your image needs will be provided by these three sites. Foter requires attribution, but there’s no heavy lifting involved. morgueFile has tons of free images, and will provide access to Getty Images, iStock, and more. Pixabay may be my favorite, since you can even select the size image that you need. You will be asked to sign in for larger sizes, but it’s all still free and easy.
I don’t want to spoil you with too many riches all at once. Stay tuned for another round of suggested resources sometime in the coming weeks. In the meanwhile, please feel free to share your own favorite multimedia resources here.
Pay it forward.
