Media Resources
Media resources refer to all items other than text, such as photos, graphs, diagrams, and multimedia content (video or audio links). Decide what media resources you want to include in your book and where. It is essential that all media resources carry an open license or are in the public domain.
Media Considerations
Consider the following as well:
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Resources should have a caption (e.g., Figure 1 + description). See this Resource: Captions and Attributions
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Differentiate between figures and tables (e.g., Figure 1.2 or Table 1.2).
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For adaptations, use the numbering system employed by the original author. Use a numbering system for new creations that incorporates the chapter number and image sequence. For example, for the first figure in Chapter 1 caption the figure, Figure 1.1.
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If you want graphs created, you MUST provide the data for the graph. If you need support searching for data, please contact your faculty librarian.
Photos & Graphics
Many open-source photos and graphics are available online to use in your OER. Use the suggestions below to find open-source images and photos.
Using and Finding Open-Source Images
There are many places to find free and open images. However, some images may require us to give credit to the creator or may not allow us to use them for commercial purposes. If unsure about the rules, please contact the Studio or the Copyright Officer to verify. Review the attributions section to make sure you are meeting the attribution requirements.
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Unsplash: Offers a vast collection of high-quality, royalty-free images.
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Pixabay: Provides free images, illustrations, vector graphics, and videos.
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Pexels: Offers a wide range of free stock photos and videos.
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Freepik: Provides free and premium graphics, including images, vectors, and PSD files.
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Wikimedia Commons: A database of freely usable media files, including images.
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Flickr: Search for images using the “Creative Commons” licence to ensure you find content that can be reused and modified under an open-source licence.
- Icons: Check out the appendices on Visual Identity in this guide for standard and custom icon sets that can be re-used.
Refer to the OER Prep Course for more assistance finding open images and graphics.
You can also use any photos from the Fanshawe Marketing Hub with permission.
Alternatively, you may want to modify an existing open resource to fit your content, or you may want to request brand-new graphics/images for your content. If you want graphics or images, please consult with your instructional designer.
Optimal Image Resolution, Colour Space, and Formats for OER Images and Graphics
When creating images and graphics, or sourcing existing images, it’s essential to consider the proper image resolution, colour space, and formats. We can ensure our OER images and graphics are visually appealing and optimized for their intended use.
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72 to 150 DPI – Modern displays use higher pixel density more often, so greater than 72dpi is permissible.
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RGB Colour Space
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Minimum 1200 pixels wide
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Photos: JPEG – Exported as medium to high quality, depending on the photo and the resulting file size.
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Illustrations or other graphics: PNG – Transparent background depending on the graphic.
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Cover Photos: Images should be in Portrait orientation. High-quality, large images are ideal.
Videos
Video resources can provide an alternative delivery of content to students and end-users while providing opportunities to share different contexts and perspectives. Videos are available in the digital format of the book only.
Finding VIdeo Resources
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YouTube: YouTube authors can license their videos for reuse. Use the filters available to locate Creative Commons-licensed videos. See this Open Washington tutorial on finding YouTube videos with Creative Commons licenses.
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Vimeo: Vimeo, like YouTube, is a video-sharing site. Search filters allow users to find Creative Commons-licensed videos.
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TED: All TED content are covered by the Creative Commons license, Attribution-NonCommercial – NonDerivative (BY-NC-ND)
To learn more about creating and using interactives, go to the Enhancing Interactivity in Pressbooks section of this guide. If you want to request interactives, please consult your instructional designer.
“Make a Plan” from Adaptation Guide by BCcampus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
