Digital content creation software: Creativity democratized

In a digital rendering, a woman leans on a motorcycle.A digital rendering shows a woman leaning on a motorcycle. Image courtesy of SoMuch3D.

What is digital content creation?

Digital content creation is the creation of audio/visual information to entertain, market, or inform—distributed across digital platforms to attract and retain an audience. It also includes the production of digital VFX and animation content using a variety of digital content creation tools. Digital content is now ubiquitous and can refer to any moving or still images, audio, and text created and distributed using computer equipment, digital creation tools, and the internet.

A man sits at a desk in front of a camera, producing a podcast.Digital content creation includes small-scale pursuits such as podcasts.

How digital content creation tools have changed the game

The term “digital content creation” has proliferated in recent years, with different meanings. For some time, the 3D animation and VFX communities have used digital content creation (DCC) to describe the work they do and digital content creation tools to refer specifically to the software used for 3D effects and animation production, such as Maya, 3ds Max, Arnold, Bifrost, and other tools in the Autodesk Media & Entertainment Collection.

However, with the explosion of social media, podcasting, e-commerce content sites, and influencer culture, digital content creation has come to refer more commonly to those smaller-scale pursuits. In this context, digital content creation tools can range from freeware to a suite of high-end software programs to hardware such as a laptop webcam or an 8K cinema camera. Digital content creation software is easier than ever to use and has decreased associated costs for storage, processing, and distributing content because of technologies like the cloud.

Technology that takes advantage of advances such as connected data, artificial intelligence (AI), efficient workflows, and cloud computing continually changes and improves the way content is made. Digital creation tools have eased the barrier of entry for artists, and the low cost of mass distribution gives creators access to potential audiences at a scale that pre-digital professional studios could only dream of.

Capturing video and audio for digital content creation requires lighting, camera, and sound recording equipment.

Necessary equipment for digital content creation

Considering your audience is the first step in creating digital content.

Know your audience