How do I add images & sounds to flashcards?

We are excited to be able to offer the ability to add images and recording audio to flashcards on our mobile apps, as well as the ability to add both images and sounds to flashcards using our website.  Note that only one image and audio file are allowed on the Question and Answer side.  Stay tuned for updates on the web, and both iOS and Android platforms for additional editing features.  Note that adding images and audio files is one of our Pro features.  

If you'd like more information on guidelines to follow to create the best quality images in Brainscape, read this helpful article.

Adding images to Mobile:

To add images on mobile, you must have Admin access to edit the class.  You may add images to an existing card by clicking on the pencil icon.  Note that if you previously edited these cards on the web using the Advanced editor, you will not be able to edit an existing card on mobile and will need to do this on the web.  For any new cards, or for any cards created using the simple editor you may add images on mobile.  Stay tuned for changes on this front.

You will note three different icons:  gallery , camera and file.  These are the three ways you can find and add an image to your flashcard.  The gallery is a subset of images you have already used and you can edit the image before adding it, the camera allows you to take a picture, edit it and add it and the file allows you to find an image from your phone file system.  Once you've added the image to your flashcard, you may tap the image and give it a caption.

 

An example of choosing a photo using the gallery icon.

You may add an image to either the Question or Answer side (or both) and the image will be added to whichever side of the flashcard is selected.

When adding images in mobile, 5MB is the maximum size, and if you try and select one larger, you’ll immediately see a popup and it won't attach. This article provides the exact specs for ideal image size based on the file type.  When you use your photo gallery to attach an image, you'll not likely run into this issue because the mobile apps will scale the image appropriately.  Accepted image formats:  jpg, png, and gifs.

Our image picker includes a built-in cropper that encourages a square crop because we think square images look best on the cards.  However, you’re free to crop it how you wish or not at all.  

Recording audio on Mobile

Within the editing screen on mobile, you can tap the mic icon on the flashcard edit screen and speak away! 

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Step 1: click the mic icon; Step 2: record your audio and tap the icon on the screen to stop recording; Step 3: the audio file is automatically added to your flashcard.

Adding images and audio on the Web:

Images

To add images to your flashcards using the Brainscape website, you can click the “+” next to the sounds or images icon on the bottom of the flashcard.  This feature is currently available to those with Pro access.

Then you will be given a prompt to upload an image file from your computer. We currently accept .png, .gif, and .jpg files. (This includes animated gifs!). You can easily drag and drop the file you want into the right flashcard.

Wherever possible, you should upload the largest possible version of your image file (2160 pixels in at least one of the two dimensions. Also square images work better than rectangles), and Brainscape's software will scale down to each device where you may be studying it. Your image will always appear below the text on your flashcard, scaled to the maximum width of the card (and whatever height that would entail).  

It is also possible to drag-and-drop, either from the folder on your computer, or from a web file on a Mac.  Here's a hack you can try to capture from a web file, you can: 

1. Cmd+Shift+4 (turns your cursor into a +)
2. Click, drag, and highlight what you want to take a screenshot of
3. Screenshot shows up hovering in the bottom-right corner of your screen
4. Quickly go back to the Brainscape Editor browser tab.  Click & drag that screenshot to the card in Brainscape

Audio

When adding audio files on the web, remember to use mp3 files and the largest file size allowed is 5 mb.

Make sure you’ve gone out to the App Store, and make sure you have the latest version of the mobile app.  You don’t want to miss the exciting updates!

Still have questions and can't find the answer?  Be sure to email our Tech Support Team ([e-mail]). 

If you'd love to vote for a new Brainscape feature, see what others are requesting, or get a sneak peek at features in our pipeline, please check out Brainscape User Feature Requests Forum!  Please choose to Sign in with Brainscape (if you are commenting/requesting a new feature) so any feedback is tied to your account.  Or you can even access the tool from our web/mobile menus which won't require you to login separately. 

(Hint:  to save time, search first to see if your desired feature is already in the list so you can just vote/comment.)

And for more FREE study advice don't forget to check out the Brainscape Academy.