The Free Music Archive: http://freemusicarchive.org

dig.ccmixter:  dig.ccmixter

Always check the requirements for each song you wish to use before uploading it.  For more information about using music in media projects, see the Creative Commons website: http://creativecommons.org/

With regard to software, for people who are new to editing video,  iMovie (Macintosh platform) and Adobe Premiere Elements (Windows) make a lot of sense. They are both relatively inexpensive and easy to learn and use. And they will help you learn video editing concepts.

The hugely popular iPad is a relatively inexpensive way to access digital content, including video, and an IOS  version of iMovie runs on the iPad.  For some, this may be an easy and affordable way to start learning how to edit video, but the capabilities of the iPad for creating and editing video content are limited.

You need to be sure your equipment is powerful enough to perform well when video editing.  The more sophisticated the videos you want to produce, the higher the requirements. It can be very frustrating to try to edit videos when you are running into performance issues. A relatively current (2009 or later) computer with at least 4 GB (gigabytes) of RAM memory, and an external hard drive with a 7200 RPM rating are good minimum requirements.  More RAM (8 or more GB) and a fast graphics card will help performance.

Those who have some experience editing video and are ready to work at a more advanced level should consider upgrading their video editing software.  For many, the choice comes down to two popular options, Apple Final Cut X and Adobe Premium CS 5.5.  I’ve used both of these software programs and will discuss the pros and cons of each in another post.

What made it special to me was not just the cool design,  but that it was a tool that I could relate to and that helped me imagine (and create) a creative future for myself. I’m typing this on a Mac now… I use it every day. Thanks Steve Jobs, what you did is an inspiration for all of us.

http://guides.lib.unc.edu/macintosh

http://bit.ly/qeL87e

However, for more control, and access to many more WordPress themes and plugins, you may at some point want to consider using WordPress.org.  Unlike WordPress.com, WordPress.org is not hosted by WordPress. To host the blog you need to maintain it on your own server, or find a vendor that will do WordPress hosting. Lisa Sabin-Wilson (author of the highly-regarded WordPress for Dummies book) suggests a few hosting services to consider.

From Lisa Sabin-Wilson:

Finding WordPress-Friendly Web Hosting ServicesWordPress can host your blog using the WordPress.com hosted service. However, if you’re using the self-hosted WordPress.org software, you’re going to need a quality, reliable Web host. Here are some good options to consider.

Name:    URL

Blogs About Hosting:    http://blogs-about.com

Blue Host:    http://bluehost.com/track/wphosted

A Small Orange:    http://www.asmallorange.com/hosting/

ServerBeach for managed dedicated solutions    http://serverbeach.com

Laughing Squid http://laughingsquid.net

via WordPress For Dummies Cheat Sheet – For Dummies.

Photoblogs are blogs that are made up primarily of photos. But photoblogs usually includes more than just pictures. (If pictures are the only content you want to publish, it would be easier to use an online photo hosting service like Zenfolio, Smugmug, or Flickr.)

The advantage of a photoblog is that it provides a historical or autobiographical dimension.  Text gives context to the  images. Often a photoblog resembles a journal or a documentary. Photoblogs are a good way to tell a story with your pictures.

Here are a few photoblogs I have looked at and benefited from. Some of these bloggers are quite well known; others aren’t.  Some of the blogs are oriented towards illustrating photography techniques; others are more personal explorations of art and ideas.

Rob Sheppard: http://www.natureandphotography.com/

Rob Sheppard is an excellent nature photographer and very good writer and teacher. He share images, thoughts and techniques on his blog.

Harold Davis http://www.digitalfieldguide.com/blog/

Author of several books on photographic techniques, including one that I own called Creative Night. Harold Davis is an outstanding photographer, who also works extensively in Photoshop to achieve the effects he wants to create.  In his blog posts he provides examples of images he has taken and how he created them.

Chris Orwig: http://www.chrisorwig.com/flipside/

Chris is an excellent teacher as well as a photographer. In his blog, he explores many different cameras (including film) and techniques and shares images and his thoughts about his explorations. He is an expert on Photoshop and Lightroom, and I would highly recommend his tutorials on Lynda.com

Twigs and Tracks Photography http://www.twigsandtracks.com/.

Gary Udstrand’s excellent photoblog. I came across this around the time I was researching HDR (high dynamic range) photography. Gary used Nik Software’s new HDR Efex Pro in creating the image for his post called “Grass Roots”… which interested me since I had recently acquired Nik software programs. I’ll write about my own experiences with HDR in an upcoming post, but in the meantime, I suggest you take a look at Gary’s post: http://blog.twigsandtracks.com/2011/02/20/grass-roots/.

Eric Strate Photography http://ericstratephotography.com/.

I came across Eric’s blog when I was looking for a new theme for my WordPress.com blog. I looked at “modularity lite”:
http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/modularity-lite. His blog was one of the examples. I decided Eric was on to something. I was intrigued by the way he incorporated galleries into his posts and also had a separate page for Galleries, which linked to his Smugmug site.

from National Geographic at
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/?source=NavPhoTip

Larry’s Ten Tips for Improving Your Video.