33 Really Cool Apps with Really Cool Website Landing Pages

What could be more important than an attractive webpage when you're trying to get people to buy and/or download your company's mobile application? Just about nothing, aside from having an actually useful app (but with a good enough design, even that is negotiable).

Spyre Studios recently made a list of 33 awesome apps for iphones & ipads that exemplify great interface design.

Why is this list important? As creators of multimedia ourselves, we can look at these designs for inspiration on our own creations. These particular apps have modern and attractive yet simple designs for luring users, and that's an incredibly valuable skill to have in the multimedia design world. Often in trying to be modern and fresh, many of us put forth too much complicated content and overwhelm the consumers. These apps have it just right.

Check them out here and be inspired!

Apples vs. Apples?!

Over the years we've seen incredible advancements in technology that assist everyday average individuals in turning videos into masterpieces. By using programs such as iMovie and Final Cut Pro users are able to turn their raw video clips into cutting edge movies!

When I first started working here at SMDC I had very little knowledge of either program, iMovie and Final Cut Pro, but after taking one of our free classes on iMovie I can now say I definitely know my way around iMovie a lot more confidently! Since my knowledge of iMovie has improved it still leaves me with wondering more about about Final Cut Pro.

Here are two basic things that I use to only know:

1. Final Cut Pro is another Apple produced video editing software.
2. Final Cut Pro is a whole 'nother mess that I was afraid to try to tackle.

Now, number one and, sadly number two, are all about lack of knowledge about the software.I am hoping that this post will help you know more about the programs as well!

So are we comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges? Lets find out!

Similarities between iMovie and Final Cut Pro:

• They are both Apple products that SMDC has on all our Mac computers
• Both are video editing software
• Both have the ability to include video titles, import audio clips, and edit clip speeds
• performs transitions between clips and scenes, iMovie provides simple transitions and Final Cut Pro provides more advance features
• exports to a few other popular video formats

Differences:
iMovie

• Geared towards first-time or novice video editors that want to learn the basics of video editing and create their own home movies or videos
• Allows users to import projects directly into iMovie simply by dragging and dropping, not to be confused with dragging and drop video files! Video files still need to be uploaded directly into iMovie!
•   Ability to use themes, or templates, to create dramatic effects

Final Cut Pro

• Geared towards video professionals
• Provides advanced features and options, such as features that will make editing faster and more efficient
• Final Cut Pro also supports many third-party plug-ins that allow the software to be used with formats not usually supported by Apple

**Please note that these facts were taken from Steves-Digicams.com wonderful comparison called Final Cut Pro vs. iMovie

Overall, I would say that iMovie is the right option for everyday casual users whereas Final Cut Pro is more for users who want a more advanced hands on approach to video editing. BUT from my research, using either program is very attainable for any basic user.

If your interested in learning how to use either programs, please keep an eye out for Multimedia Workshops offered at SMDC or visit UD LearnIT Training Classes and Resources which offers VTC Online offers over 55,000 video tutorials, for UD students, staff and faculty, but you must contact IT to obtain a user name and password!

Need a Part Time Job? Apply to be a Multimedia Student Assistant!

Do you love helping people? Do you have experience making movies, creating soundtracks, or working with computers? Do you want to make money while having fun and gaining valuable experience at the same time? Then apply to be a Multimedia Student Assistant at the Student Multimedia Design Center! We're looking for proactive, tech-savvy students who would like to work in a dynamic, public service driven environment. We have quite a few positions available, so if this sounds like the job for you, what are you waiting for? Fill out the Library Student Employment Application Form (.pdf or .docx) and send it, along with your resume, to Eve Ellis at eellis@udel.edu. For more information about the position, check out the official job description.

Steadicams

The Steadicam is a thing I only just became familiar with.  And by that I mean only just learned of its existence and purpose.  It's a cool piece of equipment and can do wonders to boost creativity in a production.  Watching some of the clips above makes me jealous of the chances present in movie production and the vision of filmmakers.

Sadly, I've never worked with one, and I really want to.  Sometimes when you're perfecting the vision of your video in your mind, there's times when a Steadicam is the only thing that can get the job done and half the time, you don't even realize that that's the equipment you need.

To the best of my knowledge the library doesn't currently have one.  On the record, I'd like to suggest that we get one or two.  I don't know how complicated they are, but I'll volunteer right here to become the resident authority on them, provided we don't already accidentally have one.

How do we let users know that this is a collaborative (not really quiet) study space?

I'm looking for some creative ideas for signage to go around our area to let users know that this is not meant to be a quiet area. It would probably be a good idea to point out the quiet areas of the Library to give them options or to point out that there are laptops/iPads for loan that can be taken to a more quiet spot. What do you think?

Cagdstravaganza

April 6: CAGDStravaganza Computer Animation and Game Design, Psychology clubs host benefit event that includes an animation showcase, an indie game showcase and a League of Legends tournament, from 5-8 p.m., Saturday, April 6, in 209/211 Trabant University Center. I saw a press release this morning in UDaily announcing this event and I thought, "How cool is this?" immediately followed-up by, "I wonder if any of our student assistants are involved in the Club, animation, or the League of Legends game?" Do tell!

Latest Supreme Court decision on copyright

The latest Supreme Court decision boosts the right to resell copyrighted goods.  Publishers are non too happy with this.

The Power of Layer Masks

Hey Guys!

So, the other day I had a student ask for assistance in photoshop using layer masks and i thought i would write a post about it in case someone had a similar question. I know for me, it took a while to understand these little guys and they seemed overly complicated. HAVE NO FEAR... they aren't as bad as they seem. First off, i will just explain what a layer mask does. A layer mask deals with what part of a layer is visible by affecting the opacity of different parts of the image. you can add a layer mask by going to the "layers" menu and hitting the symbol that looks like a white circle in a grey rectangle. Using a brush or gradient tool allows you to start erasing. When you use the brush tool with color set to black, the effect is very similar to the eraser tool, however, unlike the eraser tool, the "eliminated" pixels aren't deleted but merely made invisible. Basically, adding black to a layer mask lowers the opacity of the darkened area, while adding white restores this area to full opacity. Why is this so awesome? Because it allows you to erase without forever-and-completely loosing any of your image! This is a God-send when working with complex layering or gradient overlapping. Layer masks save time when making edits and prevent accidents brought about by missing pixel-info.
I hope this helps!

>Taylor

Limit Presentation Stress

As we all know the VGA adapters for Macbooks are a very hot item. Although these little cables have made life much easier for many there has still been difficulty getting what is on your computer screen to show up on the projection screen in the classroom.

Through personal experience as well as research I've come across a couple helpful tips to tell students when they come to rent out the adapter. If you connect your mac to the projector cables and the screen is blue the first thing you should try is this:
1. Unplug the adapter from the computer
2. Close your mac
3  Replug all of the cables in and then open up the computer.

 If the screen is still blue the user should try this:
1. Turn off the computer completely.
2. Plug in the cables
3. Open the computer and restart it.
4. Go to system preferences - display - select the desired screen resolution.

It is also helpful to let the student know that the projector needs to be fully on before they try plugging in the cables. Knowing to keep the computer screen closed before plugging in the cables seems to work 99% of the time. I have been extending this knowledge every time a student comes to rent out a VGA adapter and have had some very thankful people!

T2i Audio: A Cautionary Tale

Yesterday I checked out the Canon T2i and a Rode Shotgun Mic kit. I intended to mount the mic onto the shoe adapter of the T2i to capture better audio in a video of me playing piano. But when I set up the camera and tested the audio, I heard loud hissing, and every note I played on the piano was distorted. I unplugged the Rode mic and tested the in-camera monaural mic. Unfortunately, I didn't yield much better results. This issue stems from two issues; The Canon T2i has an Automatic Gain Control that cannot be attenuated, and the Rode VideoMic has a stereo output even though it is an monaural microphone. Workarounds include a Y splitter jack and recording audio externally, but students have several options with Student Multimedia Design Center equipment. The Canon T4i and our handheld camcorders have stereo inputs that allow you to adjust the level of an external microphone. So when someone needs to shoot video with audio, it's probably best to leave the T2i out of the equation.

Computer crash?

Here is a link for 7 Backup Strategies for Your Data, Multimedia, and System Files.  Good information in case you have a system failure.

This article discusses Backing up your entire drive: Cloning vs imaging.

Youtube Videos for Powerpoints

Today at the SMDC, a student was asking how to correctly embed a YouTube video into her PowerPoint presentation. Levi, Charlie and I were all having difficulty doing so due to an error that wouldn't allow embedded videos to be inserted into PowerPoint by simply copying and pasting the "embedded version" you can do directly on YouTube under "share." Even though it is a little more difficult, it seems the best option is to download a converted version of the video and then insert it as a file. There are many websites and programs you can use to do this, and the SMDC suggests Vixy: Online Video Conversion which can be found as a link on the blog on the left side. You'll want to choose "converter" then copy and paste the address of the YouTube video and hit download. You'll be given an option of which format you'd like the file in and I would suggest AVI as that worked seamlessly for the student. MP4 was giving me some trouble. After it is downloaded, go to PowerPoint and then Insert>Video>Video from file>Downloads choose your file and hit "insert." The video should be correctly embedded and playable in the slide. A few students have been wondering about this process, so I felt it helpful to share this information. Also, remember that unless this use is fair and meets copyright law, then this process can be deemed illegal, so let students know that they should be doing this for educational purposes and not for profit.

Kinetic Typography

What is kinetic typography exactly? You may have seen it before but never knew it had an actual name, I know I sure didn't. Kinetic typography though is exactly what it sounds like, moving text. You may have seen them in television ads, or maybe even music videos where they use lyrics that are animated throughout the whole video? Well those music videos always fascinated me and I wondered, "How the @$#% (we are a family friendly blog and do not condone swearing) do you make those?"

So I did what any normal person would do... I googled it! Hundreds maybe even thousands of tutorials were available! So I started watching them, learning what programs I would need to try this out and start learning. It turns out that you can do all of this in Adobe After-Effects. I personally have never used that program before but I am a fan of Adobe products such as Photoshop.

I've seen some pretty amazing lyric videos and decided to start working on my own. It was very time consuming and I only got through about 20 seconds of the actual song! I have a feeling though it's only because I am a beginner, I'm sure someone who is more skilled could get a lot more done that I did. However, I was really fascinated by what I had created. Using a plug-in I found called "Sure-Target" I could change the inertia of the camera, what words were focused on at certain times, having the words appear at the time I wanted, and even giving the camera a wobble effect to make it more interesting. The camera started moving around to the different words of the song in sync with the music.

This can be used for so much more than music videos, such as ads, presentations, and whatever else you may think of! The SMDC offers the use of Adobe After-Effects on all of it's computers down in the basement. So come on down, rent out a hard drive, and try it out!

Doing more with the Blu-Ray Burner

I wanted the give a heads up to everyone that the Blu-Ray Burner kit can be used for more than just burning Blu-Rays. The burner can read a good amount of disk media prior to Blu-Ray as well, this includes DVD, DVD DL, CDROM, and Mini CDs. The burner is an "in library use" item so using it with one of our in-house PCs will only really be a benefit if using it to burn Blu-Rays. This kit does have a few advantages when using it with laptops (especially Macbooks) and iMacs.

Mac computers have an issue loading Mini CD's as the computer has an autofeed device instead of a tray, which causes the Mini CDs to jam (as has happened before to one of our iMacs in Room B). Using the burner, which has an indentation in the middle of the tray for Mini CDs, will circumvent this problem.

Laptops and iMacs also do not have a second optical disk drive so the Blu-Ray burner can make copying CDs/DVD faster and easier.

The burner can also be of use to people with a Macbook Air or a laptop that has a malfunctioning disk drive. A few weeks ago a student wanted to load a DVD version of some version of OSX onto a Macbook, but the disk driver would not work. We were able to suggest the Blu-Ray burner as an option.

Take notice

Take notice - Barcodes that were located on the plug for the laptop chargers have been relocated to the side of the charger.

CC Search - for when you want to use images

"Find content you can use, share, and remix" advises this site.  Listed as a image and video resource in the student resource tab of the Multimedia Literacy guide, the Creative Commons Search page points users to thirteen sites which can be searched for Creative Commons (CC) materials.

While one cannot assume than any retrievals are under Creative Commons license, being able to choose Flickr or Google Images and search for CC materials is a great time saver.  For those who need to find CC materials often, it's easy to add their search to one's browser. 

Missing the (Brand)mark...

If you've never checked out Brand New, a blog produced by graphic design enterprise UnderConsideration, you're missing some excellent analysis on the great lengths companies and organization go to in designing, maintaining, or transforming their brand identities. This recent post about the massive brand overhaul for South Australia evaluates what has become a multimedia behemoth and social media flashpoint. It seems that the backers of the project are almost fanatically enthusiastic about the promise of the new brand, while self-proclaimed pundits on social media--and respected blogs like Brand New--are posing withering critiques.

As we think about the ways even the University of Delaware has rapidly solidified its visual identity in recent years (consider the reimplementation of the seal, the codified and consistent use of Myriad Web Pro, the more regulated usage of specific types of blue, etc...), does it tell us something about how high consumer expectations are for a company's or organization's design savvy? Are they unrealistic? Are we just too darn critical?

I agree that some adjustments could be made to South Australia's brandmark and its usage, but I don't think this is a dead-on-arrival brand overhaul. What do you think?

Review article on "The People's Report"

The Review published an article this week about "The People's Report" documentary which was filemed using our equipment (see Shelly's post March 1). The article doesn't mention us but thought I'd post it, some of you will recognize Prof. Payne from the photo.

A New Tablet to Revolutionize the Classroom

Amplify, the education division at News Corp., revealed its new education tablet today. The tablet, starting at $299, comes preloaded with virtually everything a student in a K-12 classroom would need during a typical school day. This includes all of the textbooks, lessons, tests, and e-books that may be assigned by their teacher.

In regards to teachers, the Amplify tablet will provide them with the ability to both monitor and control what students do through the teacher dashboard. The teachers are able to take instant polls, ask kids to "raise their hands" virtually, and refocus the entire class with an "Eyes on Teacher" button that instantly sends the message out to every connected tablet's screen.

Educational technology, specifically tablets such as Amplify's, holds the possibility of making schools more efficient, friendly, and a personalized place for kids!

Redefining the Term "Smart" Phone

The new Samsung Galaxy S IV launch starts March 14^th in New York City at Radio City Music Hall (to be honest, I wasn’t even aware that there were 3 models before it) amid much speculation and excited gossip over the new features that Samsung will be releasing. The S IV will come equipped with a 13 megapixel camera, 4128x3096 pixel resolution on a 5-inch screen, a 1.8GHz processor, 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and the latest version of Samsung’s Android OS: Jelly Bean. As impressive as these features are, we’ve seen many similar products come out within the past couple years. I wish that I could name all of the smartphones that have come out in the past few years; THE NEW SUPER UNIVERSAL MOTOROLA CXRDM4-5783432 WITH EVEN MORE TIME-WASTING FUNCTIONS. You get the picture.

However, the Galaxy S IV contains some never-before-seen (at least to my knowledge) features that, if they work, will significantly raise the standard for smartphones nowadays. Their main pitch is that this device will be as hands-free as possible, which seems as if they are looking to fall just short of making a phone that can read your mind and do what you think. In actuality, the leaked screenshots of the S IV showcase two key features: Smart Scroll and Smart Pause. Smart Scroll will scroll automatically through screens as your eyes near the bottom of the screen. Smart Pause, on the other hand, pauses any multimedia playing on the device when you turn your head away. Also, if the device detects that you are looking at the screen, it will automatically disable the screen timeout setting. So basically, Samsung is watching your pretty face ALL THE TIME. Yeah. Creepy.

This seems like a cool new feature to me, but I’m definitely going to have to question the smartphone’s recognition programming, because it really sounds too good to be true. So I’d probably wait a month or two before buying one, because you’ll either: A. See great reviews online which support your decision to buy this new alien spaceship, or B. See reviews online with people screaming (digitally aka Caps Lock) in anger over the fact that these new features don’t work. People tend to base their opinions of smartphones on the new features that are showcased, and if Samsung can’t live up to the hype, then I say DOWN WITH SAMSUNG.

Seriously though, go buy one and wave it in front of my face to make me jealous, because I really need a new phone.

DENIN Student Video Contest

As reported in UDaily, the Student Programs Committee of the Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) at the University of Delaware announced its first environmental video competition to raise awareness of environmental issues. The theme for the video competition is “Challenges and Choices: Preparing for a Sustainable Future in Delaware.”
 
To compete, individuals or groups of students should submit a funny, creative or serious video between two and five minutes long reflecting the theme of the contest by April 3.  Apart from recognition, the contest offers a $500 first prize and $250 for the runner up.  See the UDaily article for more details.

For students interested in video making and environmental issues, this could be a great opportunity for portfolio-building!

Thinking Of Buying A New Smart Phone?

If you're like me you have been waiting for the perfect phone to be released before ditching the one you have become so familiar with. As CNET's Marguerite Reardon states, "Waiting is never easy. And in the fast-paced smartphone market, it feels like you can wait forever before buying a new phone, because there's always a better one around the corner." To read Reardon's advice on whether to pounce on the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, which is to be released in the very new future, or to wait a little longer to see what else the market puts out, click here.

The demise of the public library.

The QR code and Project Gutenberg may lead to the demise of public libraries.  Read more about the Austrian city that hosts the Festival of German-Language Literature without a public library.

Bing Maps

If you like Google Maps, try Bing Maps.  Wow, the satellite images are so much clearer, and I believe that the detail is more enhanced.  Check them out if you have the opportunity.

Leap Motion Controller

Have you ever wanted to control a computer like Tony Stark from Iron Man without the use of a mouse?

Shipping out on May 13 the Leap motion controller allows you to do just that! Using your hands, fingers, or pencils you can control your computer just as a mouse would from simple clicking to drawing. You can play fruit ninja or do 3D designs with the Leap motion controller sensor, it  reads a variety of precise motion. I think this technology is really cool especially after seeing all those scifi  and that it could be a new item at Student Media Design Center.

Check out the link below to see the Leap Motion controller in action!


https://www.leapmotion.com/

Cloud Storage...which one should you use?

Recently I was looking into a position as a campus rep for Microsoft SkyDrive, which got me curious about what SkyDrive actually is.  SkyDrive is Microsoft's venture into cloud storage, similar to iCloud or Dropbox.  I proceeded to download the application onto my computer and my iPhone to test it out.  I am always moving photos from my computer to my iPhone (usually because I want to put them into Instagram) and I usually just email them to myself and then open the email on my phone.  I have to say that (although it's not much of a surprise since emailing them is obviously probably not the quickest way of doing this) I was really happy with how quickly my photos synced to my iPhone when using Microsoft SkyDrive.

It seemed kind of silly that I was using a Microsoft application on my Apple phone, when Apple has it's own version that is supposed to do the same thing, and so I got kind of curious about the differences between SkyDrive and the other top cloud applications and found an informative article comparing it to iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

It seemed to me like the real pro about using SkyDrive is that it came with 7GB of free space, while iCloud and Google Drive only give 5GB free and Dropbox offers only a measly 2GB.  The yearly cost for 100GB was also cheaper for SkyDrive than for the other three.  I found SkyDrive to be extremely easy to use, but I will probably try out iCloud soon and see if it works better, since I am working on an Apple phone.

Check out the article here if you'd like to see which cloud application best suits you, or just to see the comparisons in more detail:
Cloud Storage Comparison Review

Intel TV?

Many people are familiar with the company Intel, as they have been making computer chips now for multiple generations of computers. Now that they are losing money in the computer chip industry, they are trying their brand in a new market, television.
When I first heard of this it brought up a few questions. One was how much is this going to cost and in what medium do they plan to use this in? It seems a few of those questions have been answered. Intel plans to launch what they are calling "internet tv", where customers can stream live and on-demand programs straight to their internet television or computer. This sounds like a plausible idea, but is it worth it? A company called Slingbox already has a product on the market that allows you to watch a live tv stream from your computer. Then with Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV that allow you to what thousands of movies and shows with the click of a button it almost seems pointless. Other rumors are that this cost of this service will not come cheap. No official price has been announced, but you will have to purchase the Intel box as well as a subscription to use the service.
The service is set to release later this year. Intel promises that it will be Netflix and Direct TV in one package. That is a very high bar they are setting for themselves in a market which they have never entered. This is a big obstacle for Intel, but if successful, could easily reverse the drought ity has been experiencing. Would you go for Intel TV? Or would you rather them stick to making your computer work?

Last night I attended the showing for the documentary called "The People's Report." The faculty member, Yasser Payne and his group of 15 students took to the streets of Wilmington to survey and interview residents about the violence in their neighborhood. They used the equipment from the Student Multimedia Design Center for the documentary, and although they incorrectly credited our name as "Multimedia & Design Center", we were thanked none-the-less. The documentary was well-done and another one of our regulars James Church gave a spoken word performance during the program. Look for "The People's Report" website to be released in April as a link to the documentary will be on the site. I love hearing about and then seeing the final product of student/faculty projects when they were created in or from the equipment loaned from the Student Multimedia Design Center. If you have other great examples, please post!