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Managing media content

Learn how to upload and use rich media in your experiences.

Cody Iddings avatar
Written by Cody Iddings
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Note: Media Library updates are rolling out over the next week. You may still be seeing an older version of the Media Library.

Note: Media Library updates are rolling out over the next week. You may still be seeing an older version of the Media Library.

The Media Library

The Media Library is your central hub for managing all media content in Makeshapes.

How to access the Media Library:

From anywhere in the app:

  • Click the Media tab in the top navigation

  • Or visit directly at /media-library

When building an experience:

  • Click any "Choose [media type]" button (e.g., "Choose video", "Choose audio", "Choose image")

What's in the Media Library?

The Media Library features multiple tabs depending on the media type you're working with:

  • Media library - Browse and manage all your media with powerful filters

  • Upload - Upload new files from your computer (or drag and drop anywhere!)

  • Record - Record audio directly in your browser

  • Text-to-Speech - Generate AI voiceovers from text (audio only)

  • YouTube/Vimeo - Add videos from external platforms (video only)

  • Royalty-free - Browse free-to-use images (Unsplash) and audio

Finding your media

Search

Type in the search box to find media by name. Search updates as you type.

Filter by scope

Choose what media to see:

  • Organisation library - All media uploaded by anyone in your organisation

  • My uploads - Only media you've uploaded

Filter by usage (when building an experience)

See where media is being used:

  • Assets used in any experience - All media across your organisation

  • Assets used in this project - Media used anywhere in the current project

  • Assets used in [Experience Name] - Media used only in this specific experience

Filter by type

Click buttons to show only:

  • All - Show everything

  • Audio - MP3, WAV, and TTS files

  • Video - Uploaded videos, YouTube, and Vimeo

  • Images - JPG, PNG, SVG files

  • Documents - PDFs and other documents

Sort

Organize your media by:

  • Date uploaded (Newest first)

  • Date uploaded (Oldest first)

  • Name (A-Z)

  • Name (Z-A)

Add videos to your experience

Videos are used as rich media content to enhance your learning experience. You can upload videos directly to our platform or add URLs for videos hosted on YouTube or Vimeo.

How to add a video:

  1. Add a Video activity to your desired section

  2. Click Choose video

  3. Choose from three options:

Upload a video:

  • Click the Upload tab (or drag and drop your file anywhere!)

  • Select your video file (we support most common formats like MP4, MOV)

  • The video will upload and process automatically in the background

  • Give it a descriptive name for easy reference later

  • You can navigate away during upload - it will continue in the background

  • If you try to close the page during upload, you'll see a warning

  • Once processing completes, it will appear in the Media library tab

Add from YouTube:

  • Click the YouTube/Vimeo tab

  • Copy the full YouTube URL (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ)

  • Paste it into the URL field

  • Click Add to experience

  • Your video must be set to Public or Unlisted (not Private) in YouTube Studio

Add from Vimeo:

  • Click the YouTube/Vimeo tab

  • Copy the Vimeo URL with just the video ID (e.g., https://vimeo.com/140655611)

  • Paste it into the URL field

  • Click Add to experience

  • For paid Vimeo accounts: Set privacy to Public or Hide from Vimeo

  • For free accounts: Set to Public

Subtitles and captions

Add subtitles to your videos for accessibility:

  • Uploaded videos: Click the video in your Media library to open details, then upload subtitle files (VTT format only, max 5MB) in the Subtitles section. You can add multiple languages and set a default track.

  • YouTube videos: Subtitles are not available for YouTube videos in Makeshapes. To add subtitles, upload your video directly.

  • Vimeo videos: Manage subtitles in your Vimeo account. Note that Vimeo subtitles may display with different styling. For the best subtitle experience, upload your video directly to Makeshapes.

Video duration

The duration is automatically calculated and displayed. For uploaded videos, this happens after processing completes.

Add images to your experience

Images are often used as content on the group display when there isn't an interactive activity. You can also use images and audio together with the Slideshow activity .

How to add images

When you see a Choose Image button:

Upload an image:

  1. Click Choose Image

  2. Click the Upload tab (or drag and drop!)

  3. Select a JPG, PNG, or SVG file under 5MB If your image is larger than 5MB, we recommend scaling it down with a free tool like Squoosh

  4. Give your image a descriptive name for easy reference later

  5. Find all your images in the Media library tab

Choose a royalty-free image:

  1. Click Choose Image

  2. Click the Royalty-free tab

  3. Search for the image you want (powered by Unsplash's library of free images)

  4. Click an image to select it

  5. Click Add to experience

Image avatars

You can use images as avatars that appear alongside audio introductions and expert tips. Set your avatar in:

  • Experience Settings - Applies to all audio across the experience (recommended for consistency)

  • Individual audio files - Override the experience-level setting for specific clips

Avatar positions available: bottom-center, bottom-right, bottom-left, or top-center.

You can also choose a floating-orb style avatar without uploading an image - just set the positioning and check it out!

Add audio to your experience

Audio is a key element in making Makeshapes experiences engaging. We recommend putting as much effort into your audio as you would into your video content.

Makeshapes audio features

  • Audio Introduction - Plays automatically at the beginning of an activity. The activity timer starts when audio begins. Great for transitions!

  • Expert Tips - Optional audio that participants can play if they need help with an activity or discussion

  • Background Audio - Quiet audio that plays during activities or in the waiting room during registration

How to add audio

When you see a Choose Audio button, you have four options:

Upload audio:

  1. Click Choose Audio

  2. Click the Upload tab (or drag and drop!)

  3. Select an MP3 or WAV file under 20MB If your file is larger, use Audacity to trim or compress it

  4. Give it a descriptive name

  5. Find it later in the Media library tab

Record audio:

  1. Click Choose audio

  2. Click the Record tab

  3. Grant browser permission to use your microphone (one-time)

  4. Press the red button to start recording

  5. Press again to stop, or press the black button to pause

  6. Wait a few seconds for processing

  7. The audio will automatically save to your Media library

  8. Click Add to experience to use it

Generate audio with Text-to-Speech (coming soon):

Text-to-Speech AI voiceover generation is not yet fully available. If you're interested in this feature, please let us know.

Choose royalty-free audio:

  1. Click Choose audio

  2. Click the Royalty-free tab

  3. Browse audio files specifically designed for background use

  4. File names indicate whether they're suited for: Waiting rooms Activities Reflection periods

  5. Click to select and add to your experience

Editing audio

Click any audio file in the Media library tab (or visit /media-library ) to:

  • Trim start/end time - Drag the waveform handles or enter precise timestamps in seconds

  • Rename - Give it a more descriptive name in your library

  • Set custom title - Override the display title when used in specific activities

  • Add avatar - Choose an image and position to display during playback

  • View usage - See which experiences use this audio

  • Delete - Remove from your library (only available if not currently in use)

Audio avatars

Create a more personal feel (similar to Loom videos) by adding an avatar that appears during audio playback:

Set at experience level (recommended for consistency):

  1. Open Experience Settings

  2. Scroll to the Audio Avatar section

  3. Choose an avatar image

  4. Select position: bottom-center, bottom-right, bottom-left, or top-center

  5. This applies to all audio in the experience

Set for individual audio:

  1. Click the audio in the Media library

  2. In the avatar section, choose an image and position

  3. This overrides the experience-level setting for this specific audio

Floating orb style:

  • Set the position without uploading an image

  • A dynamic, animated orb will appear during playback

Deleting media

Understanding media usage

Before you can delete a media file, you need to understand where it's being used. Every media item in your library tracks its usage across:

  • Experience content - Activities and sections using this media

  • Email attachments - Email sequences that include it

  • Email body - Images embedded in email content

  • Avatars - Audio clips using this image as an avatar

How to delete media

  1. Click the Media tab in the top navigation or visit /media-library

  2. Click on the media item you want to delete

  3. Click the Delete button

Cannot delete media in use

If the media is currently being used, the Delete button will show you exactly where it's in use. You cannot delete media that's actively used in your experiences.

To delete media that's in use:

  1. Note where the media is being used (shown in the Usage section)

  2. Go to each experience listed

  3. Remove the media from all activities, sections, emails, or avatar settings

  4. Publish the experience to save your changes

  5. Return to the Media library

  6. Try deleting again - the Delete button should now work

Important: You may need to publish experiences after removing media. Simply removing media from an unpublished draft won't always allow deletion - the published version still references it.

File size limits and formats

  • Images: 5MB maximum (JPG, PNG, SVG)

  • Documents/PDF: 5MB maximum

  • Audio: 20MB maximum (MP3, WAV)

  • Video: 2GB maximum (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.)

  • Subtitles: 5MB maximum (VTT format only)

Tips for best results

  • Use descriptive names - Makes finding media easier later, especially in large libraries

  • Set avatars at experience level - Ensures visual consistency across all audio

  • Use short videos - Break long content into bite-sized pieces with engaging activities between

  • Add subtitles - Improves accessibility and helps non-native speakers

  • Use background audio - Enhances engagement during interactive activities

  • Filter by usage - Find media used in specific experiences when building

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