Welcome to the CSP researcher communication tools hub.
Do you have a resource you would like us to provide or make a tutorial for?
Send John Beumer an email at beumer@umn.edu.
Image Tools
Free Image Stock Databases
Sites for free stock images that you can use anywhere.
- ACS approved for covers and TOCs
- Great for research and presentations
Image Editing Self-Service
Single Images
Intuitive self-service editor
- Free for single images
Batch Processing
If you’d like to process many photos at once all to a certain width or size – try out this free online bulk photo editor.
- For presentations – 1080px is a great width for hd quality
- Pro tip – you can always size down in quality, but blowing up a photo will reduce quality
Video and Other Creative Tools
Insert Video to PPT
- Insert a video into PowerPoint on PC (similar for Mac)
Basic Video Editing for PC and Mac
-
- PC: Microsoft Video Editor
- Mac: iMovie
Desktop Video/ Screen Capture
Check to see if your institution has free self-service video capture tools for making presentations or tutorials.
Cornell / Berkeley / Northwestern / U Chicago / UMN / USD / WashU
Crash Course: ChemDraw to 3D
- Transform your chemdraw files to 3D structures
Free Photo Editing and Vector Software
Learn advanced photo editing or create 2D high quality artwork with these free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Here is a 10 minute explanation for how you can use Inkscape and GIMP.
Vector Graphics
Inkscape (Illustrator alternative)
Photo Editor
GIMP (Photoshop alternative)
U of MN Campus Resources
UMN Video Labs
The University of Minnesota has self-service video labs for anyone with a university ID. Video labs, aka One Button Studios, come furnished and ready to use. No equipment or fees. Learn more or schedule a time here.
UMN 3D printing
Makerspaces offer a variety of great tools for making stand out art. Notable among their tools and equipment are the free 3D printers anyone with a university ID has access to. They also offer on site help and a number of introductory courses to their equipment for beginners. And the best part – PLA filament is free. Learn more here.
Stock Photo, Video, and Sound Resources
Connect with a VPN or on campus to access these free UMN resources:
GraphicStock
Royalty-free photos, vectors, illustration
Videoblocks
Video, Adobe After Effects, motion backgrounds
Audioblocks
Royalty-free production music, sound effects