Digital Lab
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Need clips or photos?
When you're looking for clips and stock photos to use in your projects, it's good to get in the habit of finding files you can use without violating the original creator's copyright. Below are a few places to get started when you need to find clips, photos or audio. There are definitely more places out there -- try searching online, but be careful to check the information each site provides about the licenses governing the media. (For example, many files that might be free for you to use personally or for educational uses are NOT free if you are creating something that will be used commercially.) Not sure if you understand a license? Check in with a librarian, and we'll try to help.
- Royalty-free music: incompetech.com
- Check out Creative Commons to find a variety of types of media. You can search several sites through their website, but many also allow you to conduct a search for Creative Commons-licensed photos in their advanced search options. Be sure to read up on the types of licenses first -- some licenses require YOU to license YOUR work in a certain way!
- The Internet Archive provides some some movies and audio you can download.
- The British Film institute has also made some clips available for creative use. (Be sure to check out the types of use allowed under the license.)
- Some places to look for free, and royalty-free, stock photos: StockVault.net, FreePhotos.com and Stock.xchg. The WikiMedia Foundation has posted a list of places to find public domain images. (Public domain images were either never protected by copyright, or the copyright protection has expired.) About.com has also rounded up a list of sites to get free images.
- Did you know that the pictograms you see directing you around airports and other places are in the public domain? You can download the symbol signs from AIGA.
- Looking for some free clipart? Take a look at openclipart.org.
- American University's Center for Social Media has released their Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video. This document can help you determine if you are able to use particular clips for your project.
- Soundzabound
Royalty free clips and music for educational use.
- Free Play Music
Even more audio clips
Software Tips
- Tutorials Garden provides user-created tutorials for Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator and a variety of programming languages as well.
Audacity
A list of Audacity tutorials
- http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tutorial.html How to Record and Edit Audio with Audacity]
- Audacity Tutorial from Brown University
- Editing Sound Clips in Audacity
- Using Audacity with Windows Movie Maker
- Transom Tools Audacity Tutorial
- Video-Based Audacity Tutorials
AVS Video Converter
AVS Video Converter is installed on 8 of the PC's in the Digital Lab. It can be used to convert videos between a variety of formats including AVI, MP4, MPEG, MOV, WMV, RM, and SWF. It can also convert videos to and from DVDs.
Converting from a DVD to another format
***Note: AVS Converter will not work with DVDs containing DRM
1. Select the button along the top row for the file format you wish to convert the video into.
2. Next to Input File Name: select the Browse button. Find the DVD drive in the drop down menu and select it.
3. Open the folder title Video_TS.
4. Select the file labeled VTS_01_0.IFO. If there is more than one video file on the DVD you may see multiple files labeled numerically such as VTS_01_0.IFO, VTS_02_0.IFO, etc. Choose the file you wish to convert. If there is more than one file listed the numbers should correspond to the chapters on the disk.
5. Next to Output File Name: select the Browse button and choose the location where you wish the converted file to be placed when it is finished and then title the video what you would like it named in the box labeled Object name.
6. From the dropdown menu labeled Profile select the version of the format you selected at the top that you wish to use.
7. Select the Convert Now Button at the bottom left.
For more information on using AVS Video Converter consult the help manual at AVS Media's Support Page
Creative Suite 5
Find video tutorials for Adobe products including CS5 applications
Dreamweaver CS5
Instructions on how to create a website using Dreamweaver CS5
How to build a website using Dreamweaver CS5 tutorial from Adobe.
Video tutorials (some free and some paid) on using Dreamweaver CS5
Final Cut Express
The Digital Lab has a tutorial disc that may be checked out and used in the lab. Ask for it at the Digital Lab staff desk.
Or try these websites:
Video based tutorials from Apple.
A basic level tutorial on using Final Cut Express with screenshots.
A video tutorial on editing a storyboard in Final Cut Express
Video based tutorials on how to perform various tasks in Final Cut Express
Flash CS5
Video tutorials (some free and some paid) from Lynda.com
Flash CS5 and ActionScript 3 Tutorials, many designed for science and math but still relevant to basic Flash developers.
Illustrator CS5
Video tutorials (some free and some paid) from Lynda.com
InDesign CS5
Video tutorials (some free and some paid) from Lynda.com
Photoshop
Video tutorials (some free and some paid) from Lynda.com
25 Video tutorials for accomplishing certain tasks in Photoshop CS5
QuarkXpress 7
The Digital Lab has a tutorial disc that may be checked out and used in the lab. Ask for it at the Digital Lab staff desk.
Or try these websites:
Short tutorials on basic functions in Quark. (warning: highly ad supported)
QuarkXpress vs InDesign Professional blog to share Quark Xpress Tutorial help, Quark Software links, Quark Xpress download links. Features many Quark Xpress 6 tutorials, tips, techniques, etc. Lots of prepress tips you need for printing, layout, preflight, font management. All Quark Xpress problems and solutions to them are covered here in our Quark Xpress blog.
Windows Movie Maker
Video tutorials on how to use Windows Movie Maker
Written descriptions on how to perform basic functions in Windows Movie Maker
Screenshot and text based tutorials on how to edit videos using Movie Maker





