RU using screenblast.com?

djcc wrote on 11/5/2003, 8:57 AM

Anyone subscribing to screenblast.com? Is it worthwhile? I have no interest in online photo storage, ecards, albums, etc.... some of their clips and such might be nice. I know there is a free trial offer, but I have not tried it just yet as I am still breaking the ice on MS. Any input on the site would be appreciated.

Also, are there any other sites that have public doman images & video that could be used to spruce up MS projects? I'm only using MS for family stuff, but it would be nice to get some clip art - stills and video - for working on these projects, especially with my kids.

Thanks in advance.

=Don=

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 11/5/2003, 9:57 AM

There is some okay stock footage -- planes flying, cityscapes, explosions, etc. -- on the site and, if you wanted to do something silly with your home videos, they might be useful. I can't justify the $50 cost though (especially when they keep threatening to raise the subscription cost).

Meantime, as I'm sure you've discovered, they do offer a dozen or so clips for free. (There is also a package of short clips on the Movie Studio 3.0 installation disk.) Again, fun to play with -- but I can't imagine seriously using a stock clip of the White House or the a flyover of the Grand Canyon in any of my productions. Might be fun for your kids, though. Using the chromakey feature, you can superimpose them into some sequences.

So I guess it's up to you if it's worth it.

On the whole, I'd say the overall opinion on this board is that the whole screenblast.com site is a bit silly, especially considering how sophisticated the program is.

djcc wrote on 11/5/2003, 10:20 PM

Thanks - the screenblast site would be a nice addition to MS if it was included at no cost... kinda increases the value of the software. However, as a pay service, it serves no purpose to me at all. Originally, I was able to download a few tidbits to evaluate - now it seems all the freebie stuff is history - seems like everything requires a login.

Anyway, too bad - Sony could have further differentiated itself with a public domain site that enhanced the product. Instead, they are sitting on a dead horse IMHO.

So, are there any other sites that offer public domain stills and video for inclusion in hobby projects?

=Don=

Steve Grisetti wrote on 11/6/2003, 9:04 AM

Stills are obviously easier to find than video clips.

Here are a couple of good public domain or free sites:

This one has some great news photos of American history
http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/

And this is a great site for free or cheap stock photography:
http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml

sgparry wrote on 11/6/2003, 11:18 AM

I haven't found the Premium Service to be of much use when it comes to technical support, on the contrary. I am new to MS3 and am trying to keep things simple but I have found most of my questions have been answered quickly and clearly here on the forum. I plan to cancel my trial subscription.

dand9959 wrote on 11/6/2003, 12:10 PM

As mentioned in another thread somewhere, a very good source for free music is

http://www.freeplaymusic.com