Lab 08 - Seeing and hearing the digital world

In previous labs, we've explored a bit. We've looked at digital images and video, and heard digital audio. Having access to so much material is a significant change, even from our parents' generation, and that 24/7 access is growing all the time. But there is more to living in the digital world than consuming media - we can create it too.

And while digital editing and creating tools used to be very expensive (and would only run on specific hardware or machines), now there are freely available and no- or low-cost applications and browser-based tools. In this lab, we'll look at some of what's available for free.

To consider:

Making it yourself

In this eighth lab, you'll try out a variety of digital media creation tools. As you explore, review your answers from the To consider: section above. Have you changed your mind about any of them?

Learning more

Media creation and editing is becoming more and more an integral part of our daily routine. Let's take a closer look at three familiar categories: images, sound, and video; and one probably less-familiar one: Quick Response or QR codes.

  1. More and more of us have digital cameras with us all the time. While your phone's camera may not have the best quality, having it handy means you are creating digital media all the time. Phone-based apps like Instagram and Retro Camera can make simple modifications to those images before sharing them across social media, but sometimes a more sophisticated editor will do what those apps can't.

    We'll look first at web-based image editors, which are not associated with a particular operating system, and then downloadable applications for desktop or laptop computers. When evaluating which of these are best for you, consider available features, how easy the interface is to use, what types of images you are able to edit, and what types of formats you can save your edited images as.

      Web-based image editors
    • FotoFlexer is one choice for image editing, and allows file uploading in addition to editing images from web storage spaces like Flickr and others.
    • Pixlr is another option. You can launch the Pixlr editor to get started.

      Computer-based image editors
    • Linux, Mac, Windows: Inkscape is an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) editor. Inkscape is not designed for photo editing, but for creating and editing vector graphics.
    • Linux, Mac, Windows: The GNU Image Manipulation Program is more widely known as the not particularly sensitive acronym GIMP. This application is for image editing and graphics creation.
    • Windows only: Paint.NET is an alternative to more expensive Windows image editors. While it is not as fully-featured as many paid applications, Paint.NET has a great deal of functionality and is an actively maintained project. If you are a Windows user, Paint.NET often has a simpler install process than the GIMP's.

  2. Digital audio editors seem to fall into two main categories: the very simple and the very complex. Understanding what you want to accomplish will help you make a good selection based on available features.

    • audiotool.com allows you to create audio tracks from samples and beats. You can also upload samples once you create an account.
    • Linux, Mac, Windows: Audacity is an open source audio editor and recorder. While Audacity has a complex interface, it has similar functionality to paid audio editing and recording applications.

  3. Digital video editing is possible in a web browser for anyone who has a YouTube account using YouTube's online editor. Video editing takes a lot of computing bandwidth, so most editing is done on computers. Windows users can install the free application MovieMaker, Mac users may have iMovie installed, and Linux users can install Open Movie Editor.

  4. Quick Response (QR) codes may not seem like media you can create or edit. You are probably seeing them on billboards, posters, products in the store, and sometimes even in your library's catalog. They are designed to provide "just-in-time" information to people who can scan the codes with their phones. Once scanned, these codes act like a web browser bookmark or link. They go directly to the survey or contest or coupon (or library book call number) that you were looking for. So why would you want to make one?

    Imagine your band is playing next Friday night, and you want people to be able to hear your latest song when they are reading your flyer wherever it might be posted. If you have a webpage with that song embedded, you can put the URL in a QR code generator, like kaywa.com's QR code generator, and add it to all your posters. Before you get started, you may want to read up on the best practices for using QR codes. If you have a QR code scanner in your phone, try making your own QR code, then scan it to test it.

  5. Try IT: Mashing it up
    Consider trying your hand at a video or audio mashup, taking existing media and mashing it together into something new. Here's one example, combining Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry with The Beatles' Let it Be (from YouTube user fanfaroff):

    • What tools would you use to make something like this video mashup?
    • What do you need to know about copyright issues before you post it publicly?

Moving on

Using free computer-based and web-based tools is an easy way to try out creating digital media without investing a great deal of money, though you may find that you need to invest a great deal of your time. As you practice using these tools and others, your investment of time and resources can pay off in an increased ability to quickly pick up and use new information technology tools when you need to.