Content Creation Across Platforms and Devices, Part II

Previously, I wrote about the relative merits of cloud-based applications for content creation.

In that article I covered the big three cloud services: GoogleDrive, Apple iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive.

All of those services provide varying levels of free storage space and productivity software that lets content developers create, share, store and access text and visual content in a secure environment. This week I focus on some additional cloud tools that content creators may find useful. And as an honourable mention, irrespective of what kind applications one builds, to polish the their pages, one could effectively use a landing page builder software. This creates space for business conversations & innovative discussions.

Options for Content Creation

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud gives content creators access to 27 great applications, including its famous Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, as well as Dreamweaver, Acrobat XI Pro and many other useful tools. You can try it free for 30 days with 2 GB of free storage space. After that, you can pick and choose which apps you want to purchase. The service charges about $20 per month for a single app with 20GB of storage. If you want all 27 apps, it will cost you around $50 per month, also with 20GB of storage. You can share your work with others, but only if they, too, are using Creative Cloud.

Evernote

There are also some good, more narrowly focused apps that many content creators like. One of the best is Evernote, a free note taking and filing system that lets you collect clips, web pages, photos and other stuff from around the internet and save them for a later time, when you may want to cite sources in an article you’re writing or check the copyright on a photo you hope to use. Evernote will also record audio of a meeting you’re sitting in and has a built-in atlas. Best of all, you can tag all of these bits and then use the robust in-app search to find what you want, along with all of the stuff that’s related to it. If you try the free version and then fall in love, you can upgrade to premium for a reasonable cost of around $5 per month or $45 for a year.

Options for Storage and Sharing

Dropbox

Dropbox is popular but strictly for the storage and sharing of files. No productivity software is offered. This makes it less desirable for creating content, but good for sharing content with co-developers and clients. Dropbox gives users 2 GB of storage space for free, plus up to 16 GB if you refer new users. It’s an easy and free way to eliminate the hassle of email attachments and carting around USB drives.

Amazon CloudDrive

Amazon offers CloudDrive, which stores music and documents but does not include productivity software that you can use to create content. It has an app for Kindle devices, which is a plus if you’re a big reader, music or video fan, and it gives users 5 free GBs of storage. If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, you can find nifty software in the Amazon Apps store. Plus, your device will integrate with CloudDrive so you can upload your purchases and docs from all of your devices.

Box

Box doesn’t include content creation apps either, but it’s great for sharing large files. Many graphic designers couldn’t do their work without it. Box is secure, works with any operating system and gives users up to 10GB of space for free.

Did I miss anything? If you have applications you love to use for content creation, send us an email with your recommendations.