Here is a wonderful, free application that provides incredibly realistic background sounds you can incorporate into your videos, or just listen to as you work at your computer.

The program is appropriately named "Atmosphere," and the free version is called "Atmosphere Lite."  You can obtain the program here:

Download Atmosphere

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the download link to the free version.

The program allows you to create a combination of continuous ambient sound, such as light rain, light wind, or the ocean, and combine with that random sounds like rolling thunder, bird sounds, insect noises, etc.  If you aren't satisfied with the variety of soundscapes available in the free version, you can upgrade to Atmosphere Light Plus for $14.95, or Atmosphere Deluxe for $34.95.

Here is the palette of options from Atmosphere Lite:

The left-most bank of buttons provide pre-composed soundscapes, with a mixture of continuous and random sounds; the checkboxes in the middle allows you to choose specific background sounds; the sliders on the right allow you to choose and determine the frequency of random sounds.  Note that there are three "banks" of sounds, of which the first is displayed in the picture.

Note that there is a "Record" button in the upper middle of the screen.  Once you have a soundscape you like, press that button to get the recording panel, shown here:

Your recording is initially saved as a .wav file.  Most often, you will want to convert this to a .mp3 file, which is typically about one-tenth the size of the .wav file.  Also, using FlipShare, Movie Maker, or another editor, you can use .mp3 files to provide a soundtrack for your movies.  Use the "MP3" button to convert a previously-recorded .wav file to .mp3.

There are many other interesting features and options, such as the creation of a slideshow to play on your computer with the soundscape.  The help file and website describe these options.  I was able to explore most of them just by clicking buttons to see what happens.

I'm having a lot of fun just listening to some of the soundscapes, even as I write this article, and my imagination is peaked with potential creative uses of the program.  For example, if you're a nature photographer, you can create your own slideshows, import the photos into FlipShare or another video editor, and create a slideshow as a movie with a beautiful soundscape. If you're into audio, combine the natural sounds with a piece of music, etc.

There is much more to learn about this particular piece of software, and you may have questions about the details of what I explained in this tip.  FlipInFocus members can ask questions, get answers, and offer their own suggestions by clicking the "Add new comment" link, below.