subscription

Introduction to AudioBlocks

AudioBlocks.com is a great resource that TLC Creative Services uses often we’re looking for sound to put in a presentation. Audioblocks is a sister company/service to Videoblocks which we reviewed in the previous post.

audioblocks-1

 

AudioBlocks is a subscription service (i.e. Annual fee) and you get unlimited downloads. The entire audio library is royalty-free so you can legally download and use sounds in both commercial and personal projects, without having to pay any additional fees. The library has over 100,000 sound effects, loops and music and adds new clips continuously.

Clips are available in MP3 and WAV file formats.

audioblocks-3

A really good option is that the Search feature can be filtered by keyword or style. Searches can be filtered by music, SFX or loops. My favorite search option is by duration to further focus the results.  Additional search filters are by Music category, genre, mood, and even instruments. Daetona did a sample search for polka music and found 21 results (that’s a lot of Polka!). The duration of clips ranged from 00:11 seconds to 03:23, and if I needed just a short clip, the duration filter would even further focus the results.

audioblocks-2

TLC Creative has been using AudioBlocks’ online subscription since it launched a few years ago. We were even a customer of their CD-ROM collections before that. The lowest price I have found for an annual subscription is currently $99/year. A less valuable monthly subscription is also available for $79.

 

-Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-10T08:34:44-07:00March 9th, 2016|Resource/Misc|

Introduction to VideoBlocks

Presentations often feature videos. But where can designers get quality videos? VideoBlocks.com is a subscription-based site with unlimited downloads from a library of professional stock video footage. TLC Creative Services has used VideoBlocks for several years, going back to purchasing DVDs from their pre-online business.

VideoBlocks Photo 1

VideoBlocks has an in-depth library with over 115,000 studio-quality videos, motion backgrounds and after effects clips. Additional videos are added every month. VideoBlocks members have two download options – videos included in the subscription (great value) or videos from an a la carte Global Marketplace where professional videos are uploaded and sold individually (average $49 per video).

In addition to variety (more on that in a moment), quality and value, one thing that distinguishes VideoBlocks from their competitors is their royalty free permissions on all videos (at least those in the subscription library). Videos are pretty much permitted to be used for any project, with any level of distribution and they include global usage rights. Other VideoBlocks customers include big companies like ABC, MTV, and even National Geographic, so we are in good company!

For variety, my sample search for puppies gave me over 27K results! That broke down to 65 videos in the free Unlimited Library and 27,000 in the a la carte Marketplace. Sixty-five puppy videos is a good result AND I found the perfect one for my presentation.

VideoBlocks Photo 2

The search can be filtered only to show videos included in the subscription library or to include those available in the Global Marketplace. It can also be filtered by category or resolution (more on this in a moment). In addition, VideoBlocks has 15 preset categories that range from Business and Professions to Holidays and Celebrations. All in all, the TLC Creative Design Team has little trouble using the search options to find a video clip suitable for their presentations.

MP4 and MOV file formats are available for all video clips. Resolution sizes vary from SD 480p to full HD 1080p but almost all videos are 1080p. You can also look under the “Red Camera” category for a good selection of 4K resolution videos.

 

VideoBlocks Photo 3

After a quick search on the site, I found that a one-year subscription is currently $149. The subscription price is a huge value and something TLC Creative has renewed annually for several years so we always have a video resource for our projects. They also have specials a few times per year that drop the price to $99. And you will be locked in at that special rate for renewals. I asked and received a referral link that will get anyone a $50 discount. Click here to bring the current price down to $99 a year!

 

-Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-10T08:35:12-07:00March 7th, 2016|Resource/Misc|

Office Insider for Office 365

Get early updates to Office 365 as an Office Insider

Office Insider is an early release program, sort of equivalent to a Beta Release. For Office 365 subscribers, it’s called “Office Insider” and for Business subscriptions, it’s called “First Release.”

Both programs get new features automatically added to Office programs such as: PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Skype, Excel.

The Office Insider program is free and easy to add to your subscription. The Office Insider program includes: PowerPoint for Windows Desktop, Mac, Android, and Mobile.

EarlyRelease2

Here’s how to be an Office Insider

This example is based on Office 365 Business, which is the version we use at TLC. Your subscription might be different so take a look at the version of Office 365 you have.

1. Log into your Office 365 account to access the Admin Center (Note: The Admin option is only available to those with admin permissions). This Account Admin is not the same as the individual Admin inside PowerPoint or any Office app.

There’s different logins for different Subscriptions. Click this link for more information: Office 365 Login

2. Go to the Account Admin > SERVICE SETTINGS > UPDATES > NEW FEATURES AND UPDATES > EARLY RELEASE and select the option you want.

Office Insider for Office 365 1

Office 365 Updates and who gets them

First, Office 365 Home, Personal, or University subscribers get the updates. Next, Office 365 Business subscribers, that do not have Admin restrictions, receive early release features. And finally, approximately 3-5 weeks later, the new features will install to all O365 subscribers.

Here is a page with details for Office 365 Early Release Options.

Here is a page that details each of the Office 365 Subscription Options .

 

-Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-10T08:37:20-07:00February 24th, 2016|Resource/Misc|

Office 2016 Subscription or Not?

office 2016

Microsoft has released Office 2016, but saying “PowerPoint 2016” can mean several things…

I am sure the goal for Microsoft is to make things simple, so using one name for all platforms made sense – on paper.

Here are a few of the variations:

  • Office 2016 Windows Desktop
  • Office 2016 Mac
  • Office 2016 subscription (Office 365)
  • Office 2016 perpetual license (purchased)

Which are you using? Which is best? How do we let someone helping with troubleshooting know what variation is being used? All important because every variation has slightly different features, limitations, bugs, etc.

The biggest decision is Subscription or Perpetual License (I make this assumption, because if you use a Windows computer you are going to get the Windows version, and if you use a Mac you are going to get the Mac version – I am not saying which platform is best). There are some disadvantages to each option. But there is one advantage to the subscription option that makes it, for me, the better option.

Office365 Logo

Microsoft and Adobe (Creative Cloud) are now offering feature improvements and additions to only their subscription versions. So, if you purchase Office 2016, that is the feature set you will have. Microsoft will continue to update it with security and compatibility items, but new or improved features are not going to show up in a perpetual license version. Very quickly PowerPoint 2016 perpetual and PowerPoint 2016 subscription are going to be very different applications. And I can confidently say, the PowerPoint development team has more exciting features cued up for the next year than we have seen in the past (big number) years.

The next post demo’s one of the new subscription only features!

-Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-10T08:42:16-07:00February 1st, 2016|PowerPoint|

Microsoft Office as Disc or Subscription

Microsoft released Office 365 roughly a year ago. TLC Creative Services has been using it since it released, primarily for the web-based Outlook Exchange and SharePoint.

Office 365 has different plan levels. All plans include Email (Exchange Online – with 25GB mail boxes), SharePoint and Lync. “Higher” level plans include a subscription to Microsoft Office. And interestingly, not all plans include Microsoft’s free Web Apps, which are online versions of PowerPoint, Word and Excel (it is a collection of free apps, so I cannot see a reason they are not offered with all plans…). Microsoft has recently integrated Skype calling minutes into Office365 subscriptions, and promise more web services in the future.

The advantage of using the subscription service over the disc/serial number is that you will always be using the latest version. Offers the Office 2010 programs. It also includes online storage, sharing and syncing to web-based “cloud” access. The cloud services make it easy to save and access all of your documents from any device. And Office is available on multiple devices and platforms: PCs and Macs, phones-tablets-computers.

So, which Microsoft Office install option is better for you – subscription or disc? If you have a lot of users to manage, the subscription plans make it much easier from an IT perspective to assure everyone has a working version of Office. If you have an MSDN account, keep the same install for multiple years, or very few computers to manage, purchasing a serial number/disc may be the better option.

But with either option, I definitely recommend Office 365 for its Outlook, SharePoint and Lync options.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T08:49:44-07:00January 14th, 2013|Resource/Misc|

Adobe – Which is Better, Subscription or Disc?

The Adobe Creative Suite is the industry standard for design applications: PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, etc. Adobe now provides two purchases options, and determining which is best is based on your needs.

Option 1: Purchase Disc
– The traditional purchase is a serial number, either software download or install disc. This provides a fixed set of applications (depending on which suite is selected). It is OS specific (Windows or Mac) and can be installed on multipled computers (generally two).

TLC Creative has historically purchased the Design Premium suite for its design and show computers. This suite includes:
• Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Acrobat Pro, Bridge, Media Encoder

Option 2: Subscription
Recently, Adobe has starting offering a new subscription option, called Adobe Creative Cloud. It is based on CS6, the newest version of all Adobe apps. It also has the advantage of being turned on and off. So if you need Adobe software for a short time, it can be paid for in monthly increments. It also has the advantage of getting additional tool features added with the automatic web-based updates (so the subscription install of Adobe CS6 Illustrator has a number of additional tools that the disc install does not).

The subscription option is like purchasing the most robust (ie. costly) creative suite, the Master Collectoin. When looking at the year long subscription rate, the subscription is considerably lower cost than purchasing the Master Collection. But not that far from purchasing one of the other CS options. Currently, the Creative Suite includes:
• Photoshop Extended
• Illustrator
• InDesign
• Dreamweaver
• Flash
• Fireworks
• Acrobat X Pro
• Acrobat XI Pro (Not included in any CS)
• Bridge
• Media Encoder
• Lightroom (Not included in any CS)
• Adobe Muse (Not included in any CS)
• Flash Builder
• Edge Tools & Services (Not included in any CS)
• Premiere Pro
• After Effects
• Audition
• SpeedGrade
• Prelude
• Encore

It also includes these services: (Not included with any CS)
• Device and PC Sync
• Cloud Storage
• Business Catalyst
• PhoneGap Build
• TypeKit
• Story Plus
• Digital Publishing Suite

For TLC Creative Services, a major advantage of the disc install version is our show computers can inherit the previous version. So all show computers are very capable computers, just not loaded with the “cutting edge” edition. With the subscription, there is no “old” software available for use on other computers. The subscription is more economical over the course of the year than a direct purchase and allows us to have access to many applications that have not been a part of our standard design process. So for us, it is a combination of Disc and Subscription.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T08:50:14-07:00January 9th, 2013|Resource/Misc|

Adobe CS6 – Disc or Subscription?

TLC Creative Services is a long time user of Adobe apps – all the way back to Photoshop 2 (not CS2, just “2”). For the last few CS (Creative Suite) versions, we have purchased the Design Premium suite, which includes:
– Photoshop Extended
– Illustrator
– InDesign
– Acrobat
– Flash Professional
– Dreamweaver
– Fireworks
– Bridge
– Media Encoder

With CS6, the staff designers have the Design Premium Suite and we are testing Adobe’s new subscription option of CS 6 this year. The subscription plan is a monthly fee vs. the big upfront cost. Adobe is also adding features to applications that are available only to subscription users. The CS6 Subscription is like getting the CS Master Suite and includes:
– Photoshop Extended
– Illustrator
– InDesign
– Dreamweaver
– Flash Professional
– Adobe Premiere Pro
– After Effects
– Audition
– SpeedGrade
– Muse

It would seem the subscription is the way to go. It costs a lot less at the end of the year vs. the disc install. But a major advantage of disc version is still owning the previous version when you upgrade. The TLC show computers inherit the previous version, so they have a full software suite for all design needs.

Every situation is different, but the disc install is going to remain a part of our use for several years because we have an ongoing use for the “old” Adobe software.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T09:07:33-07:00September 21st, 2012|Resource/Misc|

Photos.com (and Clipart.com)

Photos.com is venerable, being one of the few companies around before the internet. I have a collection of (costly) Photo CDs from them. And if you every purchased one of the bright boxes full of “4 Million Images of CD/DVD” you know photos.com. Of course, that long history means some of the images are a bit dated, or perhaps seen in many other layouts over the years.

But the images are good quality, the search is nice and the thumbnails easy to review and use. The subscription rates are some of the best, so another reason you see the images a lot. You can also get some things here not available at others: a sound effects library, custom fonts and Flash animations.

Raster/Photo images: Yes
Vector images: Yes
Video: Yes
Audio: Yes
Pay Per Image: Yes – approx. $5 for standard PPT use (‘multimedia’, 500-800px)
Subscription Download: Yes (eg. 1 year unlimited of photo images only = $450 OR photos+vector+Flash+audio+fonts = $1,200)

Test Search Results:
1. “Fast Car” = 4,670 results
2. “Medical Consultation” = 7,348 results

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:36:55-07:00September 30th, 2009|Resource/Misc|

Getty Images – Real People, Royalty Free

Getty Images is an industry force, owning many of the other services, used by major media (newspaper, magazine, TV) and the place to get images of real (famous) people, real-life video and audio. This is the benchmark for professional quality images and breadth of search options. It does come at a price, but you definitely get what is paid for. Everyone should click the “Search Tips” button and read how to maximize search results (same tips apply to virtually all sites).

Raster/Photo images: Yes
Vector images: Yes
Video: Yes
Audio: Yes
Pay Per Image: Yes – approx. $35-150 ($35 = “web & Multimedia” 413px)
Subscription Download: Yes (this goes to photos.com – one of the many they own)

Test Search Results:
1. “Fast Car” = 5,301 results
2. “Medical Consultation” = 11,616 results

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:37:23-07:00September 28th, 2009|Resource/Misc|

Dreamstime Images

Dreamstime has been around for a while, but I do not hear a lot of people talking about it. One reason may be their Royalty Free license has more options than most and the image price can vary quite a bit based on the options (which seem confusing and easier to find images elsewhere without the confusion). But the images are great, with lots of unique photography for topics not found on other sites.

Raster/Photo images: Yes
Vector images: Yes
Video: No
Audio: No
Pay Per Image: Yes – approx. $3 for standard PPT use (small, 800px, level 2 RF)
Subscription Download: Yes (eg. 25 images per day for 6 months = $1,250)

Test Search Results:
1. “Fast Car” = 12,918 results
2. “Medical Consultation” = 1,150 results

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:37:50-07:00September 27th, 2009|Resource/Misc|
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