Narration and Images – Chromebook PSA Production

Step 6 – Record the Narration

Once your script has been approved and you are waiting for your storyboard to be approved, record your PSA’s narration.

Prepare to Narrate

When you read your script make sure you are sitting upright and smile. Although no one will see your face, smiling will add more energy and warmth to your voice. Whichever method you use to record your voice, remember that if you make a mistake while reading, you do not have to return to the beginning of your script. Just back up to the start of the sentence where you made an error, then continue reading. Once every portion has been read correctly you may stop the recording. Any mistakes that were recorded will be easily removed during the audio editing process.

Record the Script

If you have a phone, use it and a voice recording app. It will most likely give you better sound.

If you have an iPhone, use your Voice Memos app.
If your Android phone did not come with an audio recording app, consider installing Smart Recorder. It will show a lot of ads while using it, but it works well.

You may also record your voice on your Chromebook. Keep in mind that, when you listen to Chromebook audio on its speakers, your recording may not sound as good as it does when you are using earbuds or a headphone.

This video tutorial shows how to use AudioVoiceRecorder.com opened in your Chromebook web browser.

Whichever method you use to record your narration, remember to save the file and move it into your project folder.

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Step 7 – Edit the Soundtrack

Once you have your narration recorded and placed in your Google Drive project folder, watch this tutorial video to learn how to use twistedwave.com/online to edit audio on your Chromebook.

When you are done editing make sure your edited file is saved in your Google Drive project folder.

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Step 8 – Prepare Images

If you are using an image in your PSA, such as a client logo, here are the steps to follow:

Create an Images Folder

On your Chromebook, click on the Files icon to open the folder.

Navigate to your Google Drive Project Folder within your class folder. Click the three dots at the top-right and choose New Folder, or click the [ctrl+E] keys.

Name the new folder images.

Use this images folder to save all photos for your project.

Find and Save an Image

A client’s website is the first place to look for the logo that identifies their organization. You may right-click on the logo and discover the Save image as option.

When you click on this option, navigate to your project folder and rename the file to make it clear what it is. In this example uc-logo.png is the new file name. Make sure whatever name you use for a file, you keep the original extension. In this case .png is the file extension. Your image make use .jpg or .gif or another format extension. When the name is correct, click the Save button.

If you do not have the Save Image As option when you right-click on the client logo you will have to do a screen capture. Hold the [shift+ctrl] keys on your Chromebook then press the Show all your open windows (F5) key.

Click on the page where the logo appears and draw a rectangle around it.

A message should pop-up confirming the image has been saved to your Downloads folder.

Open your Downloads folder and select the saved image. Right-click on the image file and choose the Rename option. Change the name of the file to a name that makes it clear what it is. In this example adult-ed-logo.png is the new file name.

Make sure whatever name you use for a file, you keep the original extension. In this case .png is the file extension. When the name is correct, click the [enter] key. Select the file and press the [ctrl+C] keys to make a copy. Navigate to your project images folder and press the [ctrl+V] keys to paste the copy.

Client logos and any other images on your client’s website are fair use when creating a PSA on their behalf. If you plan to use an image that does not appear on your client website, make sure you have permission to use it.

One way to check for image permission is to the use Google Images Advanced Search tool.

Prepare the Image

With the image saved in your project’s images folder, open a Chrome browser window, navigate to Pixlr.com then click on the ADVANCED PIXLR E button.

Click on the OPEN IMAGE button.

Navigate to the images folder in your Google Drive Project Folder. Select the image then click the OPEN button.

The Advanced version of Pixlr.com is similar to Adobe Photoshop.

In this example, the captured image is a round logo and the background needs to be removed. The Marquee Select tool Circle option is chosen. By clicking and dragging a circle selection surrounds the logo.

To make a copy of the select area, press the [Ctrl+C] keys. Press the press the [Ctrl+V] keys to paste the selected area as a new layer. In the Layers menu double-click the Background layer. Use the menu to delete the background.

To make it easier to see the remaining layer, use the View menu Fill screen option to zoom into the image.

In this example the area outside the logo’s white circle needs to be removed. The Wand Select tools lets you click on a color to select it. The Tolerance setting lets you adjust how many similar colors are also selected.

After selecting the area to be removed, press the [ctrl+X] keys to delete the selected area. To remove any remaining pixels, select the Eraser tool and use it to remove what should not remain in your final image. The tool has settings to change its Size and Opacity.

When are satisfied your image is correct, open the File menu and click on the Save option, or click the [Ctrl+S] keys.

Add -EDITED to the File name for the image. For File type choose the PNG option. When all information is correct click the DOWNLOAD button.

Make sure you are in your project’s images folder and the name is correct, including the .png file extension, then click the Save button.

After the image has been saved you may close the Downloaded confirmation window.

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