Useful Multimedia Software Downloads
Microsoft
Moviemaker
Microsofts answer to Apple Imovie. Not quite as
powerful as the Apple
product, but a great way of getting into digital movie editing without investing large sums
of money and time in sophisticated hardware and software. Needs Windows
XP. Note,
there are two versions of MovieMaker. The new version is installed
automatically with Windows XP Service Pack 2. This version is much
closer to Imovie than the original version which doesn’t have animated
credits (you have to use MS Paint for the credits) and you can’t change
audio levels, among other shortcomings
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Microsoft
Producer
This free software needs PowerPoint XP, 2000 or 2003.
It takes your PowerPoint skills and allows you to add video, soundtrack
and HTML and publish your finished presentation on the web. It's a
fantastic way to extend PowerPoint into real multimedia |
Free
sound recording software
Audacity
is a popular piece of open-source software that allows you to use your
pc as a digital recorder. You can capture, edit and save files in
various formats, including mp3. Ideal for creating school radio
programs for web publication. |
Jasc Animation shop (Free Trial)
Animation
Shop has high-quality easy-to-use creative effects, features, and
optimization options for Web graphic designers of every level. Whether
used as a standalone application or as a complement to Paint Shop Pro,
Animation Shop gives you the ability to easily create buttons, banners,
and other cool animations. |
Microsoft
Photo Story 3
This neat little program
allows you to put
together a series of photographs,
add music, captions and narration, and save them as a Windows Movie
(wmv)file for publication on the web or on a network. The neat bit is
that it automatically pans and zooms on the photographs, much more
interesting than just a plain slideshow. It is a great resource for
teachers wanting to put together a simple, yet arresting slideshow of a
trip, a performance or about their school etc. Requires Windows XP and
Windows Media Player 7 or later. (you can also send photos stories to
Windows enabled mobile phones or PDA's with Media Player 10.)
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Artrage
I can't
believe this is a free piece of
software. A really neat program in the vein of Dazzle or Fresco.
Not as complex but a really nice interface and one great feature - it
allows you to load an image on the canvas as a background, which you
can then trace, and when you've finished, remove the background.
Brilliant for use on a whiteboard or graphics tablet/ tablet pc, but
will still work with a mouse. Works on a Windows 98 or onwards or on a
Mac.
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