Media Literacy

Online video creation and sharing software. Videos in the free version will appear with an Animoto watermark. Additional tiers not only eliminate the Animoto branding, but provide additional extras such as music tracks, templates, and professional fonts.

Canva is an online design suite that includes not only stock photos, but a photo editor and a free (# of credits based) image generator. The free version requires one to create an email login. For those logged in with an institutional email, one can connect with others within the platform and work on collaborative projects.

Free flowchart and diagram creation software.

Leonardo.ai is an image and photo generator. It has a free tier with a limited number of tokens each day (enough for maybe 3 -5 prompts). One can choose to use "Stock photo" style for the image generation. "Photos" generated in the free subscription tier are owned by Leonardo.Ai, but free for the individual entering the prompt to use. Images generated via the paid tiers belong to the individuals who created them using the prompts. To use any tier one must set up an account using a valid email.

Although there is a very limited free version of this design software, there are educator and student discounted versions with more flexility. The full suite includes an AI design and image generators, templates, and brand design tools.

Pixabay content can use used for free without attribution (though attribution is appreciated). The recommended format for attribution is: "by [Contributor] via Pixabay" (with the word Pixabay hyperlinked to the site). Items on the site cannot be used as a trademark, in ways that are deceptive, or in ways that represent the content as your own. Some content may have intellectual property interests by third parties (ie, an image of a train with the trademark of the train company emblazoned on the train).

A photo editor and AI image generator. There is a free entry level editor that is supported by ads, but the site also has tiers for other subscriber options including ad free.

A word frequency visualizer, one can past text, upload a file, or input a Web Page URL. Output graphics are licensed via Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (one must add the TagCrowd.com URL as attribution).

This online text generator provides a number of exotic fonts and word art colors. The free version requires attribution (a link to TextStudio). Note that the Chrome browser is recommended for Android, while Safari and Chrome are both recommended for Apple devices.

Enter words manually, upload a document, or paste in text to generate a word cloud.

Allows users to edit color combinations until they reach a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. It labels selected colors with HEX designations for use in projects.

Ed Charbonneau, host, an adjunct faculty member in at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, shares research and understanding of color.

Provides color schemes for map designs. The best way to orient yourself to this tool is to click the (i) information icons in the selection menu. This tool was developed by Cynthia Brewer and Mark Harrower and others of The Pennsylvania State University as part of a NSF Digital Government Program grant. It does not appear that the program is being updated at this point. One can download the 165 schemes as a Master Excel sheet, or as CSS, JSPN, JavaScript, or CartoCSS.

Generate info about nay color palette. Will indicate gradients, blend, subtraction and so forth. Enter color values to get descriptions of the color (HEX, RGB, CMYK, etc)

A deep learning color scheme generator. There are some template available, though subscriptions are required for access to the Pro version. It can also extract color palettes from uploaded images.

A free color palette generator. Can generate palettes from photos and even check contrast. The subscription version removes ads, generate pallets with more than 5 colors or via theory rules, and allows saving of unlimited palettes.

After entering a basic search, you a search for images by preferred color (standard set of 12 basic starter colors).

This color picker generates HEX, RBG and HSL values for coding. There is also a section of the site with a Web Safe Color chart for the 216 standard colors that display consistently across most major browsers.

When it comes to forecasting the go-to color of a year for fashion and furnishings, check out the Pantone color of the year. Former years are also available by click the "color of the year" link in the menu.

Free web based color palette generator. Allows visualization of color choices and the ability to test differences in device calibrations (phone, tablet, laptop).

Highlights from a Smithsonian Libraries exhibit on color.