- University of Washington Libraries
- Library Guides
- Tacoma
- Digital Storytelling
- Finding Audio, Video & Images
Digital Storytelling: Finding Audio, Video & Images
Adding Media to Your Story
This page identifies a number of sources that can help you find media that can be reused for creative purposes. This Creative Commons Search enables searching for images with CC license in Flickr, YouTube, and a number of ther sources.
Images
Images are the lifeblood of a digital story. However, much like music, you need to be sure you own the images, the images are in the public domain, and that you are properly attributing the artist. Below are some resources for images that are free from copyright.
- RijksmuseumA Dutch museum which provides many images of art which are in the public domain.
- Google ImagesAfter searching for an image using the Google Image Search, you can click on the "Tools" button below the search box to limit your results to those photos that are licensed for reuse.
- FlickrAfter completing a search, in the upper left hand corner there is a drop down menu that allows you to filter your results by license type. Each photo should also have a link describing what sort of reuse rights are available with that photo, and how each photo should be attributed.
- Wikimedia CommonsA collection of media files to which anyone can contribute
- MorguefileA good source for photo images for creative work. Details on how to use and attribute the photos can be found on each image.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaAn online space compiling the digital resources of many of the nation's public libraries. Each image has a section on that image's rights, which will let you know if it is available for reuse or not.
Music + Sound
Music can add mood and feeling to your digital story, but it is important to make sure you own the rights to that music, you properly attribute the music, or that the music is royalty free/in the public domain. Below are some options for free music clips, and for a free music editor.
- FreeMusicArchive (FMA)FreeMusicArchive, or FMA, is a great place to find an audio track. You can browse by Genre to find a type of recording that best suits your needs.
- dig.ccMixterdig.ccMixter has many samples to choose from. You can search by tag, genre, or instrument.
- ccHoundccHound is a curated music library full of songs with free or Creative Commons licensed music for content creators.
- Audio ArchiveThousands of free digital recordings.
- Wikimedia Sound CommonsA collection of music from Wikipedia and Wikipedia Commons.
- Library of Congress-American Memory CollectionsRecordings from across the nations, curated by the Library of Congress.
Video
Perhaps a little stock footage would help to move your story along. Below are resources for free video clips. Always be sure to double check that you have the rights to use the video in the way you want to!
- Creative Commons-YouTubeCreative Commons-licensed videos on YouTube.
- Video ArchiveDigital movies from the Internet Archive, many of them in the Public Domain.
- Bottled VideoFree stock footage.
- National Park Service B-rollPublic domain videos from our public lands.