About

Take creative ideas from “Aha!” to “Awesome!” with the Digital Creativity Workstations and laptops in Level Up. With free access to the tools professionals use, you’re on your way to amazing graphic, video, and audio productions.

 

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe leads the pack in digital creativity software. Your images, sounds, and words go in—and amazing movies, songs, and publications come out. We provide you free access to the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs on all workstations and laptops in Level Up.

 

Level Up workstationsUsing Workstations

You can log in to any Digital Creativity Workstation at Level Up. When all Workstations are in use, you may reserve the next available one. Priority is given to those using the workstations for creative purposes. While consuming media (surfing the web, watching videos) is permitted, you may be asked to move to a different area if all computers are full.

 

Hardware and Accessories

Available to all users

  • Four iMacs featuring a 27 inch monitor, 3.5GHz processor, and 32GB of RAM

Available with your library card

Wacom Intuos Pro pen tablets (medium & large): two-hour checkout

Overview
An overview of the Intuos Pro line.

Instructions (PDF)
Intuos Pro instruction manual

Product Tutorial
Basic video instruction from Wacom on using the Intuos pen tablet.

Software Tutorial
More detailed tutorials from Wacom that cover the pen tablet’s many applications.

Intuos Pro Tutorial (YouTube)
Digital artist Aaron Rutten demonstrates how the Intuos Pro works and the different ways it can be used with drawing software.

Complete Tutorial for Photographers (YouTube)
B&H presents a video tutorial on using the Intuos tablet with Adobe Photoshop.

  • Two MacBook Pros available for use in Level Up
  • Audio Technica pro headphones: two-hour checkout
  • Korg Minilogue Synthesizer: two-hour checkout

 

Even More Software

In addition to the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, you'll find these great tools at the Digital Creativity Workstations in Level Up:

Video and Animation

iMovie

Apple's simple video editor is great for beginning and experienced filmmakers.

Overview
An overview of iMovie.

iMovie Help
Apple's online resource page.

iMovie Essential Training
This video series from Linkedin Learning offers detailed breakdowns of every step involved in the creation of an iMovie project. Perfect for diving deep into what iMovie can do. Login to the Library's subscription to LinkedIn Learning, then click on the link for the tutorial to get direct access.
Library ID: mcpl

How to Create a Movie From Start to Finish With iMovie
A handy “bare bones” overview from Tuts+, with screenshots accompanying each step. Great as a refresher or quick reference.

Library Resources
Borrow these great Library items on iMovie. Ask staff for assistance with locating them.

 

Blender

Open-source software that puts the power of 3D animation in your hands. Blender offers "the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing and game creation.”

Overview
An overview of Blender.

Blender Reference Manual
The online, searchable instruction manual for Blender.

Tutorials from Blender
An extensive collection of how-to videos especially for newbies. Includes sections on getting started, modeling, rigging, and more.

31 brilliant Blender tutorials
Creative Bloq’s collection of video and text tutorials covers just about everything for a variety of skill levels and learning styles.

Library Resources
Borrow materials about Blender from the Library. Ask Staff for assistance with locating them.

 

  • Final Cut Pro X

Audio Recording and Production

Pro Tools

Record music, podcasts, or sound for film with this pro audio industry standard.

Overview
An overview of Pro Tools.

Reference Guide

 

Logic Pro X

Push your music as far as it can go, every step of the way. A complete professional recording studio for the Mac, Logic Pro gives you everything you need to go from first inspiration to final master.

Overview
An overview of Logic Pro X.

Logic Pro X Help
Online manual and help from Apple.

Logic Pro Video Tutorial Series (YouTube)
Get started with these easy-to-follow videos by MusicTechHelpGuy, a professional audio engineer and educator.

Logic Pro X Essential Training - Linkedin Learning
Linkedin is the go to source resource for learning from experts in software, creativity, and business skills. Login to the Library's subscription to LinkedIn Learning, then click on the link for the tutorial to get direct access.
Library ID: mcpl

Library Resources
Borrow these great Library items on Logic Pro X. Ask Staff for assistance with locating them.

 

GarageBand

Incredible music, in the key of easy. GarageBand is a music creation studio inside a Mac—with a complete sound library that includes instruments, guitar and voice, and virtual drummers. An intuitive interface for creating your hits and share them worldwide.

Overview
An overview of GarageBand.

GarageBand Help
Online manual and help from Apple.

Garageband Essential Training - Linkedin Learning
This video series from Linkedin.com offers detailed breakdowns of every step involved in a GarageBand project. Perfect for diving deep into what GarageBand can do. Login to the Library's subscription to LinkedIn Learning, then click on the link for the tutorial to get direct access.
Library ID: mcpl

Library Resources
Borrow these great Library items on GarageBand. Ask Staff for assistance with locating them.

 

Audacity

A free multi-track audio editor and recorder. Audacity's straightforward interface makes it well-suited for podcasts and other spoken-word projects. A favorite among open source enthusiasts.

Overview
An overview of Audacity.

Audacity Manual (PDF)
Online instruction manual.

Tutorials from the Audacity Team
Tutorials that provide step-by-step instructions for common tasks.

 

Documents and Publishing

Twine

An open-source interactive storytelling tool that's as simple as it is unique. Arrange your writing into any sequence, then let readers decide what to do next (think "Choose Your Own Adventure"). Use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to bring sound, images, and video into your stories as well.

Overview
An overview of Twine.

Twine Cookbook
Get started with Twine's wiki guide.

Introduction to Twine (YouTube)
Clear, easy-to-follow tutorials from Twine enthusiast Vegetarian Zombie.

 

Developer Tools & Utilities

Brackets

This modern, open source text editor for web designers makes programming code easy and efficient. Brackets allows you to quickly preview your project live, punch into various elements without switching files, and integrate smoothly with Adobe apps like Photoshop.

Overview
An overview of Brackets.

How to Use Brackets
Basic text-based overview on using Brackets to write programming code. Includes a table of keyboard shortcuts.

 

BBEdit

A simple and powerful text editor for writing clean, organized programming code that now has a free version.

Overview
An overview of BBEdit from Bare Bones.

BBEdit User Manual (PDF)
Complete user manual in PDF form.

 

XCode

This suite of tools by Apple allows you to create software apps for OS (Mac) and iOS (iPad and iPhone). Design, create, edit, test, and debug your app ideas—all in one place.

Overview
Apple's overview of XCode.

PDF XCode Tutorial (PDF)
Complete user manual in PDF form.

How to Make an App (YouTube)
A video series that clearly explains Xcode’s role in the development process, the other tools it interacts with, and how you can use it without any programming experience.

Library Resources
Borrow these great Library items on XCode. Ask Staff for assistance with locating them.

 

Away Builder

Described as "the missing link between designer and developer on a 3D project," Away Builder is part of the Adobe Gaming SDK that allows you to optimize your 3D images for the most faithful rendering in your game.

Overview
Away Tool's overview of Away Builder.

Introduction to Away Builder
A designer from Adobe demonstrates Away Builder’s power and capabilities in these step-by-step videos.

 

Even More Tutorials and Resources

More tutorials and resources for the digital creativity process.

Music

Learn How to Write a Song
Step by step instructions on songwriting—lyrics, music, and all. Also has a great Resources section for songwriters.

How to Copyright Your Music
A very informative article on the ins and outs of protecting your original work.

 

Video

Creative Cow
A comprehensive digital video community, featuring tutorials, forums and podcasts on many video production topics.

Coding and Design

Code Academy
Free, interactive online lessons that teach you, through simple tutorials, how to build a website or an app.

w3schools
A free web development learning site with tutorials.

How to Build a Web Application from Scratch with No Experience
A tutorial from LifeHacker.

How to Build an App Using Corona SDK

Python.org
Official site for downloading the language package and all kinds of resources for this dynamic programming language.

 

Game Development

Play Canvas
A free open source, web-based game engine.

A Beginner’s Guide to Making Your First Video Game
A great article to get you started.

Unity 3D Tutorials

The official Unity Twitch account.
Livestreams and archived videos showing how to use Unity