In today’s modern technology world, multimedia projects have become a great way to teach, communicate, and show off creativity. By combining text, images, audio, video, and interaction, multimedia allows people to fully engage their audience in a powerful manner.
What is a multimedia project?
Multimedia refers to the uses of computer technology to create, store and experience multimedia content. Multimedia applications play a crucial role in education which range from preschool education to postgraduate students and corporate training packages. By definition, Multimedia is a representation of information in an attractive and interactive manner with the use of a combination of text, audio, video, graphics and animation. So, in other words, we can say that Multimedia is a computerized method of presenting information combining textual data, audio, visuals (video), graphics and animations.
What are the components of a multimedia project?
There are several components of multimedia projects, though not all of them must be present at all times. Some key components include:
- Text to provide information
- Graphics/images to break up the text and provide visual interest
- Bitmap images, which are real images that can be captured from devices such as digital cameras or scanners. Generally, bitmap images are not editable.
- Vector graphics, which are drawn on the computer and only require a small amount of memory. These graphics are editable.
- Digital audio, like the use of speech, music and sound effects
- Video, which can be real or animated
Tools and Software for Multimedia Projects
Basic Video Editing: WeVideo
WeVideo is a complete, end-to-end video learning platform with everything you need to make interactive videos and improve classroom engagement. Founded in Norway in 2011, the company was founded with the idea that everyone—from school children to professionals—should have the power to create, communicate, and collaborate with video.
WeVideo works great with learning management systems like Canvas, Schoology, ClassLink, and Google Classroom as well as others. There is a cost to subscribe to WeVideo, but they have multiple subscription levels and education-based discounts.
Audio Engineering: Audacity
Audacity is a free, easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Audacity is free to use and was developed for anyone who wants to get creative with sound.
It’s the perfect tool for anyone who needs to quickly edit or export audio, for any reason. Audacity is also proudly open source and many third-party plugins have been developed for the software.
Stock Photos: Pics4Learning and Openclipart
Copyright laws can make it hard to find free, fair-use photos. I recommend Pics4Learning and Openclipart.
Pics4Learning is one of the oldest (and still growing) collections of free images for education. The images found on Pics4Learning are all owned by the original photographers, but they’ve allowed Pics4Learning to share the images for use in any classroom, and shared in any media project, no matter where it’s posted, so long as the images aren’t used for any commercial purpose.
Openclipart provides a large collection of free clipart, all part of the Public Domain. All of the images on this site have been donated to Public Domain, so they’re all free for the taking.
Research and Sources: The Smithsonian
You might also try the Smithsonian Institution, which is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The Smithsonian has created and maintains websites and other digital properties to support its mission for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” These websites offer a wealth of knowledge for multimedia learning.
Animation and Video: Animaker
Animaker is a drag-and-drop animation and video-making platform featuring a free subscription plan that focuses on tools for beginners and professionals, alike, with diverse animated character customization, thousands of templates, and millions of stock videos and photos.
It has a rich content library, is a cloud-based software accessible on any device, and has a easy-to-use interface. However, it does have limited customization, a steeper learning curve for complex animations, and limited features in the free plan. Plus, Animaker’s AI program can create videos from text prompts, screen recordings, or upload raw footage. It can even auto-edit videos in one click, adding B-roll, subtitles, text, music, and more.
All-Around Programs: Canva and Adobe Express
Two programs that I use frequently have several or all multimedia components wrapped up into one site.
Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more. Canva is easy to sign up for, using either an email, Google account, or Facebook login. Once an account is created, for free, you can pick if you’re using it as a teacher, student, or anything else. This will tailor the experience to your needs, making it simpler to search.
Free account holders get more than 250,000 free templates, 100 design formats, 1 million free photos and graphics—including Smartmockups, which overlay your design on products like tee shirts and cellphone screens—more than 1,000 fonts, and a subset of AI-powered tools, including Magic Write, Magic Design, manual Beat Sync, and Magic Edit. Although the Free plan now offers unlimited folders, there’s a 5GB cap on data storage, and you miss out on the Pro features mentioned below, including exporting files to CMYK.
For me, as a multimedia teacher, Canva is a game-changer. My students and I create a ton of projects in Canva—everything from print to video to animation to audio.
Adobe Express is a web-based, mobile graphics arts and design app designed to help anyone create a variety of visual content quickly and easily. The app can also be a central repository for maintaining brand consistency, and we think it’s especially good for helping you make social posts from templates. Express is accessible to users with little or no design experience, but it also has useful tools for professionals.
Adobe Express has a freemium model. You can use it for free, but you get more features and content when you pay the $9.99-per-month or $99.99-per-year subscription fee. A 30-day free trial is available. A key benefit of Express, however, is having access to your Creative Cloud libraries and the suite’s collaboration and sharing features.
Adobe Express now also comes with Adobe Firefly generative AI under the hood, making it simple for anyone at any skill level to perform complex tasks more quickly and with ease. From just a text prompt, AI features let creators generate impressive images and layouts and insert, remove, or replace people and objects, and more.
Both Canva and Adobe Express are great programs to go to for all multimedia projects. However, in my personal experience, I prefer Canva as it is easier to learn and to teach. Adobe Express, to me, is for users who have professional graphic design and multimedia experience, whereas Canva is for the beginner wanting to learn.