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Multimedia Files

Introduction

This handout provides instructions for sharing multimedia files with the Writing Center’s online coaching service. After you have started a submission form for a multimedia project and filled in the relevant information about your assignment, there are two ways to share your actual draft.

Sharing Options

1. Upload it directly in the submission form.

If your multimedia file is smaller than 500MB, you can directly upload it in the submission form just as you would a paper. Just make sure that you upload the actual multimedia file and not the project file for the software program you used to create your project. For instance, if you want to share a video using iMovie, instead of uploading the .imovieproj file, you need to export the file as a video file, likely an .mp4, and upload that file to the submission form. The submission form has a list of file types that you can use. To export your project as one of these file types, you usually need to navigate to the “Share” or “Export” menu in whatever software tool you used to create your project.

2. Host your project online and share the link in the submission form.

Most projects will be small enough to upload directly. However, if your project is larger than 500MB, you will need to host it online and then share the link in the submission form. Here are instructions for doing this with some common multimedia project types.

Videos

Videos are the most likely project file type to be larger than 500MB. If your video is too large to upload directly to the online coach, you can host your video online and share the link in the designated box on the submission form.

YouTube is the most common place for hosting a video. Vimeo is another option that is similar. After making an account for either site, follow these steps:

  1. Export your video from whatever software program you used to create it (Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, etc.) as an .mp4 file.
  2. Find the .mp4 on your computer where you downloaded it, and upload it to YouTube or Vimeo. This is easy to do, but here are instructions for YouTube and Vimeo, respectively, if you get stuck.
  3. Adjust the privacy settings. YouTube and Vimeo have different privacy options. Choose the “unlisted” option in YouTube if you do not want your video to show up in YouTube searches. “Public” is also fine. However, if you set your video to “private,” the Writing Center will not be able to access it, so use “unlisted” or “public.” If you use Vimeo, your video’s privacy setting needs to be “Anyone.”
  4. After you upload your video, share the link in the part of the submission form that asks for it.

Google Drive is another option for sharing videos. To do this, upload your exported .mp4 file to your drive, find “Share” from the settings menu, and click “Get Shareable Link.” Make sure that your sharing settings are set to “Anyone with the link can view.” You can then share the link to your video in the online submission form.

Podcasts

While nearly all audio files will be smaller than 500MB, if you have an exceptionally large file, SoundCloud is the easiest place to host and share an audio file. The process is nearly the same as for videos.

  1. Export your audio file as an .mp3 or .wav file from whatever audio program you used to create it (GarageBand, Adobe Audition, Reaper, etc.).
  2. Upload the audio file to your SoundCloud account.
  3. Make sure that your audio track’s privacy setting is set to public so that the Writing Center can access it.
  4. Share the link to your track in the online submission form.

Other Multimedia Projects

You should be able to upload most other multimedia projects directly to the submission form provided that they are smaller than 500MB and are one of the accepted file types listed on the submission form. If you created your project using an online application like Vine, Google Slides, MindMeister, etc., you simply need to find and share the link to your project. This usually means clicking “Share” in whatever application you are using.

Conclusion

If you have trouble sharing your project, Google and YouTube have ample how-to tutorials for sharing files from most software programs. You can consult with the Media Resources Center in the basement of the Undergraduate Library. We look forward to reading, watching, or listening to your project and providing feedback!