Those who want to create digital learning content can quickly feel overwhelmed by the number of creative tools available in the market. Today, we will present you with 19 tools that e-learning expert Claudia Grajek recommends for creating content for online courses. From general design tools to image databases to editing videos and audio files. With an infographic available for download!
Recommendations in exchange: Our selection of creative tools for creating learning content
Experienced trainers and coaches know: If you want to digitize your learning content, it's not enough to just unpack the scanner. You should also not upload pages of presentation slides 1:1 to your online course. In e-learning, your participants sit alone in front of the screen and quickly get bored if they have to click through text documents.
Today, the choice often falls on a colorful mix of media including videos, quizzes, images, audios, and yes, occasionally text documents. To create such media content, a lot of tools are available to assist you. For example, Canva, Filmora, various PDF converters, and many more. You probably can think of a few tool providers right away. However, it feels like new creative tools are emerging daily, some with exorbitant prices or hidden subscription traps. The server location or GDPR compliance is also an important criterion for many customers.
In addition to functionality and price, you should also keep an eye on your own production speed. A tool is only useful if it helps you create content faster and in a more structured way, rather than hindering you with complicated menus and unnecessary features.
Everyone knows different tools and exciting ideas for use in digital training. That’s why blink.it Success Trainer and e-learning expert Claudia Grajek conducted a survey and asked: What are your tool tips for e-learning? The results can be divided into two categories:
Tools for creating digital learning content
Tools for interactive online learning
We will present the first category in this article – Part 2 will follow next week!
Claudia Grajek
Claudia is an independent consultant for social media and previously worked as a success manager at blink.it. She regularly talks to people who are digitizing and sharing their knowledge and content. In one of her webinars, she exchanged ideas with trainers and coaches about helpful third-party tools – the results form the basis for this article.
These 19 tools will help you create digital learning content
Based on Claudia's recommendations, we have created an infographic for you with 19 tools that can be divided into 5 categories:
General Design
PDF
Image Databases
Video
Audio
Disclaimer: Of course, the selection of tools mentioned here is subjective and incomplete. They only reflect Claudia's and our experiences, and we have no connection to the respective software providers.
Quick Access: All links to tool recommendations for online content
Tools for General Design Applications
Tools for Converting and Creating PDFs
Digital Databases for Images and Videos
Tools Around Video Format
Camtasia (Link leads to a third-party site)
Losslesscut (Link leads to a third-party site)
Tools Around Audio Format
Interview: Extra Tips on Tools from Claudia Grajek
Claudia, 19 tool tips are quite a lot. What are your top 3 tool recommendations for creating content for online courses?
Clearly in 1st place is Canva. I do so much with it and always show it to my clients. 2nd place would probably be Filmora, because you can quickly and cheaply edit videos with it. And 3rd place is Loom: In the free basic version, you can take screencasts in the browser. For advanced screencasts, I also recommend the pro version, with which you can record other screens and have additional features like a pen tool.
Which tool do you think is worth spending a little more money on?
I am simply a fan of Canva, which also costs in the pro version [link to Canva's pricing page]. For video editing, Filmora is sufficient for many purposes. However, if you want to create many explanatory videos with screencasts, I recommend the more expensive video tool Camtasia. And of course, investing in blink.it to offer online courses, where creating is already fun because it is so easy, is worth it.
Are there also tools you would personally advise against?
Not fundamentally, no. Every use case is different, and each tool can be useful in different ways. However, I am not a fan of the expensive Adobe world, like Photoshop, etc. If you are not a designer yourself, there are countless tools that are easier to use and significantly cheaper.
Thank you to Claudia for the short interview and the great tips on creating learning content!
Conclusion
Digital learning content does not rely on a variety of tools but on didactic clarity and a well-thought-out combination of suitable formats.
The tools presented can help you create varied and professional content. However, it is crucial that you use them strategically: Which media truly support your learning objectives? Which content needs video, which a quiz, and which a simple graphic?
If you consciously select tools and clearly structure your content, there will be no technical patchwork, but a coherent online course that provides added value to your participants.
Updated on 02/26/2026
