Getting creative with computers

Computers have changed the way we do many things.

• They have made difficult and complicated tasks easier.
• They are able to store, organise and analyse large amounts of information.
• They can solve problems and make calculations faster than a human, all by following the instructions we gave them.

As well as being really good at helping us organise information and solve problems, computers can also help us to be creative.

Being creative means designing and making new things or combining things in new ways. We can be creative with words, pictures, videos, sounds and music.

We can use them to create new:

• stories
• art
• films and animations
• music
• games

Computers and computing devices can help us get better at creating things. They can allow us to make things faster, easier and be more efficient. They have also given us new exciting ways to be creative.

Computers can help us to make the things that we imagine come to life.

Books often contain thousands of words.

In the past, writers and authors wrote all their stories by hand, using pencils, pens and paper.

The invention of the typewriter made writing a little easier but writers still had to type stories out manually onto sheets of paper.

Today, authors and writers can use a computer to type their words onto a screen, where they can save, edit and arrange them into a finished document.

This is called word processing.

Authors can store draft documents in an online document folder and share them with editors. When the book is finished, they can send the digital text by email to the publishers to be printed on a digital printer.

Even with these digital tools available, many writers still choose to write some of their words using a pen and paper!

Cartoon animations are films made using a series of drawings. The artists created their drawings using pencils, brushes, paint and paper.

Today, digital artists use digital pens to draw directly onto tablet touchscreens which act like digital paper.

They can use painting software tools to create images with unlimited colours and styles.

They can add layers and combine different images together to make new ones.

Plus you can rub out mistakes using a digital eraser!

Making a film is a complicated process and it needs a team of people called a production team.

• The director organises the way the video footage is filmed.
• The camera operator is in charge of the camera.
• The sound operators record the sound.
• The wardrobe design and help the actors with costumes.

The team use a digital video camera to film the video clips. Once they have finished filming, they save the digital video files to a computer's memory.

The film editors then use video editing programs to organise the film clips into the finished film.

The editors can cut out any mistakes that the actors make, adding a soundtrack, titles and credits before exporting the finished film.

Computers and digital devices can be used to both make digital music and record traditional instruments and songs.

Electronic keyboards and other digital instruments use computer processors to create sounds or audio. They can be programmed to imitate traditional instruments or to make completely original sounds.

We can use microphones and digital recording software to record pop groups and singers, orchestras and other musicians playing real instruments.

The recorded digital audio files can be stored online and shared with others. They can be edited using specialised music software and mixed with other sound files to create completely new material.

These digital recording tools and the internet mean complete songs and albums can be created with musicians and singers performing in different countries!

Find out more about being creative with computers with this film from BBC Bitesize for Teachers