Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Guide Sep21 08

In this issue: Sync up any YouTube video with any Slideshare presentation. Finally get the chance to easily mix together the video recording of you delivering a presentation alongside the slides you were actually showing at that time. Sync it all up, publish it online or embed it anywhere you want. And this is just one of the eight new visual tools and web services that I have picked up for you here.

Photo credit: Rgbspace

If you need to edit images online without using any additional software, or need to take effective screenshots / screen grabs for demos and tutorials, I definitely have some other interesting visual communication tools for you to check out.

Here they are:

1. Instant VCASMO: Mix YouTube videos with Slideshare presentations into a single player
2. Dr. Pic: Upload and edit images with this Javascript-based editor
3. PixClip: Capture any part of your Windows machine screen
4. Image Analyzer: Edit images easily with basic editing features
5. Photie: Share all of your pictures with no size limit and search for other users' images
6. FotoSketcher: Turn any image into a hand-drawn painting with no skill
7. Selfcast: Use your webcam to create your own video streaming channel
8. Overlay.tv: Paste a video URL and add writings, images, links and more

Visual Communication Tools

1. Instant VCASMO
   
   Instant VCASMO is an online presentation creation software, that lets you mix YouTube videos with Slideshare presentations. After you paste a YouTube and a Slideshare URL, the service will automatically mix the input video with the presentation: all you need to do will be to select the slides' duration, and grab the HTML embed code for the new player that will contain both the video and the slides. Free, no registration needed.
   http://www.vcasmo.com/instant/vcasmo







2. Dr. Pic
   
   Dr. Pic is a Javascript-based online image editor that offers you some basic editing tools to modify your pictures. After you load an image, you can resize, crop rotate, add text, and even apply some basic effects to it. When done, you can export your image in different formats (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP) with different quality settings. Free to use, no registration required.
   http://www.drpic.com/








3. PixClip
   
   PixClip is a Windows only application that runs in your system tray, that you can use to take screenshots of your desktop. After you install it, you can select any region of your screen, and it'll be automatically copied to your clipboard so that you can paste it anywhere; else, you can save it to file and export it in various formats such as BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG and TIFF. Free to download and use.
   http://www.pixclip.net/








4. Image Analyzer ***DEAD
   
   Image Analyzer is a portable application for Windows machines that lets you edit your images. You can import any type of image and get access to basic editing features like resizing, red eye removal or rotating the image, brightness, contrast, gamma and saturation adjustment, and more. The software is free to download and use.
   http://meesoft.logicnet.dk/Analyzer/index5.php








5. Photie ***DEAD
   
   Photie is an image sharing service where registered users can upload and download pictures. You can upload an unlimited number of pictures, without worrying about their size, and let other users download them. You can also search for images among the other users', and download or simply embed the ones you like the most. Free to use, registration is needed.
   http://photie.com/








6. FotoSketcher
   
   FotoSketcher is a free Windows software that turns your images into hand-drawn paintings. Just open an image, select the style among pencil sketch, pen and ink drawing, choose whether you want to improve your image (enhance contrast, sharpen, simplify image, increase luminosity, color saturation etc...), click a button, and your new artwork will be ready in seconds. Free to download and use.
   http://www.fotosketcher.com/

Video Publishing Tools

1. Selfcast
   
   Selfcast is a free video streaming service that lets you create your own channel easily. With just a webcam and an Internet connection, you can create and broadcast your own live casts or schedule them for later. Every channel has its own page and a text-chat area, and a blogging space where you can post your recorded shows. Free to use, registration is needed.
   http://www.selfcast.com/








2. Overlay.tv
   
   Overlay.tv is a free video service that you can use to edit and add items to online videos. You can paste a video URL, or use the search function to find one, and start adding writings, images, links, other videos and more. After you have finished, you can save your new video, and embed it everywhere you want. Free to use.
   http://www.overlay.tv/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on September 21st 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Sep21 08"