Something I hear all the time when talking to people just getting started out in online or offline marketing is that they can't do X, Y or Z because they don't have suitable software.
They either can't make simple changes to graphics or .psd files because they don't have Photoshop, or they can't even consider creating videos because they don't have any video editing software on their computer.
The fact is, it's easier than ever nowadays to complete basic tasks (and even some pretty advanced tasks) with the use of the latest cloud-based computing software. Cloud of course is referring to the idea that the software that you're using is not based on your computer, but instead stored 'in the cloud', or basically on another computer somewhere else in the world. All you're doing is using the software.
The cons of cloud-based computing? You're going to need to upload everything you want to use. This isn't so bad for images or even audio, but video can make this tricky depending on your internet connection. When I've used online video editing software, I've tried to keep the size of my uploads to less than 200Mb, and find that I can usually start an upload and have it ready to go in about 30 mins. I have a couple of computers that I use for work anyway, so I usually just upload on one and carry on working on another.
It also means that in some cases, the software isn't as feature packed as you might like, and certainly not as feature-rich as the versions you buy and install on your computer, but when you consider that most of these cloud-based services are free, and don't require an install, it's a small sacrifice.
The pros of cloud-based computing are the ease of access, as they're almost always free and don't require an install on your computer. The most they're going to require is that you register for the service. It's also running off of someone else's computer, so provided you've got a decent internet connection and at least a reasonably powerful laptop or computer, you will be able to run the various programmes with no problems at all.
So without further ado, here's my 'toolkit' of cloud based computing services that I often dip into.
Documents:
For nothing more than your email address in return (you're going to need a Google account to access Google Docs) you get access to the full suite of document editing software, including a Word Processor, a Spreadsheet tool, a PowerPoint-esque presentation tool as well as a Drawing package for making illustrations. Google also tend to add new software to the suite whenever something becomes relevant, and although the programmes haven't seen any kind of drastic change over the years, they do get updated whenever Google see fit.
Clearly taking inspiration from the big players in the industry, the software is very similar to the software that you already know and use, with the main difference being the fact that you don't have to save (the software auto-saves for you) and the fact that some of the things you're used to being spoilt for choice over (fonts in a Word Processor for example) are a bit lacking here.
But for something that's free, you really can't knock it. You can access and edit the documents from any web based computer including Chromebooks, tablets and even smartphones, so the idea of rocking up at a cafe, connecting to the Wi Fi and getting a lot of really productive work done is a real reality.
You can export to all of the expected formats including straight to PDF, which is a nice feature that most software have these days but it's always nice to see. Definitely worth the small investment of signing up for a Google Docs account.
Photo Editing:
The software supports .psd files, which is almost a great selling point by itself, as it allows you to open and edit images that have previously been edited or saved in the Photoshop format. Got a website template sat on your computer with .psd files you can't do anything with? If you open them in Pixlr you can, and can edit them, tweak them and export them out to your heart's content.
Pixlr also works with layers, and has a whole host of some of the more advanced image-editing functions you would associate with Photoshop or Gimp. It takes a bit of learning, and I'd actually advise you to check out some of the tutorials featured online and on YouTube to get you up to speed with the software, but for the kind of basic image manipulation you're going to need to do for your online or offline marketing business, Pixlr gives you just about everything you need!
Video Editing:
Except they have - Click here.
For whatever reason, you can still access and use the video editing demo if you go straight to the link. OK so it may not have quite as many of the advanced features as the full (and I've no doubt, soon to be expensive) version, but it offers more than enough to get you going. Use a free screen capture tool such as Cam Studio and you're good to go.
The most painful part of JayCut is actually uploading the files to the server in the first place, especially if you're not lucky enough to have a lightning fast Internet connection. But once uploaded, it's a simple case of drag and drop to shift your various video files around, sync them up with audio, clip out the bits you don't like, add text over the top and create really slick transitions. Once finished, you can export the videos to various different formats depending on what you plan on doing with them, and it really is the cheapest and possibly easiest method for creating super-slick videos.
This is a great tool for people who want a quick and simple way to edit audio on the fly. This was originally designed for people who want to do some pretty advanced editing, specifically musical editing, so for the kind of work that you or I would need to do, this is more than enough. You can combine multiple tracks, trim up your audio and even add effects. You'll need to create an account before you export anything, but the last time I checked it was free to do so.
These are by no means the best or the only options out there, they're just the ones that I use quite often to make life easier. I've bought the more expensive software before in the past, and through computer upgrades/failures etc, I've actually found myself buying and download software less and less, relying more on these great little cloud based services instead. They're convenient, they're free (and I really don't mind registering or looking at some ads to keep them free) and for the kind of work that I need to do, they get the job done.
Give cloud-based computing a try!
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