Upload media files and add metadata
Overview
Audio files are a key part of FirstVoices dictionaries and resources. Images and videos can also be added to your FirstVoices site to make the content richer and to support visual learners and pre-readers. The media uploader on FirstVoices allows you to add metadata and acknowledgements to your media files so that you can credit speakers and creators and remain in compliance with copyright requirements.
Teams can create images themselves, or can find images online. When using images from external sources such as the internet, it is important to understand legal requirements around copyright before you post them onto FirstVoices.
File recommendations
Allowed formats
Audio files can be in .mp3 (preferred) or .wav format
Note: MP3 files are smaller and are the preferred choice for uploading to FirstVoices and for downloading.
Image files can be in .jpg or .png format
Video files can be in .mp4 or .mov format
Image size
The recommended minimum image size for dictionary entries (words/phrases) is at least 600 x 500 pixels.
Adding files and metadata
You are able to upload media right from the create or edit form of the content you are working on, such as a word, story, or page. This example adds an image onto a word from the Edit Word form. The same steps apply for audio and video files.
To add an image to an entry, go to the create/edit area for the entry and click “+ Add image”.
In the uploader popup, click the “Upload Files” button.
Choose the image to upload. You can either click “browse files” to choose a file from your computer or you can drag and drop media onto the “Drop files here” area.
Click the small pencil to add custom metadata to your image file.
Add credit or source information to indicate the creator of the image. You can also edit the title or description to make the image easier for you to find in your library. Click “Save changes” when done.
Click “Upload # files”
After the upload is complete, the image is available on your site. Finish the process by clicking “Insert # Images” to attach the image to your dictionary entry and return to the edit form.
Adding media from external sources
This video references the old FirstVoices and needs to be updated. However, it still contains relevant information about copyright from 0:00-2:32.
Finding images online
To find images to use that you haven’t created yourself, the FirstVoices team recommends that you use Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons is an online repository of free-use images, and can be found by clicking here. Please note the copyright statement below and attribution guidelines from Creative Commons.
That said, it is highly recommended that you use community-sourced images. Whether they be photographs, drawings or other community-created images, this is a great way for community members to get involved with your FirstVoices language site.
Copyright
Copyright is a property right that applies to a variety of works, including images (e.g., photographs, paintings, drawings etc.). It is illegal to copy all or a substantial part of a work subject to copyright without the permission of the copyright owner.
Copyright arises automatically through the creation of a suitable work; it is not necessary for the copyright owner to register copyright or post a copyright notice. The fact that an image is on the Internet without a copyright notice does NOT mean that the copyright owner has given permission for it to be copied.