Digital Media: Online Resources
This guide contains information for research in Digital Media.
Professional Associations
Here are digital media and digital communications associations and organizations that may be of interest to you:
- ACM SIGGRAPHSpecial Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques publishes research on computer graphics, visualization, and interactive digital media.
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)The American Institute of Graphic Arts is the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design.
- Association for Independent Video & Filmmakers“Since 1978, The Independent has been the leading source of information for independent, grassroots, and activist media-makers, providing inspiration and information for their films and video projects, as well as creating connections to the larger independent media community.”
- Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI)Worldwide organization dedicated to type and typography.
- Audio Engineering Society (AES)The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology.
- Center for Social MediaThe Center for Social Media ” investigates, showcases and sets standards for socially engaged media-making.”
- Digital Media Association (DiMA)DiMA is a trade association for businesses in the digital media industry.
- International Council of Communication Design Associations (ICOGRADA)Professional association for communication design. Provides case studies, news, career information, and more for graphic designers in all fields of communication.
- National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)Users of Adobe software including Photoshop as well as other programs like InDesign, Illustrator and Lightroom.
- The Color Association of the United States“Forecast agent, specialized educator, and trusted advisor to color professionals whose responsibility is to ensure marketplace success for their color decisions in the realm of brands, product and service, and spatial environments.”
- University Film and Video AssociationAn “organization of over 1000 professionals and institutions involved in the production and study of film, video, and other media arts.”
Copyright-Free Images, Audio and Video
Hee you will find sites that allow you to use images, audio and video clips without paying royalties or infringing copyright, because the owners have relinquished their rights.
Always remember to check your sources for copyright and cite appropriately.
- Consumer Digital Video Library“Access to high quality uncompressed video scenes that may be used freely for research and development purposes. Users may also contribute their videos to the CDVL database.”
- Flickr: The CommonsPublic photography archives.
- Free-Loops.com“Provides free loops and audio clip downloads to the music production community.” Formats in Wav, MP3, Aif, & Midi Sound Files. Music Software & Free VST Plugins.
- Getty ImagesGetty is a “leading distributor of still imagery, footage, music and other premium content.” They have recently made over 35 million photos free to use online, provided an embed code is used.
- Google Advanced Image SearchYou can limit your search to usage rights. Select: “Only images labeled for reuse.”
- Library of Congress Digital Collections“Access to print, pictorial and audio-visual collections and other digital services.”
- morgueFile“Free images for your inspiration, reference and use in your creative work, be it commercial or not!”
- PixabayPublic domain images.
- Royalty-Free ImagesAvailable from GettyImages. Download photos, images, illustrations and vectors.
- SoundBible.com“SoundBible.com offers free sound clips for download in either wav or mp3 format. We offer free and royalty free sound effects and clips for video editors, movie scores, game designers, and weekend sound warriors. “
- Web Design BoothThirty websites from which you can download free stock photos.
- Wikimedia Commons“A database of 16,524,428 freely usable media files.”
- WP Clipart“There are 40,589 unique images, most in multiple formats, yielding a total of 147,432 images to download.”
Audio Resources
Visit these sites for resources in audio technology:
- dig.ccmixterProvides royalty free music that can be used for video production and a variety of applications.
- FilmSound.orgAn online learning space dedicated to the art of film sound design.
- Free-Loops.com“Provides free loops and audio clip downloads to the music production community.” Formats in Wav, MP3, Aif, & Midi Sound Files. Music Software & Free VST Plugins.
- Freesound Project“The Freesound Project is a collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds. Freesound focusses only on sound, not songs.”
- Podcast Audio Recording TipsChecklist for recording podcasts and RSS feeds.
- Pro Sound Web“ProSoundWeb is the world’s largest web community for all aspects of the professional audio industry.”
Video Resources
Visit these sites for resources in video technology:
- Digital StorytellingProvides a 10-step tutorial for creating a digital story.
- Every Video Format You Need to Know (Gizmodo)Provides information about various video formats.
- Media College“MediaCollege.com is a free educational website for all forms of electronic media. We have hundreds of exclusive tutorials covering video & television production, audio work, photography, graphics, web design and more.”
- StreamingMediaNews, articles, directories and information, and white papers in the streaming media industry.
- University Film & Video Association“Founded in 1947 as the University Film Producers Association, the UFVA has developed into an organization of over 1000 professionals and institutions involved in the production and study of film, video, and other media arts.”
- Video Capture Card & Digital Video Editing Software Comparison Chart“This comprehensive features chart will help you choose the right digital video editing equipment according to your needs.”
Photography and Photojournalism Resources
Visit these sites for resources in digital photography:
- Digital Photography Review“Digital Photography Review™ is an independent resource dedicated to the provision of news, reviews and information about Digital Photography and Digital Imaging.”
- Masters of PhotographyProvides an extensive collection of photography from noted photographers of the 20th Century.
- Photo.net“Photo.net is an online community with hundreds of thousands of active members and many more casual viewers visiting daily. We started in 1993 and strive to be the best peer-to-peer educational system for people who wish to become better photographers.”
- The DIgital JournalistVoted one of the top 10 digital media websites for 2012, it is staffed by professional photojournalists. Also included are product reviews of photographic equipment.
- World Press PhotoThe mission of World Press Photo is “to encourage high professional standards in photojournalism and to promote a free and unrestricted exchange of information.”
- WorldImages“The internationally recognized WorldImages database provides access to the California State University IMAGE Project.”
Web Design Resources
Visit these sites for resources in Web Design:
- Browser Shots“Free open-source online web application providing developers a convenient way to test their website’s browser compatibility.”
- Colour Lovers Palette“COLOURlovers is a creative community where people from around the world create and share colors, palettes and patterns, discuss the latest trends and explore colorful articles.”
- How to Create an RSS 2.0 FeedProvides a tutorial on creating a feed.
- Smashing MagazineAn excellent resource for all areas of web design.
- W3SchoolsProvides tutorials for all areas of web design.
- Web Design.org“Website design tutorials, articles and free stuff.”
- WebmonkeyProvides resources and tutorials for web design.
- World Wide Web Consortium“The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards.”
Graphic Design Resources
- 40 Adobe After EffectsA “best of” list of tutorials and resources.
- Artistic Expression: Logo Design from Start to FinishProvides a resource for good logo design.
- Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI)Worldwide organization dedicated to type and typography.
- COLOURlovers“COLOURlovers is a creative community where people from around the world create and share colors, palettes and patterns, discuss the latest trends and explore colorful articles.”
- Fonts by ThemeA site for free fonts.
- ICOGRADAThe website for the International Council of Graphic Design Associations, the “world body for professional communication design.”
- Pixel2Life“Pixel2life.com is the internet’s largest tutorial index catering to graphic designers, webmasters and programmers.”
General Web-Based Search Engines and Sites
- Project GutenbergOver 42,000 free e-books.
Specialized Search Engines
- Audio Engineering Society Open Access PublicationsUse the search engine to find all Open Access papers in the AES E-Library.
- Creative CommonsCreative Commons provides access to search services provided by other independent organizations. Search for images, videos, and other multimedia.
- Internet Archive/Wayback MachineAn ever-growing collection of audio, visual, and music clips. Featured is the “WayBack Machine” which archives old websites.
- JURNAn academic search-engine, indexing 4,348 free ejournals in the arts & humaties. Use this search engine to find e-journals for Audio Recording – Video Production
- TinEye“TinEye is a reverse image search engine. It finds out where an image came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or if there is a higher resolution version.”
Digital Media Podcasts
- mediaTECH Weekly on Podcast Alley“Newest announcements and trends in technology and digital media.”
Digital Media Trends
Visit these sites to learn more on trends in Digital Media:
- Digital Media WireProvides “a daily briefing of the most important news stories about the business of digital media.”
- MashableProvides social media news and web tips.