CHAPTER ONE

MULTIMEDIA OVERVIEW

1.1 Introduction
Computer technology has revolutionized the production of information in the
second half of the twentieth century. The traditional personal computers have been
text or data oriented until 1980s but after eighties a graphical environment started.
During1990’s the power of information processing and handling different media
increased enormously and personal computers got evolved as multimedia machines
and the era of multimedia technology emerged (Ramaiah, 1998). It has been said
by computer technology research reports 1993, that people retain only 20 percent
of what they see and 30 percent of what they hear. But they remember 50 percent
of what they see and hear (Keyas, 1994). Information Technology has become
ubiquitous with current and future social and organizational growth. The rapid
developments in IT brought revolutionized changes in the flow and content of
information and related formats and technologies and become a key ingredient in
bringing up great changes in over all aspects of society.

Multimedia is a fertile ground for both research and development of new products,
because of the breadth of possible usage, the dependency on a wide range of
technologies, and the value of reducing cost by improving technology. The
technology is being used in developing many applications for primary as well as
higher education, entertainment, health services, public places and many more.
With the advent of low cost computers and easy to use word processing software,
computer based image processing techniques paved way for digitized information
comprising textual to multimedia - data consisting of text, images along with
digitized voice and video. Thus the information stored in libraries has taken a
major shift from volume-limiting printed to limitless multimedia digital form. The
libraries and information centres instigate production of multimedia resources in
various forms, however archival collection of library also have audiovisual and
multimedia resources. All these resources are either organized on shelves in the
multimedia library or in a digital multimedia library having different content
forms. i. e. text, music, videos, images, which can be accessed simultaneously from
geographically distributed areas through internet.
Multimedia technologies enable the users to integrate and manipulate data from
diverse sources such as video, images, graphics, animation, audio and text on a
single hardware platform. Now multimedia has become the latest cultural
phenomena in the information sector. The rapid ascent of multimedia technology
over the last decade has brought about fundamental changes to computing,
entertainment and education. The exponential growth of multimedia technologies
and applications has presented the computerized society with opportunities and
challenges that in many cases are unprecedented. It is becoming more and more
popular because of the effectiveness of its applications in all aspects of human life.
Multimedia applications have progressed to the point of sparking a fundamental
paradigm shift in the very concept of information transfer and presentation.

1.2 What is Multimedia

The term multimedia constituents of two words, “multi” and “medium”. Multi
refers to many i.e. at least two. Media is the plural of medium. Medium refers to
storage, transmission, communication, representation, presentation, input
interaction and perception, meaning that it can refer to different level of
abstraction. It also refers to a basic information type like text, graphics, images,
audio, animation, video etc. Therefore multimedia is as an integration of many
types of media (i.e. text, graphics, images, audio, animation, video etc) on a single
medium in the same information unit.

TEXT GRAPHICS

AUDIO VIDEO
ANIMATION

Figure 1.1: Elements of multimedia

The Columbia Encyclopaedia has defined multimedia as “in personal computing,
software and applications that combines text, high quality sound, two and three
dimensional graphics, animation, images, and full motion video.” (Lagasse, 2000).

According to Vaughan “multimedia is any combination of text, sound, animation

and video delivered by computer or other electronic or digitally manipulated
means. It is a woven combination of digitally manipulated text, photographs,
graphic art, sound, animation, and video elements.” (Vaughan, 2008).

Newton defines multimedia as “the combination of different types of media in the

communication of information between two users and their computers. The format
in which the information for communication exists differs, but it usually includes
voice communication, sound processing and image processing. Multimedia means
that convergence of the technologies from the different industries into a
communication medium that presents the synthesis of interactive computers,
highly fidelity video and sound. Multimedia is thus the combination of standard
data processing with text, graphics, animation, sound and video” (Newton, 1998).

Dahmer defines the term as “something that combines the capabilities of

technologies that used to be separate - it can combine things like text, graphics,
sounds and still or motion pictures in a smooth way to present information. Print,
telecommunications, video, broadcasting and computers have merged and the
result is what we now call multimedia” (Dahmer, 1993).

The simultaneous use of two or more different forms of media (text, graphics,
animation, sound and video) for effective information communication is referred as
multimedia. Graphics and sound, digital or analogue video, animations,
hypermedia, interactivity, computer games, virtual reality, electronic books, CD-
ROM, HDTV, telecommunications and many others have all been terms associated
with the definition of multimedia at one time or another (Stubley, 1994).
Multimedia is a technology engaging a variety of media including text, audio,
video, graphics and animation either separately or in combination, using computers
to communicate ideas or to disseminate information.
1.2.1 Classification of Multimedia
Multimedia may be broadly divided into two categories namely linear and non-
linear categories.

In the Linear category the active content advances without any interferential
control for the viewer. They begin at a predefined starting point and conclude at a
logical ending location. Linear presentations may be automated so that each screen
advances at a timed interval. The linear approach is intended strictly for display
purposes and is typically a passive “receiving” experience by the viewer, with no
expectation of participating. An example of linear multimedia is a PowerPoint
presentation given by a presenter during a meeting. This method provides a rich
experience, yet it eliminates choices and relinquishes control to the presenter.

Start 1 2 3 Finish

Figure 1.2: Linear multimedia

The non-linear content is also known as hypermedia content. Nonlinear,

nonsequential multimedia implies that a person will in some way interact with a
computer and by so doing they control the experience and dictate their unique
journey to their final destination. These multimedia presentations can be live or
recorded. A recorded presentation may allow interactivity via a navigation system
while a live multimedia presentation may allow interactivity via interaction with
the presenter or performer. An example of non-linear multimedia is viewing a
video on a DVD player or streamed via the Internet on a computer or TV which
provides many ways to interact with it and control the experience.
 Home

Level 1 Level 1 Level 1

Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2

Figure 1.3: Nonlinear multimedia

1.2.2 Kinds of Multimedia

The following are some examples of different kinds of multimedia programs:
 Educational children’s spelling program for use in schools in conjunction
with handwriting on the board or paper
 Retail clothing store with a computer-based interactive customer guide for
choosing products and services
 Online hospital training program for a nursing staff that can be completed at
work or home
 In-store sales and marketing demonstration to persuade customers to
purchase office supplies
 Video game based on medieval knights with interactive role-playing options
 Military combat simulations using 3D virtual reality software to prepare
soldiers for live warfare conflict
 Smart phone mini-application to determine the tax and shipping costs for
online purchases
 Language learning programs to help prepare for travel
 Live TV broadcast of a singing and dancing competition where the audience
can participate by selecting who they prefer with a handheld voting device,
and where viewers at home can cast votes via web in real time
  Handheld global positioning system (GPS) deice for mapping routes while
driving, biking, or hiking

1.2.3 Features of Multimedia

Digital and computer based images, text, graphics, animation, audio and video that
can be turned from one form to another are two fundamental features of
multimedia. Generally, multimedia presentations are viewed in person in a
boardroom, class, on stage or in an auditorium. They can be transmitted, projected
or played on a projector using a media player such as a computer. A live or
recorded presentation is called a broadcast. Multimedia games can be used in a
physical environment with multiple users in an online network, with special effects
or with an off-line computer or game system. Interaction in a multimedia program
can be increased by mixing multiple forms of media content. However, depending
upon the kinds of multimedia content available, it may differ online.

Multimedia is progressively becoming data-driven and object-oriented which

allows applications with cooperative end-user innovation and personalization on
many forms of content over a period. For instance, content available on various
websites such as photo galleries that have both content and images user-updated, to
simulations whose events, animations, illustrations or videos are changeable,
enabling the multimedia experience to be changed without reprogramming

1.3 Brief History of Multimedia

The genesis of multimedia can be traced back from some notable inventions. The
invention of printing press in 1450 by Gutenberg brought a revolution in the
growth of recorded knowledge. Radio transmission was invented by G. Marconi in
1885, and he detected radio waves beamed across the Atlantic in 1901, which is
now a major medium for audio broadcasting. In the area of still pictures, the
evolution of microfilm was in 1839 and negative film in 1841. Photography came
into existence in 1851. Moving pictures i.e. cinematographic film was invented in
1870. Sound recording discs came into existence in 1877 and magnetic tape-
recorder in 1898. Sound tape was used first time in the year 1899. In 1908, video
tape and Television were invented. Electronic camera was invented in 1934
(Taylor, 1982).
Evolution of microcomputers in 1945 had made revolution in the field of computer
technology. Optical storage system was evolved in 1985, and it is notable in this
regard (Vaughan, 2008). Television was the new media for twentieth century; it
brought the video and has changed the world of mass communication. Origin of
multimedia is frequently connected with the emergence of Memex. Memex is a
mechanical device designed by Bush in 1945 for storing, organizing and retrieving
information in the form of text and graphics (Bush, 1945). Doug Englebert, in
1962, designed a system called NLS (oN Line System) which had interactive
multi-user editing and branching of different files and texts having searching
facility (Engelbart, 1993).

In 1965, Theodor Nelson had designed a system named as hypertext in 1965,

which was based on the concept of Memex (Nelson, 1965). Hypertext means a non
sequential reading and writing, allowing authors to link information, create paths
through a corpus of related material, annotate existing text, create notes and points
readers to either bibliographical data or the body of the referenced text. It is text in
electronic form that takes advantage of the interactive capabilities (Conklin, 1987).
When text is stored in a computer, the computer’s powerful processing capabilities
can be applied to make the text more accessible and meaningful. The text can then
be called hypertext, because the words, sections and thoughts are linked. The user
can navigate through text in a nonlinear way, quickly and intuitively.

Hypertext systems are currently used for electronic publishing and reference
works, technical documentation, educational courseware, interactive kiosks,
electronic catalogues, interactive fiction, text and image databases. Another
development in this field is hypermedia. A multimedia program developed in a
hypertext environment is hypermedia. It is simply the extension of hypertext that
incorporates other media elements in addition to text. With hypermedia systems,
author can create linked corps of materials that include text, static and animated
graphics, video, sound, music etc. (Yankelovich, Haan, Meyrowit & Drucker,
1988). The basic difference between hypermedia and multimedia is in the
organization and the linkages of the information fragments. The information
fragments in the multimedia are organized linearly whereas in hypermedia, these
are organized non-linearly with links to each other (Ramaiah, 1992).
Theodor Nelson started another project named as XANDU in 1960s, a global
literary system aimed as instantaneous repository and delivery system for the
published works like text, graphics, audio, video etc., so that any user may rapidly
get any frame or whole work (Nelson, 1980; Gregory, 1983). In late 1970s, Van
Dam designed a File Retrieving and Editing System (FRESS) by incorporating the
best ideas of Engelbart’s NLS (oN Line System) and Hypertext Editing System
(Van Dam, 1971). This was followed by another system INTERMEDIA, designed
by Meyrowitz at Brown University for conducting research on use of hypertext in
teaching (Yankelovich et al., 1988). At the start of 1990s multimedia was meant as
combination of text with document images (Andleigh and Thakrar, 2003).

Multimedia technology got revolutionized with the introduction of Internet. In

1991, Tim Berner Lee developed a global hypertext project known as World Wide
Web designed to allow people to work together by combining their knowledge in a
web of hypertext documents. He is the primary inventor of the World Wide Web
and HTML, the system of text links and multimedia capabilities that made the
Internet accessible to mass audiences (Berner-Lee, n.d.).

In twenty-first century multimedia is used on internet for various multimedia

applications. Now most of the websites on internet have multimedia capabilities.
Multimedia blogs, audio and video archives, podcasts, multimedia galleries,
webcasts, multimedia in social networking websites etc are today’s common
applications of multimedia on internet.

1.4 Components/Elements of Multimedia

There are five components or elements of multimedia i.e. text, sound, images,
animation and video. These are explained in detail as under (Vaughan, 2008).

1.4.1 Text
Text or written language is the most common way of communicating information.
It is one of the basic components of multimedia. It was originally defined by
printed media such as books and newspapers that used various typefaces to display
the alphabet, numbers, and special characters. Although multimedia products
include pictures, audio and video, text may be the most common data type found in
multimedia applications. Besides this, text also provides opportunities to extend
the traditional power of text by linking it to other media, thus making it an
interactive medium.
(i) Static Text
In static text, the words are laid out to fit in well with the graphical surroundings.
The words are built into the graphics just like the graphics and explanation given in
the pages of the book, the information is well laid out and easy to read. The
learners are able to look at the pictures and read the textual information, as they are
available on the similar screen (Kindersley, 1996).
(ii) Hypertext
A hypertext system consists of nodes. It contains the text and links between the
nodes, which define the paths the user can follow to access the text in non-
sequential ways. The links represent associations of meaning and can be thought of
as cross-references. This structure is created by the author of the system, although
in more sophisticated hypertext systems the user is able to define their own paths.
The hypertext provides the user with the flexibility and choice to navigate through
the material. Text should be used to convey imperative information and should be
positioned at appropriate place in a multimedia product. Well-formatted sentences
and paragraphs are vital factors, spacing and punctuation also affects the
readability of the text. Fonts and styles should be used to improve the
communication of the message more appropriately.

1.4.2 Image
Images are an important component of multimedia. These are generated by the
computer in two ways, as bitmap or raster images and as vector images.
(i) Raster or Bitmap Images
The most common and comprehensive form of storage for images on a computer is
a raster or bitmap image. Bitmap is a simple matrix of the tiny dots called pixel
that forms a raster or bitmap image (Vaughan, 2008). Each pixel consists of two or
more colours. The colour depth is determined by how much data, in bits is used to
determine the number of colours e.g. one bit is two colours, four bits means sixteen
colours, eight bits indicates 256 colours, 16 bits yields 65,536 colours and so on.
Depending on the hardware capabilities, each point can display from two to
millions of colours. Comprehensive image means that an image looks as much as
possible like the real word or original product. This means that the proportion, size,
colour, and texture must be as accurate as possible. Bitmap formats are Windows
Bitmap (BMP), Device Independent Bitmap (DIB), and Windows Run Length
Encoded (RLE) (Hillman, 1998).
(ii) Vector Images
Vector images base on drawing elements or objects such as lines, rectangles,
circles and so forth to create an image. The advantage of vector image is the
relatively small amount of data required to represent the image and therefore, it
does not requires a lot of memory to store. The image consists of a set of
commands that are drawn when needed. A bitmap image requires the number of
pixels to produce appropriate height, width and colour depth, the vector image is
based on a relatively limited number of drawing commands. The falls drop of
vector images is the limited level of detail that can be presented in an image
(Hillman, 1998). Mostly used vector format is Windows metafile in windows
operating system.

Compression techniques are used to reduce the file size of images that is useful for
storing large number of images and speeding transmission for networked
application. Compression formats used for this purpose are GIF, TIFF and JPEG.

1.4.3 Animation
Animation consists of still images displayed so quickly that they give the
impression of continuous movement. The screen object is a vector image in
animation. The movement of that image along paths is calculated using numerical
transformations applied to their defining coordinates. To give the impression of
smoothness the frame rate has to be at least 16 frames per second, and for natural
looking motion it should be at least 25 frames per second. Animations may be two
or three dimensional. In two dimensional animations the visual changes that bring
an image alive occur on the flat X and Y axis of the screen, while in three
dimensional animations it occurs along the entire three axes X, Y and Z showing
the image from all the angles. Such animations are typically rendered frame by
high-end three dimensional animations software. Animation tools are very
powerful and effective. There are two basic types of animations, path animation
and frame animation.
(i) Path Animation
Path animations involve moving an object on a screen that has a constant
background e.g. a cartoon character may move across the screen regardless any
change in the background or the character.

(ii) Frame Animation

In frame animations, several objects are allowed to move simultaneously and the
objects or the background can also change. The moving objects are one of the most
appropriate tools to enhance understanding, as they allow the learner to see the
demonstration of changes, processes and procedures (Earnshaw and Vince, 1995).
Animation uses very little memory in comparison to digital video as it consists of
drawing and moving instructions. Animation is very useful for such multimedia
applications where moving visuals are required, but where digital video may be
unsuitable, unnecessary, or too expensive in terms of disc space or memory.

1.4.4 Sound
Sound is probably the most sensuous element of multimedia. It is meaningful
speech in any language, from a whisper to a scream. It can provide the listening
pleasure of music, the startling accent of special effects, or the ambience of a mood
setting background. It can promote an artist; add interest to a text site by
humanizing the author, or to teach pronouncing words in another language. Sound
pressure level (volume) is measured in decibels, which is actually the ratio between
a chosen reference point on a logarithmic scale and the level that is actually
experienced.
(i) Musical Instrument Digital Identifier (MIDI)
Musical Instrument Digital Identifier (MIDI) is a communication standard
developed in the early 1980s for electronic musical instruments and computers. It
is the short hand representation of music stored in numeric form. MIDI is the
quickest, easiest and most flexible tool for composing original score in a
multimedia project. To make MIDI scores sequencer, software and sound
synthesizer is needed. A MIDI keyboard is also useful for simplifying the creation
of musical scores. Its quality depends upon the quality of musical instruments and
the capabilities of sound system. It is device dependent (Vaughan, 2008).
(ii) Digital Audio
A digital audio is a signal that represents audio as a series of numbers. Digitised
sound is sampled sound. At every nth fraction of a second, a sample of sound is
taken and stored as digital information in bits and bytes. The quality of this digital
recording depends upon how often the samples are taken (sampling rate) and how
many numbers are used to represent the value of each sample (bit depth, sample
size, resolution). The more often the sample is taken and the more data is stored
about that sample, the finer the resolution and quality of the captured sound when
it is played back (Vaughan, 2008). The quality of digital audio also relies on the
quality of the original audio source, capture devices, supporting software and the
capability of playback environment.

The main benefit of audio is that it provides a channel that is separate from that of
the display (Nielson, 1995). Sound plays a major role in multimedia applications,
but there is a very fine balance between getting it right and overdoing it (Philips,
1997). Multimedia products benefit from digital audio as informational content
such as a speech or voice-over and as special effects to indicate that a program is
executing various actions such as jumping to new screens. The three sampling
frequencies used in multimedia are CD-quality 44.1 kHz, 22.05 kHz and 11.025
kHz. Digital audio plays a key role in digital video.

1.4.5 Video
Video is defined as the display of recorded real events on a television type screen.
The embedding of video in multimedia applications is a powerful way to convey
information. It can incorporate a personal element, which other media lack. The
personality of the presenter can be displayed in a video (Philips, 1997). The video
may be categorised in two types, analogue video and digital video.
(i) Analogue Video
Analogue video is the video data that is stored in any non-computer media like
videotape, laserdisc, film etc. It is further divided in two types, composite and
component analogue video.
Composite analogue Video has all the video components including brightness,
colour, and synchronization, combined into one signal. Due to the composition or
combining of the video components, the quality of the composite video is resulted
as colour bleeding, low clarity and high generational loss (Hillman, 1998).
Generational loss means the loss of quality when the master is copied to edit or for
other purpose. This recording format was used for customer analogue video
recording tape formats (such as Betamax and VHS) and was never adequate for
most multimedia presentations (Vaughan, 2008). Composite video is also
susceptible to quality loss from one generation to other.
Component analogue video is considered more advanced than composite video. It
takes different components of video such as colour, brightness and synchronization
and breaks them into separate signals (Hillman, 1998). S-VHS and Hi-8 are
examples of this type of analogue video in which colour and brightness,
information are stored on two separate tracks. In early 1980s, Sony has launched a
new portable, professional video format “Betacam” in which signals are stored on
three separate tracks (Vaughan, 2008).
There are certain analogue broadcast video standards commonly used round the
globe. These are National Television Standard Committee (NTSC), Phase
Alternate Line (PAL), Sequential Colour with Memory (SECAM) and HDTV. In
the United States, Canada, Japan NTSC standard is used, while in United
Kingdom, China, South Africa PAL is used, SECAM is used in France. A new
standard has been developed known as High Definition Television (HDTV) which
bears better image and colour quality in comparison to other standards.
(ii) Digital Video
It is the most engaging of multimedia venues, and it is a powerful tool for bringing
computer users closer to the real world (Vaughan, 2008). Digital video is storage
intensive. A high quality colour still image on a computer screen requires one
megabyte or more of storage memory. To provide the appearance of motion,
picture should be replaced by at least thirty times per second and the storage
memory required is at least thirty megabyte for one second of video. The more
times the picture is replaced, the better is the quality of video. Video requires high
bandwidth to deliver data in networked environment. This overwhelming
technological bottleneck is overcome using digital video compression schemes.
There are video compression standards as MPEG, JPEG, Cinepak and Sorenson. In
addition to compressing video data, streaming technologies such as Adobe Flash,
Microsoft Windows Media, QuickTime and Real Player are being implemented to
provide reasonable quality low bandwidth video on the web. QuickTime and Real
Video are the most commonly used for wide spread distribution.

Digital video formats can be divided into two categories, composite video and
component video:
Composite digital recording formats encode the information in binary (0‟s and
1‟s) digital code. It retains some of weakness of analogue composite video like
colour and image resolution and the generation loss when copies are made.

Component digital is the uncompressed format having very high image quality. It
is highly expensive. Some popular formats in this category are “Digital Bitacam”
and D-5 developed in 1994 and DVCAM developed in 1996.

There are certain standards for digital display of video i.e. Advanced Television
System Committee (ATSC), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), and Integrated
Services Digital Broadcasting (ISBD). ATSC is the digital television standard for
the United States, Canada and South Korea, DVB is used commonly in Europe and
ISBD is used in Japan to allow the radio and television stations to convert into
digital format (Molina & Villamil, 1998).
Video can be used in many applications. Motion pictures enhance comprehension
only if they match the explanation. For example, if we want to show the dance
steps used in different cultures, video is easier and more effective than to use any
graphics or animation (Thibodeau, 1997).

1.5 Use of Multimedia in Different Fields

Multimedia is everywhere whether you are at a railway station looking at the
schedule screens or watching your Television or using your mobile. It has changed
everything from manufacturing to the advertising and education to healthcare
industry. It has revolutionized everything everywhere not only in Nigeria but also
the entire world.
1. Advertising

Figure 1.4: Multimedia in Advertising

Advertising has changed a lot over the past couple of decades, and this is mainly
due to the increased use of the internet in business. Multimedia plays a great and a
vital role in the field of advertising. As whatever it is whether print or electronic
advertisement, they first are prepared on the computer by using professionals'
software's and then it is brought in front of the target audiences.

Some of different types of advertising are:

 Print advertising
 Radio (audio) advertising
 Television (video) advertising
 Digital advertising
o Display Ads
o Remarketing
o Video
o Social
o Search
 Mobile advertising
2. Education

Figure 1.5: Multimedia in Education

In the area of education too, the multimedia has a great importance. Talking
particularly about the schools, their usage has a significant role to play for children
also. It is broadly used in the field of education and training. We used audio for
imparting education even in traditional method, where charts, models etc. were
used.
Nowadays the classroom need is not limited to that traditional method rather it
needs audio and visual media. With the use of multimedia everything can be
integrated into one system. As an education aid the PC contains a high-quality
display with mic option. This all has promoted the development of a wide range of
computer-based training.
3. Mass Media

Figure 1.6: Multimedia in Mass Media

It is used in the field of mass media i.e. journalism, in various magazines and
newspapers that are published periodically. The use of multimedia plays a vital
role in a publishing house as there are many works of newspaper designing and
other stuff also.
Nowadays it is not only the text that we can see in the newspaper, but we can also
see photographs in newspaper, this not only makes newspaper a perfect example
but will also explain the worthiness of hypermedia.

4. Entertainment and Fine Arts

In addition, multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry, especially
to develop special effects in movies and animations. Multimedia applications that
allow users to actively participate instead of just sitting by as passive recipients of
information are called Interactive Multimedia.
5. Gaming Industry

Figure 1.7: Multimedia in Gaming Industry

One of the most exciting applications of multimedia is games. Nowadays the live
internet is used to play gaming with multiple players has become popular. In fact,
the first application of multimedia system was in the field of entertainment and that
too in the video game industry. The integrated audio and video effects make
various types of games more entertaining.

6. Science and Technology

Figure 1.8: Multimedia in Science and Technology

Multimedia had a wide application in the field of science and technology. It is
capable of transferring audio, sending message and formatted multimedia
documents. At the same time it also helps in live interaction through audio
messages and it is only possible with the hypermedia. It reduces the time and cost
can be arranged at any moment even in emergencies.
At the same time, it is useful for surgeons as they can use images created from
imaging scans of human body to practice complicated procedures such as brain
removal and reconstructive surgery. The plans can be made in a better way to
reduce the costs and complications.

7. Pre-Production

Figure 1.9: Multimedia in Pre-Production

Pre-Production comprises of everything you do before you start recording of audio
or video. This phase of your project is extremely important. Everything you do in
pre-production will save time and aggravation during production and post-
production. The techniques shown will include: how to design storyboards,
including how to show correct camera angles for the scene, writing your story, and
how to use video transitions can be done with the help of multimedia.

8. Medicine
In Medicine, doctors can get trained by looking at a virtual surgery or they can
simulate how the human body is affected by diseases spread by viruses and
bacteria and then develop techniques to prevent it.
9. Industry
In the Industrial sector, multimedia is used as a way to help present information to
shareholders, superiors and co-workers. Multimedia is also helpful for providing
employee training, advertising and selling products all over the world via virtually
unlimited web-based technologies.

10. Post Production

Figure 1.10: Multimedia in Post-Production

It is the final step of production involves editing scenes, adding various transition
effects, addition of voice to characters, background score, dubbing and much more
can be done using multimedia technologies. 
11. Fine Arts

Figure 1.11: Multimedia in Fine Arts

In fine arts, there are multimedia artists, who blend techniques using different
media that in some way incorporates interaction with the viewer. One of such ways
is blending cinema with opera through the help of all sorts of digital media.

12. Engineering

Figure 1.12: Multimedia in Engineering

Software engineers often use multimedia in computer simulations for anything
such as military or industrial training. It is also used for software interfaces which
are done as collaboration between creative professionals and software engineers.
13. Research

Figure 1.13: Multimedia in Research

In the area of mathematical and scientific research, multimedia is primarily used
for modelling and simulation. For example, looking at a molecular model by a
scientist of a particular substance and manipulate it to arrive at a new substance.

14. Public Places

In hotels, railway stations, shopping malls, museums, and grocery stores,
multimedia will become available at stand-alone terminals or kiosks to provide
information and help. Such installation reduce demand on traditional information
booths and personnel, add value, and they can work around the clock, even in the
middle of the night, when live help is off duty.

1.6 Advantages of Multimedia

Some of the advantages of multimedia are:
i) Creativity: It brings more life to discussions.
ii) Variety: It caters all types of learners.
iii) Cost-effective: Multimedia mostly requires only a one-time purchase of
devices and software, which can be used unlimited times thereafter.
iv) Evaluation: It offers ideal learning assessment tools which are also
entertaining for the students.
v) Realistic Approach: It provides approaches which make learning more
realistic.
vi) Wide Variety of Support: Multiple media formats are available for use, with
different models being able to create multimedia.
vii) Trendy: The current trend of culture leans toward technology, and a great
number of resources are being made available for different media formats.

1.7 Disadvantages of Multimedia

The following are some of the disadvantages of multimedia:
i) Accessibility: Multimedia definite quantity electricity to be operated, which may
not be accessible in some rural areas or may not be systematically acquirable due
to deficit and intermission.
ii) Distracting: Multimedia may take away the focusing from the lesson due to its
attention-grabbing formats.
iii) Costly: Production of multimedia is more costly than others because it is made
up of more than one medium.. Production of multimedia requires an electronic
device, which may be relatively expensive. Multimedia requires electricity to run,
which adds to the cost of its use.
iv) Time Consuming: Creating multimedia requires more time.
v) Requires Mastery: Multimedia requires consistent and long practice to master,
which may take a lot of time and energy from the user.
vi) Limited Support/Compatibility: There is a wide variety of gadget models
which arouses incompatibilities of media formats.
vii) Fragile: The device used for multimedia must be used with attention;
vulnerability to moisture or other elements could cause costly, reparable damage
which would require another purchase of a device.

1.8 Virtual Reality

At the convergence of technology and creative invention in multimedia is virtual
reality, or VR. Goggles, helmets, special gloves, and bizarre human interfaces
attempt to place you “inside” a lifelike experience. Take a step forward, and the
view gets closer, turn your head, and the view rotates. Reach out and grab an
object; your hand moves in front of you. Maybe the object explodes in a 90-decibel
crescendo as you wrap your fingers around it. Or it slips out from your grip, falls to
the floor, and hurriedly escapes through a mouse hole at the bottom of the wall.
VR requires terrific computing horsepower to be realistic. In VR, your cyberspace
is made up of many thousands of geometric objects plotted in three dimensional
space: the more objects and the more points that describe the objects, the higher
resolution and the more realistic your view. As the user moves about, each motion
or action requires the computer to recalculate the position, angle size, and shape of
all the objects that make up your view, and many thousands of computations must
occur as fast as 30 times per second to seem smooth.
On the World Wide Web, standards for transmitting virtual reality worlds or
“scenes” in VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) documents (with the file
name extension .wrl) have been developed.

Using high-speed dedicated computers, multi-million-dollar flight simulators built

by singer, RediFusion, and others have led the way in commercial application of
VR. Pilots of F-16s, Boeing 777s, and Rockwell space shuttles have made many
dry runs before doing the real thing. At the California Maritime academy and other
merchant marine officer training schools, computer-controlled simulators teach the
intricate loading and unloading of oil tankers and container ships.

Specialized public game arcades have been built recently to offer VR combat and
flying experiences for a price. From virtual World Entertainment in walnut Greek,
California, and Chicago, for example, BattleTech is a ten-minute interactive video
encounter with hostile robots. You compete against others, perhaps your friends,
who share coaches in the same containment Bay. The computer keeps score in a
fast and sweaty firefight. Similar “attractions” will bring VR to the public,
particularly a youthful public, with increasing presence during the 1990s.

The technology and methods for working with three-dimensional images and for
animating them are discussed. VR is an extension of multimedia-it uses the basic
multimedia elements of imagery, sound, and animation. Because it requires
instrumented feedback from a wired-up person, VR is perhaps interactive
multimedia at its fullest extension.
Self Assessment
Q1: What is meant by the terms Multimedia and HyperMedia? Distinguish
between these two concepts.
Q2: Define HyperText and explain the traversal through hypertext.
Q3: Define HyperMedia and list 4 hypermedia applications.
Q4: What is meant by the terms static (or discrete) media and dynamic (or
continuous) media? Give examples of each type of media.
Q5: Why is file or data compression necessary for Multimedia activities?
Q6: Give a definition of multimedia and multimedia system.
Q7: What are the key distinctions between multimedia data and more conventional
types of media?
Q8: List 5 examples on multimedia data.
Q9: What are the areas where Multimedia elements are used?
Q10: What is the use of hyperlinks?
 CHAPTER TWO
MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS

2.1 Introduction
A Multimedia System is a system capable of processing multimedia data and
applications. It is characterized by the processing, storage, generation,
manipulation and rendition of Multimedia information.

2.2 Characteristics of Multimedia Systems

A Multimedia system has four basic characteristics:

1. Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.

This entails the following:
 Producing the content of the information–e.g.by using the authoring tools,
image editor, sound and video editor
 Storing the information–providing large and shared capacity for multimedia
information.
 Transmitting the information–through the network.
 Presenting the information to the end-user–make direct use of computer
peripheral such as display device (monitor) or sound generator (speaker).

2. Multimedia systems are integrated.

The system being integrated fulfils the following conditions:
 All multimedia components (audio, video, text, graphics) used in the system
must be somehow integrated.
 Every device, such as microphone and camera is connected to and controlled
by a single computer.
 A single type of digital storage is used for all media type.
 Video sequences are shown on computer screen instead of TV monitor
3. The information they handle must be represented digitally.
The digital representation of information covers the following levels of
interactivity:
  Level1: Interactivity strictly on information delivery. Users select the time at
which the presentation starts, the order, the speed and the form of the
presentation itself.
 Level2: Users can modify or enrich the content of the information, and this
modification is recorded.
 Level3: Actual processing of users input and the computer generate genuine
result based on the users input

4. The interface to the final presentation of media is usually interactive

For the interface of the system to be interactive it has to be digitally represented.
And this digitization is a process of transforming analogue signal to digital signal.

2.3 Challenges for Multimedia Systems

There are two outstanding forms of problem in a multimedia system namely:
 Distributed networks
 Temporal relationship between data
--render different data at same time-continuously.
--sequencing within the media that is playing frames in correct order/time
frame in video
--synchronization – inter media scheduling eg. Video and audio or
animation and audio

The key issues multimedia systems need to deal with here are:
 how to represent and store temporal information.
 how to strictly maintain the temporal relationships on playback/retrieval.
 what processes are involved in the above.
 how data has to represented digitally that is analogue-digital conversion,
sampling etc
 large data requirements—bandwidth, storage, compression

2.4 Desirable Features for a Multimedia System

Given the above challenges the following features are desirable (if not
prerequisites) for a multimedia system:
  Very High Processing Power-- needed to deal with large data processing
and real time delivery of media. It is a special hardware common place.
 Multimedia Capable File System-- needed to deliver real-time media
-- e.g. Video/Audio Streaming. Special Hardware/Software
needed e.g RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology.
 Data Representations/File Formats that support multimedia-- Data
representations/file formats should be easy to handle yet allow for
compression/decompression in real-time.
 Efficient and High Input/Output (I/O)-- input and output to the file
subsystem needs to be efficient and fast. This needs to allow for real-time
recording as well as playback of data. e.g. Direct to Disk recording systems.
 Special/Suitable Operating System-- to allow access to file system and
process data efficiently and quickly. This needs to support direct transfers to
disk, real-time scheduling, fast interrupt processing, I/O streaming etc.
 Large Storage and Memory-- large storage units (of the order of 100 -500
GB or more) and large memory (2 -4 GB or more). Large Caches also
required and frequently of Level 2 and 3 hierarchy for efficient management.
 Network Support systems—networks like Client-server systems and
distributed systems are common
 User friendly Software Tools-- user friendly tools needed to handle media,
design and develop applications, deliver media

2.5 Components of Multimedia Systems

Multimedia resources are based on the ability of the computer to capture, process,
and present text, pictures, audio and video. Selection of proper hardware, software
and file format for developing multimedia product is based on the budget and type
of content in the product and delivery requirements. Following is a description of
infrastructure requirement for producing multimedia system:

2.5.1 Hardware Requirements

The special hardware requirements can be described in five categories i. e.
(i) Input/capture devices
(ii) Output/display devices
(iii) Storage devices
(iv) Computer systems and
(v) Communication devices.

Figure 2.1: Components/Resources of Multimedia System

(i) Input/capture Devices

Input devices usually used for the production of multimedia resources are as
follows:
(a) Keyboard
A keyboard is the most common method of interaction with a computer.
Keyboards provide various tactile responses (from firm to mushy) and have
various layouts depending upon your computer system and keyboard model.
Keyboards are typically rated for at least 50 million cycles (the number of times
a key can be pressed before it might suffer breakdown). The most common
keyboard for PCs is the 101 style (which provides 101keys), although many styles
are available with more are fewer special keys, LEDs, and others features, such as
a plastic membrane cover for industrial or food-service applications or flexible
“ergonomic” styles. Macintosh keyboards connect to the Apple Desktop Bus
(ADB), which manages all forms of user input- from digitizing tablets to mice.
Examples of types of keyboards include:
• Computer keyboard
• Keyer
• Chorded keyboard
• LPFK
(b) Mouse
A mouse is the standard tool for interacting with a graphic user interface. The
buttons on the mouse provide additional user input, such as pointing and double-
clicking to open a document or the click and drag operation, or to move to and
select an item on a pull down menu, to access context sensitive help.
(c) Touch screen
Touch screens are monitors that usually have a textured coating across the glass
face. This coating is sensitive to pressure and registers the location of the user’s
finger when it touches the screen. The Touch Mate System, which has no coating,
actually measures the pitch, roll, and yaw rotation of the monitor when pressed by
a finger, and determines how much force was exerted and the location where the
force was applied. Other touch screens use invisible beams of infrared light that
crisscross the front of the monitor to calculate where a finger was pressed. Pressing
twice on the screen in quick and dragging the finger, without lifting it, to another
location simulates a mouse click-and- drag. A keyboard is sometimes simulated
using an onscreen representation so users can input names, numbers, and other text
by pressing “keys”.
Touch screen recommended for day-to-day computer work, but are excellent for
multimedia applications in a kiosk, at a trade show, or in a museum delivery
system anything involving public input and simple tasks. When your project is
designed to use a touch screen, the monitor is the only input device required, so
you can secure all other system hardware behind locked doors to prevent theft or
tampering.
(d) Scanner
Scanner is the most useful equipment used in a multimedia project. It may be flat
bed, hand held and drum scanners. The most commonly used scanner for
multimedia application is colour flatbed scanners that provide resolute of 600 dots
per inch (dpi) or better.
(e) Optical Character Recognition Device
After scanning, a document can be converted into a word processing document on
the computer without retyping or rekeying, with the help of OCR system. OCR
system uses a combination of hardware and software to recognise characters. Some
examples of OCRs are omni page from Scansoft, Recore from Maxsoft-Ocron. The
OCR terminal can be of use to a multimedia developer because it recognizes not
only printed characters but also handwriting. This facility may be beneficial at a
kiosk or in general education environment where user friendliness is a goal,
because there are growing demand for a more personal and less technical interface
to data and information.
(f) Voice Recognition System
Voice Recognition systems can be used for the hands-free interaction with the
computer. These behavioural biometric systems usually provide a unidirectional
cardioid, noise cancelling microphone that automatically filters out background
noise and learn to recognize voice prints. These systems can trigger common menu
events such as save, open, quite, print and other commands that are more specific
to the application.
(g) Digital Camera and Video Camera
Digital cameras capture the still image or video of a given number of pixels
(resolution) and the images are stored in the camera’s memory to be uploaded later
to a computer. The resolution of digital camera is determined by megapixel rating.
Video camera is a camera capable of recording live motion video with audio for
later display. Data may be uploaded from the camera’s memory using a USB cable
connected to the computer.

(ii) Output/display Devices

The following is a brief description of output devices used in a multimedia project:
(a) Monitors
The monitors for a multimedia application must be high-end, large screen graphics
monitor and liquid crystal display. Serious multimedia developers often attach
more than one monitor to their computer, using add-on graphics boards. This is
because many authoring systems allow working with several open windows at a
time. So one monitor may be dedicated to view the work the developer is
designing, and editing tasks can be performed in windows on other monitors that
do not block the view of the work.
(b) Audio devices
All the computers are equipped with an internal speaker and a dedicated sound
chip, and they do are capable of audio without additional hardware. To abate
advantages of inbuilt stereo sound external speakers are required. Altec Lansing’s
three piece amplified speaker system is designed for multimedia applications.
(c) Video devices
Video display devices, often called graphics adapters, enable the computer to
present information on monitors capable of displaying up to 16 million colours.
Television pictures can be displayed on the computer by installing a video
digitizing board.
(d) Projectors
Projector is required to show the presentation to large number of viewers. Cathode
ray tube projectors, liquid crystal display, digital high processing projectors, and
liquid crystal on silicon projectors may be used for the multimedia applications.
(e) Printers
With the advent of reasonably priced colour printers, a hard copy output has
entered the multimedia scene. Many printers are available in the market i.e. laser
printer, solid-ink printer, dye-sublimation printer, liquid inkjet printer and printers
based on toner technology. Laser printers are the best in terms of quality output.

(iii) Storage Devices

Multimedia data requires very high storage capacity. The storage devices used are
given as follows:
(a) RAM
The Random Access Memory should be very good for graphics, audio and video
production and writing multimedia products. Graphics memory also called VRAM
(Video random access memory) for high resolution colour display may be used.
(b) Hard Disc
There should be relatively fast hard drive systems for processing graphics, audio
and video. Now fast, less expensive and large capacity HDD are available in the
market. 120GB Hard disc is recommended for multimedia production.
(c) Magnetic Tapes
It is a plastic ribbon which is usually ½ inch or ¼ inch wide, and 50 to 2400 feet
long. Data are recorded on the tape in the form of tiny invisible magnetised and
non-magnetised spots on the coated surface of the tape. The tape ribbon is itself
stored in reels or in small cartridge or cassette. Four mm digital audio tape is most
widely used type of magnetic tape in multimedia applications. It uses a tape ribbon
of 4mm and 60 or 90 meters long enclosed in a cartridge.
(d) Magnetic Disc
Magnetic disc is a thin plate made of plastic usually coated on both sides with a
magnetisable recording material. The information written on it can be erased or
reused indefinitely. The information stored can be read many times, without
affecting its quality. Floppy disc and hard disc are examples of magnetic disc.
Most popular magnetic discs used in multimedia application are Zip disc, Jaz disc,
super disc etc.
(e) Optical Disc
Optical discs can store extremely large amount of data in a limited space. An
optical-disc storage system consists of a rotating disc, which is coated with a thin
metal or some other material that is highly reflective. Laser beam technology is
used for recording and reading data on the disc. These are also called laserdiscs. It
is found in the form of CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD. CD-R is Compact Disc
Recordable., CD- RW is Compact Disc Rewritable, and DVD is Digital Video
Disc. There are three types of DVD, DVD-RW, DVD-Video and DVD-ROM. CDs
and DVDs are the best for multimedia storage because of its huge storage capacity.
(f) Pen Drive and External Hard Disc
The latest development in storage is the evolution of pen-drive and external hard-
disc. Pen drive alternatively referred to as USB flash drive, data stick, memory
unit, keychain drive and thumb drive is portable storage device. It has no movable
parts and contains only an integrated circuit memory chip that is used to store data.
An external hard drive is a piece of equipment that can be connected to the
computer to increase its storage space. It is easy to use, convenient, and an
incredibly safe way to backup our most important files.

(iv) Computer systems

Computer systems usually used for the production of multimedia resources are as
follows:
(a) Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC)
Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC) was developed in 1990 and is any computer
that is capable of running programs that combine video, animation, audio and
graphics. There are three MPC standards- MPC, MPC2, and MPC3. But today, all
new computers with a sound card and video card are MPC compliant.
(b) MPEG/VIDEO/DSP Hardware
This refers to the hardware components that are used in the family of digital video
compression standards and file formats developed by the Moving Picture Experts
Group (MPEG) and the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) of complex mathematical
operations.

Criteria for Choosing to Purchase a Computer System:

i) Price: First you must decide on an estimation of the money needed for the
system.
ii) Systems Performance: The computer hardware that you select must be suitable
with the system performance you require.
iii) Needs: You should know your real needs when planning to purchase a
multimedia computer so that you can get a computer that not only meet your
requirements and taste, but also one with a reasonable price.

(v) Communication Devices

Multimedia data file size, especially for graphics; audio and video are quite large.
Therefore the key issue for multimedia communication is bandwidth. Band width
is the amount of information that can be transmitted across a network of computers
within a stipulated period of time. It is measured in kilobits per second (kbps) or
megabits per second (mbps). Communication systems have created two classes of
multimedia products, synchronous or real time and asynchronous. Synchronous
applications are able to transmit and receive data in real time allowing the end user
to view or hear data as it is being captured or created. Asynchronous applications
use a store and forward method in which data is transmitted and stored for future.
Primary communication devices for multimedia are as under (Hillman, 1998).
(a) Modem
Modem modulates and de-modulates analogue signals. The modem speed is the
most important consideration in communicating multimedia files. These files
contain the graphics, audio and video and usually it is needed to move as much
data as possible in a short time. The standards today dictate at least a 56 kbps
modem. Compression saves significant transmission time and cost over long
distance. Fifty six kbps V.90 depends on hardware based compression algorithm to
crunch the data before sending it and decompressing it upon arrival at the receiving
end (Vaughan, 2008).
(b) Network Devices
For higher transmission speed by telephone Integrated Services Digital Network
(ISDN) is recommended for multimedia. ISDN lines offer a 128 kbps data transfer
rate. These are used for internet access, networking and audio and video
conferencing. Now a faster technology known as DSL technology using a
dedicated line has overtaken ISDN in popularity. As there are so many variables in
selecting hardware for a multimedia platform, a group of companies formed an
organization called the Multimedia PC Marketing Council (MPC) in 1990 to set
minimum standards for multimedia hardware. MPC Level-1 published in 1990
dictated that a system is considered as Level 1 system with configuration as 16
MHZ 386SX or compatible microprocessor, 2 MB of RAM, 30 MB Hard disc, 3.5-
inch high-density Diskette drive, single speed CD-ROM drive with a 150 KB per
second data transfer rate, 8-bit soundboard, VGA compatible display adapter,
Colour VGA compatible monitor, 101 key keyboard, two-button mouse, standard
serial and parallel ports, MIDI port, joystick port and support for either Microsoft
Windows version 3.0, with multimedia extensions, or for Windows version 3.1.
These standards were updated in 1993 with Level-2 specifications, and again
updated in 1995 as MPC-3. The MPC-3 standard delineates the specifications for
multimedia as 75 MHz Pentium Processor, 8 MB RAM, 540 MB Hard disc, 3.5-
inch high-density Diskette drive, Quad speed CD-ROM drive with a 600 KB per-
second data transfer rate, 16-bit, wave-table, MIDI sound card, MPEG-1 hardware
and software capable of 30 frames per second, 352 by 240 pixels, 15 bits per pixel
(Vaughan, 2008). Current machines have surpassed even this level, with storage
space now measured in terabytes standard on most PCs, RAM in gigabytes, and up
to a 2.0GHz processor speed on the icore chip.

2.5.2 Software Requirements

In addition to all hardware equipments described earlier, developers also need
software tools for building multimedia applications.
a. Text Editing Tools: These tools are used to write a letter, invoice, user manual
for a project and other documents. These tools are most often tools for any
multimedia project. e.g. Word pad, MS Word, Open Office Word.
Features of Text editing tools:
 Opening Existing Files, creating new files, saving it on some storage device and
printing.
 Find or replace the text from a document of multiple pages, cut, copy, paste of a
selected document or whole file.
 Insert page numbers on top, bottom or centre of the page, insert data, symbol,
writing, formula and equation, insert comment on document.
 Format the font of the text, making columns in the document, changing
background colour.
 Checking the document for spelling and grammar, protect the document.
 Making tables with variable numbers of columns and rows, sort the table and
change the style of the table.

b. Presentation Tools: Computer based presentation technology is used to

communicate more efficiently with the students, business delegates, sponsors and
the clients. Presentation tools are currently the single largest application for
multimedia in business. Presentation tools allow a great variety of delivery modes.
The main presentation tools are:
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Corel Presentation
• Macromedia Director
• Adobe Acrobat
Some of the Features of MS PowerPoint:
 You can create a new presentation or open the existing one.
 While creating the new document, you can also take help of the wizard which
will guide you to make it.
 It has option to make various slide layouts with different colour schemes.
 You can apply various animatic styles and slide transition methods.

c. Painting and Drawing tools: These are perhaps the most important thing for all
the multimedia projects. Painting and Drawing are generally inspired by the beauty
in people, natural or living and non living things.
Features:
 All the drawing tools have the GUI with menu, tool bars and dialogue box.
 Tools to draw a straight line, rectangular area, circle and basic shapes.
 Pencil draw freehand with a pencil and different colour selection options.
 Eraser tools
5. Support for test of different size, shape and type.
6. Good colour schemes with different options.
7. Paint brush tool.

d. Image Editing Tools: An image is a spatial representation of an object. Image

editing tools are required to reshape the existing images. The image editing tools
can be used to create an image from scratch as well as image from scanner, digital
cameras, files or from other painting and drawing tools.

e. Animation Tools: An animation is to show the still images at a certain rate to

give it visual effects. The visual effects might be time varying position, shape,
colour or change in orientation or focus. A computer based animation is performed
by a computer with various graphical tools. e.g. 2D and 3 D Animator, Flash,
Image Forge.

f. Plug‐ins: A plug in is a separate ode module that behaves as though it is a part of

the web browser. e.g. Apple Quick Time, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Macromedia
Flash Player

g. Sound Editing Tools: Sound is a key component in editing. The presence of

sound greatly enhances the effect of a presentation. e.g. Sound Edit pro, Audio edit
deluxe, Audio Editor Pro, Goldwave digital audio editor.

h. Video Editing Tools: In this collection of video material is either compiled and
altered from its original form to create a new version.
Types:
Linear Editing: follows a mechanical process, employs the use of camcorder, VCR,
etc.
Non‐linear Editing: is almost digital. It works on the principle of cut and paste.
e.g. imovie, windows movie maker, video edit magic.
Self Assessment
Q1: What key issues or problems does a multimedia system have to deal with
when handling multimedia data?
Q2: List the four basic characteristics of multimedia system?
Q3: List some challenges that can face the multimedia systems.
Q4: List and explain 5 desirable features in multimedia systems.
Q5: What are the hardware and software components that are required in
multimedia system? Or List the components of a multimedia system.
Q6: Briefly describe eight hardware or software features that a Multimedia System
should possess.
Q7: Give definition of a Multimedia System.
Q8: What are the outstanding forms of problems associated to a multimedia
system?
Q9: Explain Virtual Reality Systems?
Q10: State the key design issues that provide virtual reality functionality?
 CHAPTER THREE
MULTIMEDIA VISUALIZATION AND CREATIVE PROCESS

3.1 Introduction
Visualization is the process of representing data graphically and interacting with
these representations in order to gain insight into the data. It also refers to any
technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message.
This has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas
since the existence of man.

3.2 Applications
The following are the areas of application of visualization:
Scientific Visualization
Scientific Visualization, sometimes referred to in shorthand as SciVis, is the
representation of data graphically as a means of gaining understanding and insight
into the data. It also defined as the transformation, selection or representation of
data from simulation or experiment. Scientific Visualization focuses and
emphasizes the representation of higher order data using primarily graphics and
animation techniques.
Information Visualization
Information visualization is the process of representing data in a visual and
meaningful way so that a user can better understand it. The process of creating
information visualization typically starts with understanding the information needs
of the target user group. Information visualization plays an important role in
making data digestible and turning raw information into actionable insights. It
draws from the fields of human-computer interaction, visual design, computer
science, and cognitive science, among others. Examples include world map-style
representations, line graphs, and 3-D virtual building or town plan designs.
Educational Visualization
Educational visualization is using a simulation to create an image of something so
it can be taught about. This is very useful when teaching about a topic that is
difficult to otherwise see, for example, atomic structure, because atoms are far too
small to be studied easily without expensive and difficult to use scientific
equipment.
Knowledge Visualization
Knowledge visualization is the utilization of a visual or visuals to disseminate
information to a person or persons. This visual information can take the form of a
pie chart, bar chart, graph, presentation, diagram, infographic, image, sketch or
illustration. More than just transferring information, knowledge visualization
attempts to ensure students receiving this visual information understand greater
insights and perspectives surrounding a given topic. It aims to improve the transfer
of knowledge by using computer and non-computer based visualization methods
complementary.
Product Visualization
Product visualization, also known by many as product rendering, is a technology
for quickly and realistically depicting products or architecture visually. When
a product, program, or concept is still in its early stages, 3D product rendering
and visualization can be used to create compelling imagery to tell the story. More
specifically, this process involves visualization software technology for the
viewing and manipulation of 3D models, technical drawing and other related
documentation of manufactured components and large assemblies of products. 
What this accomplishes is to allow the end user to have a visual representation of
the product they are designing instead of simply relying on imagination. So
product visualization can include Product modeling, Product illustration,
Animation, Design documentation, Prototype design analysis, 3D models and
Technical drawings.
Data Visualization
Data visualization is the graphical representation of information and data. By
using visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps, data visualization tools
provide an accessible way to see and understand trends, outliers, and patterns in
data. Data visualization is another form of visual art that grabs our interest and
keeps our eyes on the message. When we see a chart, we quickly see trends and
outliers. If we can see something, we internalize it quickly. 
Visual Communication
By definition, visual communication is the practice of graphically representing
information to efficiently, effectively create meaning. There are many types of
content in the realm of visual communication, with examples including
infographics, interactive content, motion graphics, and more. The possibilities are
endless. But no matter the medium, all incorporate at least some of the following
elements: interactivity, iconography, illustration, supporting text, graphs, data
visualization, and animation. Examples of where visual communication can be
used include conferences and trade shows, websites, social media posts, office
presentations and meetings, and so much more. 
Systems Visualization
Systems Visualization is a new field of visualization which integrates existing
visualization methodologies and adds to it narrative storytelling, visual metaphors
and visual design. This provides a viewer of the system visualization the ability to
quickly understand the complexity of a system. The techniques include animations
developed from hand-drawn illustrations, data-flow diagrams, and computer-
designed visual stories.
Visual Analytics
Visual analytics is the science of analytical reasoning supported by interactive
visual interfaces. Visual analytics mainly focuses on analytical reasoning
techniques that enable users to get deeper insights that directly support assessment,
planning, and decision making. Furthermore, it focuses on the techniques to
support production, presentation, and dissemination of the results of an analysis to
communicate information in the appropriate context to a variety of audiences. It
also gets close to the data representations and transformations that convert all types
of conflicting and dynamic data in ways that support visualization and analysis and
well as visual representations and interaction techniques that take advantage of the
human eye’s broad bandwidth pathway into the mind to allow users to see, explore,
and understand large amounts of organization’s data and information at a time.

3.3 Creative Process

The term of creative is the ability to generate innovative ideas and manifest them
from thought into reality. And multimedia is a transmission that combines media of
communication such as text, graphics, audio, animation and video. The creative
process is similar for all areas of communications — it usually involves gathering
information, brainstorming, planning, getting feedback, production and evaluation.
Here are some things to consider at each stage of your graphic design project.

Stage 1:
Gathering Information
Before you start developing your design, you will need to find out:
• Who is the audience and what do you want them to do?
• What is the message?
• What formats (such as advertisements, fliers, brochures and presentation
graphics) are available and which format will best suit your purpose?
• What setting will your design piece be seen in? What will be competing with it
for attention?
• What production or reproduction processes are available to you and which one
will best suit your purpose?
• What is the life span of your design piece? Will it be read once and recycled, or
saved and used by more than one person?
• What is your timeline and budget?

Stage 2:
Brainstorming Ideas
Your brain can work on a creative problem even when you are not concentrating
on it! Be prepared – great creative insights can occur at times when you’re doing
something totally unrelated to your project. Brainstorming is a technique for
generating lots of ideas in a short time. Remember that all ideas are good ideas at
this stage!
• Look in magazines, books or other sources to see how others solved similar
problems.
• Make lots of small, quick “thumbnail sketches” to try out many visual ideas.
• Write lots of short, action oriented headlines or slogans.
• Look for images (photographs, clip-art) that might go with your message.
• Think about the feeling or mood you wish to convey, then look for type styles
and colours that could help express it.

Stage 3:
Fine-Tuning Ideas, Getting Feedback & Planning Production
Make a more complete version of your best idea or ideas. This could be an actual
size or scale model of a drawing that looks as much as possible like the final piece.
You can use it to:
• Present to others for feedback.
• Serve as a “road map” for producing your final artwork.
• Get cost and time estimates for offset printing or other methods of reproduction.
Stage 4:
Producing the Final Piece
Once your design is approved and you’ve checked to make sure it will be able to
be produced within your budget, you can move on to production. Production
methods will be different depending on whether your final design will be:
• Handmade.
• Printed by a photocopier, offset printing press or silkscreen printer.
• Viewed on a television, video or computer screen.
• Painted on a wall, signboard, vehicle or other object.
• Produced as a display or exhibit.
If your final product is going to be handled by others (such as a printer) talk with
the people who will be working with your artwork. Be sure you know how they
would like it to be prepared. Include clear, written instructions and always give
them a phone number where they can reach you with questions!

Stage 5:
Evaluating Results
Did your intended audience get your message and respond the way you hoped they
would?

3.4 Multimedia Presentations

A multimedia presentation is a type of presentation that uses several different
forms of communication to get the message across. Multimedia presentations go
beyond the use of text and images. These presentations generally include
animation, video, audio, or interactive features like forms, popups and lots more.
Multimedia presentations have been around since Microsoft PowerPoint started
offering animations and video many years ago. You could say that most
PowerPoint presentations are multimedia presentations.

How to Create a Multimedia Presentation in 5 Steps

Creating a multimedia presentation is not difficult; you just need the right tools.
Step #1: Define the purpose of your multimedia presentation.
Before you can start creating a multimedia presentation, you need to know exactly
what you will be presenting about and why. Jot down some ideas about what you
want to achieve with your presentation.
Do you:
 Want to add value to an evergreen landing page?
 Hope to get more people interested in your content or services?
 Wish to impart knowledge to your readers in a meaningful way?
 Need to create a pitch deck that inspires investors in your project?
 Want to report sales or business results in a unique way?
 Need to present survey results that do not bore your audience?
You can achieve all of the above with a multimedia presentation.
Just make sure to have all the information you need to present in an orderly fashion
so that it will be easier when it is time to create.
 
Step #2: Outline the content with visualization ideas.
Now that you have everything planned out and all your content is ready to be put
into a slide deck, it is time to create an outline. And while creating the outline,
think of ways that you can improve the story using different mediums.
For example:
 Explainer videos
 Video clips
 Animated GIFs
 Popups
 Interactivity between slides
 Animated charts
 Colour-coded maps
 Sound effects
 Embedded third-party content
 Background music
 
Step #3: Select a presentation template and add your content.
Now, log into your chosen application program dashboard and find a presentation
template that will be perfect for your project. There are lots of choices, from pre-
designed presentations to customizable slide libraries in different styles. In the case
of a multimedia presentation, we recommend you go with one of the slide
libraries. Slide libraries can also be referred to as presentation themes. Each theme
comes with different options. You can mix-and-match slides to create your own,
unique multimedia presentation. Alternatively, create your presentation from
scratch by starting with a blank slide.
 
Step #4: Add multimedia content.
At this stage, your presentation probably looks good-looking, but static. Let us
make it interactive by adding unique multimedia presentation tools. Start adding
multimedia content to the slides that need it. You do not need to add a different
type of media on each slide — that is overwhelming. Just aim for two or three
types of media spread throughout the presentation to keep a balance.
For example:
 A narration can cover all the slides and it should flow seamlessly.
 Interactive slides with links to the main slide or other sections need to be
well-organized and easy to navigate.
 Videos should not be on every slide. There needs to be breathing space
between videos so that it is not overwhelming.
 Animated charts don’t need to be surrounded by too much content. Let them
shine on their own.
 Embed content on any slide and make it fit visually with the rest of the
content.
Step #5: Review, download and share.
When you have added all your content, both regular and multimedia, it is time to
revise. Click on the necessary buttons of your editor and take a look at your
presentation as if you were a viewer. As you go through every slide, take notes if
you spot anything that looks off or unfinished. Then, go back and edit those slides
until the presentation is just right.

3.5 Creating Simple Multimedia Presentation using PowerPoint

Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, or
interactivity content forms.

1. Basic steps to create a PowerPoint Presentation. Please follow the steps.

  Click Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007.
 Click Blank Presentation. Click Create.
 Choose the blank slide. Click OK.

Insert Text
 Click Home. Select Text Box.
 Choose font, font style, size and color
 Type text.
 Save.

Position Text
 To move text box, drag the cursor over the box until a 4-point arrow
appears.
 Hold down the mouse button and drag.
 To resize a text box, drag the cursor over the box until a 2-point arrow
appears.
 Hold down the mouse button and drag.
 To set text, click outside text

Insert Clip Art

 Click Insert.
 Select Picture or Clip Art.
 Choose an image. Click Insert.
 Save.

Position Art
  To move an image, drag the cursor over the image until a 4-point arrow
appears.
 Hold down the mouse button and drag.
 To resize an image, drag the cursor over the image until a 2-point arrow
appears.
 Hold down the mouse button and drag.
 Or click Format and select Picture to adjust image size, position, colour, and
line.

Create New Slide

 Click Home. Select New Slide.
 Choose Slide Layout.

2. Create PowerPoint Presentations with Animation and Transitions.

 Using animation can support teaching goals and further engage students in
classroom presentations.
 Although PowerPoint is one of the most frequestly used presentation
programs, teachers do not use all its features.
 Creating custom animations in Power Point is easy with a few pointers and
some practice.
Animate Text
 Insert text. Highlight text.
 Click Animations. Select Custom Animation.
 Choose desired effect options.
 Choose desired timing options.
 Click Preview.
 Click OK.
 Save.
Animate Clipart
 Insert Clip Art.
 Click Slide Show. Select Custom Animation.
 Choose desired effect options.
 Choose desired timing options.
  Click Preview.
 Click OK.
 Save.
Insert Transition Action
 Click forward or backward arrow.
 Click Animation.
 Select Slide Transition.
 Choose desired slide transition.
 Click Apply to All.
 Save.
Insert Motion Paths
Motion Path Animations make elements on a PowerPoint slide move from one
point to another. They can be used to draw extra attention to specific parts of a
slide. When adding motion paths to elements of a slide, you can either use
PowerPoint's pre-built motion paths, or you can draw your own motion paths. This
article will demonstrate how to use both methods.
 Go to Animations | Custom Animation. This will open the Custom
Animation task-pane on the right hand side.
 Select the item that you would like to add a motion path effect to:
 Open the Add Effect drop-down menu in the Custom Animation task-pane
and choose what type of motion path you would like to add or click on More
Motion Paths:
 If you choose to view More Motion Paths you will be shown a list of all the
pre-built motion effects that PowerPoint has to offer. Choose one. (We
recommend that you stick to something simple. Some of the effects are very
elaborate and can look silly during your presentation.)

♦Note: You will now have a motion path effect added to your presentation. If you
have the Custom Animation task-pane open, a line representing the path of the
animation will appear in your PowerPoint project. The line only appears while you
are editing the presentation. It will not appear while you are actually presenting
your presentation. The green arrow represents where the animation begins, and the
red one represents where it stops.
3. Create PowerPoint Presentations with Sound and Videos.
The hardest part about using video in a PowerPoint presentation is finding video
worth showing. PowerPoint comes with movies in the Media Gallery, and
Microsoft has them in its the online Media Gallery. You can also find a wide
variety of video clips available for download on the Web.
Follow these steps to add a video clip to a PowerPoint slide
 Move to the slide on which you want to insert the movie. Be sure you have a
big blank space on the slide to put the movie in. If not, rearrange the existing
slide objects to make room for the movie.
 Open the Insert tab on the Ribbon and then click Movie in the Media Clips
group. The Insert Movie dialog box appears. Enlarge
 Select the movie that you want to insert and Click OK. You might need to
scroll the list to find the movie or navigate to a different folder. A dialog box
asks whether to play the movie automatically when the slide comes up or
wait for you to click.
 Click Automatically or When Clicked. The movie is inserted on the
 Resize the movie or drag it to a new location on the slide. When you resize
the movie, try to do it by using one of the corner handles. If you drag one of
the side handles, you distort the image.
 To play the movie while you’re working on the presentation in Normal
View, double-click the movie. During a Slide Show, a single click does the
trick, unless you set the movie to play automatically. In that case, the movie
runs as soon as you display the slide.

Follow these steps to add audio to a PowerPoint slide:

 In the pane that contains the Outline and Slides tabs, click the Slides tab and
click the slide to which you want to add a sound.
 On the Insert tab, in the Media Clips group, click the arrow under Sound.
Click Sound from File, locate the folder that contains the file, and then
double-click the file that you want to add, or Click Sound from Clip
Organizer, scroll to find the clip that you want in the Clip Art task pane, and
then click it to add it to the slide.
 When you insert a sound, you are prompted with a message asking how you
want the sound to start: automatically (Automatically) or when you click the
sound (When Clicked).
  Under Sound Tools, on the Options tab, in the Sound Options group, select
the Loop Until Stopped check box. When you loop a sound, it plays
continuously until you advance to the next slide.
 To play a sound across multiple slides, on the Animations tab, in the
Animations group, click Custom Animation. In the Custom Animation task
pane, click the arrow to the right of the selected sound in the Custom
Animation list, and then click Effect Options. On the Effect tab, under Stop
playing, click After, and then select the total number of slides on which the
file should play.
 To hide the sound icon click the sound icon, under Sound Tools select the
Hide During Show check box.
 To adjust the settings for when the sound file plays or stops, click the sound
icon.
 On the Animations tab, in the Animations group, click Custom Animation.
 In the Custom Animation task pane, click the arrow to the right of the
selected sound in the Custom Animation list, and then click Effect Options.
Choose when a sound starts playing and when a sound stops playing.

♦Note: To prevent possible problems with links, it is a good idea to copy the
sounds into the same folder as your presentation before you add the sounds to your
presentation.

Ways to Enhance Your PowerPoint Presentation with Multimedia

To make your PowerPoint presentation more engaging, you can spruce it up with
multimedia. Here are 7 easy ways you can enhance it with music, images, and
videos.
 Crop Pictures to Fit Shapes
Shapes are a great way to make a PowerPoint presentation as visual as possible,
giving you clear areas that draw the eye and make information easy to understand.
To add even more visual flair, you can also crop an image to make it automatically
fit inside your shape.
 Play Music in the Background During a Presentation
Punch up your PowerPoint presentation with some tunes. While playing music in
the background certainly isn’t always appropriate, adding audio for the duration of
your presentation is an easy process that can make your slides a bit more
interesting.
 Combine Shapes to Create a Custom Shape
Sometimes, if you are working on a presentation in PowerPoint, the standard
shapes in the program might not suit your needs. You have to merge multiple
shapes to create your own custom shapes.
 Add Sound Effects to Animations
The more interesting your PowerPoint slides are, the more engaged your audience
will be. A great way to spice up your bullet points or images in a slide is to not
only add animation, but to also add audio to the animation.
 Remove the Background from a Picture
The Remove Background feature in PowerPoint 2016 helps you eliminate
distracting backgrounds so the important parts of your image are front and center.
In a few simple steps, you can create praiseworthy presentations and nobody will
ever know you did all that fancy image editing right within PowerPoint.
 Insert a Screenshot or Screen Clipping
A PowerPoint deck is a prime example of an Office document that brings together
many types of rich media. And when you have a presentation with more than 20
slides, importing files can be tedious and take a lot of time. To help ease the time
on image importing, the built-in screenshot button can speed up your PowerPoint
deck creation.
 Embed YouTube Videos
Incorporating rich media in your PowerPoint presentation is a sure way to keep
your audience more interested. In PowerPoint 2013/2016, it’s as simple as a few
clicks to embed a YouTube video into a slide. Whether you’re embedding a
specific video, or need a clip from a famous movie to use as an analogy, find the
right video and load it in your presentation in a matter of seconds.

Self Assessment
Q1. What do you mean by the term visualization?.
Q2. Name few of the fields that are heavily dependent on visualization
Q3. What is scientific visualization
Q4. What is emissive and non-emissive in visualization
Q5. What is scan code in visualization
Q6. How is a presentation different from a slide?
Q7. List the uses of a presentation.
Q8. What is Slide layout? Explain.
Q9. What do you understand by a Slide show?
Q10. Explain Informational Visualization?

CHAPTER FOUR
MULTIMEDIA PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
4.1 Introduction
A Multimedia Application is an application which uses a collection of multiple
media sources e.g. text, graphics, images, sound/audio, animation and/or video.
Multimedia projects are complex; they often involve the skills and efforts of
multiple teams or people. During the development process, a project moves
through the specialized parts of the team, from story creation to technical editing,
with regular collective review sessions. Each stage is designed to refine the project
with attention to the client's needs, technical requirements and audience
preferences.

4.2 Stages of Multimedia Application Development

A Multimedia application is developed in stages as all other software are being
developed. In multimedia application development a few stages have to complete
before other stages being, and some stages may be skipped or combined with other
stages. This chapter provides information on each of these phases, breaking them
down into a number of sub-tasks. Tasks are listed sequentially, in the order they
would often be tackled in the actual development process. Depending on project
requirements, however, the exact nature of tasks and the order in which they are
carried out will vary between projects and according to team preferences. For
instance, not all projects will require support materials or packaging, or a
destination-site study, and end-user models may be carried over between projects,
as long as the assumptions built into the model are explicit and may be reviewed
and revised as a result of user-feedback generated in the course of product testing
and validation. Following are the four basic stages of multimedia project
development:

1. Planning and Costing: This stage of multimedia application is the first stage
which begins with an idea or need. This idea can be further refined by outlining its
messages and objectives. Before starting to develop the multimedia project, it is
necessary to plan what writing skills, graphic art, music, video and other
multimedia expertise will be required. It is also necessary to estimate the time
needed to prepare all elements of multimedia and prepare a budget accordingly.
After preparing a budget, a prototype or proof of concept can be developed.
2. Designing and Producing: The next stage is to execute each of the planned
tasks and create a finished product. During this stage, there may be many feedback
cycles with a client until the client is happy.

3. Testing: Testing a project ensures the product to be free from bugs. Apart from
bug elimination another aspect of testing is to ensure that the multimedia
application meets the objectives of the project. It is also necessary to test whether
the multimedia project works properly on the intended deliver platforms and they
meet the needs of the clients or end users.

4. Delivering: The final stage of the multimedia application development is to

pack the project and deliver the completed project to the end user. This stage has
several steps such as implementation, maintenance, shipping and marketing the
product.

4.3 Process of Production Management

The production of interactive multimedia applications is a complex one, involving
multiple steps. This process can be divided into the following phases:
 Conceptualisation
 Development
 Preproduction
 Production
 Postproduction
 Documentation

 Conceptualisation
The process of making multimedia starts with an "idea" or better described as "the
vision" - which is the conceptual starting point. The starting point is ironically the
visualisation of the ending point - the multimedia experience that the targeted end-
user will have. Conceptualisation involves identifying a relevant theme for the
multimedia title. Other criteria like availability of content, how amenable the
content is to multimedia treatment and issues like copyright are also to be
considered.

 Development
The development stage should cover the following:
 Defining project goals and objectives
After a theme has been finalised for a multimedia project, specific goals, objectives
and activities matrix must be laid down.
Goals: In multimedia production goals are general statements of anticipated
project outcomes, usually more global in scope.
Objectives: Specific statements of anticipated project outcomes.
 Activities 
These are actions, things done in order to implement an objective. Specific people
are responsible for their execution, a cost is related to their implementation and
there is a time frame binding their development.
 Defining the Target Audience
A very important element that needs to be defined at this stage is the potential
target audience of the proposed title since this will determine how the content
needs to be presented.

 Reproduction
It is the process of intelligently mapping out a cohesive strategy for the entire
multimedia project, including content, technical execution and marketing. Based
on the goals and objectives, the three pillars of multimedia viz. hardware, software
and user participation are defined. At this stage the multimedia producer begins to
assemble the resources and talent required for creating the multimedia application.
The Production Manager undertakes the following activities.
 Development of the budget control system
 Hiring of all specialists involved in the multimedia application
process
 Contracting video and audio production crews and recording studios
 Equipment rental, leasing and purchasing
 Software acquisition and installation
 Planning the research work of the content specialists
 Development of the multimedia application outline, logic flow, scripts
and video and audio files production scripts and schedules
 Coordination of legal aspects of production

 Production
Once all the preproduction activities have been completed, the multimedia
application enters the production phase. Activities in this phase include:
 Content Research
 Interface Design
 Graphics Development
 Selection of musical background and sound recording
 Development of computer animation
 Production of digital video
 Authoring
Defining the Target Audience
A very important element that needs to be defined at this stage is the potential
target audience of the proposed title since this will determine how the content
needs to be presented.

 Preproduction
It is the process of intelligently mapping out a cohesive strategy for the entire
multimedia project, including content, technical execution and marketing. Based
on the goals and objectives, the three pillars of multimedia viz Hardware,
software and user participation are defined. At this stage the multimedia
application. The Production Manager undertakes the following activities:
 Development of the budget control system
 Hiring of all specialists involved in the multimedia application
process
 Contracting video and audio production crews and recording studios
 Equipment rental, leasing and purchasing
 Software acquisition and installation
 Planning the research work of the content specialists
 Development of the multimedia application outline, logic flow, scripts
and video and audio files production scripts and schedules
 Coordination of legal aspects of production

 Production
Once all the preproduction activities have been completed, the multimedia
application enters the production phase. Activities in this phase include:
 Content Research
  Interface Design
 Graphics Development
 Selection of musical background and sound recording
 Development of computer animation
 Production of digital video
 Authoring

 Postproduction
In this phase, the multimedia application enters the alpha and beta testing process.
Once the application is tested and revised, it enters the packaging stage. It could be
burned into a CD-ROM or published on the internet as a website.

 Developing documentation
User documentation is a very important feature of high-end multimedia titles. This
includes instructions for installing, system requirements, developing
acknowledgments, copyrights, technical support and other information important
for the user.

4.4 The Multimedia Production Team

The production of fine-quality, high-end interactive multimedia applications such
as - educational applications, interactive web sites, interactive information kiosks,
interactive training - is the work of a team of specialists. Typically, the team
consists of:
 Production Manager
 Content Specialist
 Script Writer
 Text Editor
 Multimedia Architect (or Programme Authoring Specialist)
 Computer Graphic Artist
 Audio Video Specialist
 Computer Programmer
 
 Production Manager
The role of the production manager in a multimedia production is to define,
coordinate and facilitate the production of the multimedia project. Capabilities of a
good production manager include knowledge of the basic principles of multimedia
authoring, skilful proposal writing, good negotiating skills, conversant with
relevant legal issues, good communication skills, budget management skills,
experience in human resources management and overall business management.
 Content Specialist
The Content Specialist is the member of the production team who is responsible
for performing all necessary research concerning the content of the proposed
application. Programme content can be described as the specific information, data,
graphics or facts to be presented through the multimedia production.
 Script Writer
Video and film scripts present a linear sequence of events. In multimedia
production, the medium has the capability of presenting events in a non-linear
fashion by branching in different directions and establishing linkages between
different sections or components of the programme. The scriptwriter of a
multimedia production needs to visualise this almost three-dimensional
environment and integration of virtual reality into the programme.
 Text Editor
The content of a multimedia production, like a book or a film, needs to flow in a
logical fashion and the text must be structurally and grammatically correct. Text
and narration will be integrated as part of the application and the development of
documentation for the application must be considered. All of the text related
elements need to be revised by the text editor.
 Multimedia Architect
The multimedia architect is the team member responsible for integrating all the
multimedia building blocks (graphics, text, audio, music, video, photos and
animation) by using an authoring programme. An authoring programme is a piece
of software that allows integration of all the multimedia elements into a
comprehensive presentation.
 Computer Graphic Artist
The computer graphic artist is responsible for the graphic elements of the
programme - such as backgrounds, buttons, photo collages - and the manipulation
and editing of pictures, 3-D objects, logos, animation, renderings and the like.
 Audio and Video Specialists
The audio and video specialists are needed when intensive use of narration and
digitised video are integrated into a multimedia presentation. The audio specialist
is responsible for recording and editing: narration; selecting, recording or editing
sound effects; recording and editing music. (Music composition and performance
is the responsibility of a musician). The video specialist is responsible for video
capturing, editing and digitizing. The individual is responsible for taking pictures,
scanning pictures or slides and editing.
 Computer Programmer
The task of the computer programmer in a multimedia development team is the
programming of code lines or scripts in the authoring language. These code lines
are used to code and develop special functions or capabilities of the authoring
programme, such as generating random numbers for determining size and shape of
video windows.

4.5 Production Planning

This process involves the following activities:
 Defining the Production Schedule
A Timeline, defining the activities needed the person responsible for each activity
and the start/end time of each activity should be developed. This establishes the
standard with which to compare progress, ascertain deviations from plan and take
timely corrective action.
 Devising a Technical Plan
A technical plan addresses the needs of the production and the needs of the end
user. It defines how an end user will experience the project and accordingly lays
down the system requirement conditions like screen requirement, CD-ROM speed,
memory requirement and hard disk requirement.
 Project Budgeting
Once the project timeline or schedule is ready, the next step is to prepare the
project budget. This is essential as time and money are not infinite resources.
Some production costs can be estimated on the following basis:
 Scanning one picture or slide and performing minor Manipulations
takes approximately 10 minutes.
 Developing one minute of computer animation takes approximately
10 hours
 One page of text takes approximately 15 minutes to type Into a word
processing application.
If the project requires the development of video footage or audio recording, a
detailed budget for these two activities needs to be developed separately, as the
complexities involved in the development of these two components imply taking
into consideration a number of specific costs.
Typical Budgeting Heads
 Cost of personnel (including part-timers)
 Advisors and Consultants
 Video Production
 Audio Production
 Equipment
 Equipment Rental
 Software
 Graphic and Audio Material
 Royalties
 Materials and Supplies
 Printing
 Communication Expenses
 Office Supplies
 Legal Expenses
 Travel
 Planning the Structure
It involves the following steps:
 Defining the goals and objectives of the proposed multimedia title
 Describing the content of the title
 Developing the application script
 Translating the application script into an outline
 Translating the outline into a logic flow chart
 Developing the storyboard for each screen
 Goals and Objectives Defined
The following critical questions need to be addressed, while formulating the goals
and objectives of the multimedia application.
 What is the purpose of the proposed title?
 What is the team trying to accomplish?
 What are the expected results?
 Programme Content
Programme Content can be defined as the specific message, data, facts or
information to be presented. The content specialist provides the programme
content to the multimedia architect, who in turn prepares the narration, text,
bullets, charts and tables that will be presented in the title.
The potential multimedia application users have different expectations, information
needs, attention spans and learning styles. The application to have the necessary
impact on its varied target audience needs to effectively and logically integrate the
multimedia building blocks. The integration of a variety of multimedia elements
appeals to different learning styles and helps the audience comprehend and retain
the information.
The Multimedia building blocks include:
 Text
 Video
 Sound
 Graphics
o Backgrounds
o Photographs
o Three-dimensional graphics
o Charts (graphics)
o Flowcharts
 The Multimedia Application Script
The Application Script is a written description of the proposed multimedia project.
The purpose of the script is to describe the actions of all components. The script
helps the development team have a clear understanding of the purpose of the
programme.
 Outlining
Multimedia differs fundamentally from the conventional media like films and slide
shows is conventional media are linear (one event follows another in a sequence),
while multimedia is a non-linear medium - it has the capacity for branching. The
simplest way to define branching is to develop an outline. The major headings in
the outline become the options available to the user in the main menu of the
programme. When a user selects a heading, the subheadings associated with the
selected major heading are displayed.
 Logic Flowchart
The logic flow chart is very important, especially if the title is interactive. It
provides a road map of the proposed application for the authoring team. The flow
chart illustrates the choices that the user will have in each screen. The degree of
complexity of these flow charts depends on the type of application to be
developed.
 Programme Storyboard
The storyboard is a graphic representation of the proposed multimedia project. It is
an extension of ideas presented in the script.
 Production Script for Text, Audio and Video
The next step in the production of the interactive multimedia application is the
development of specific and detailed scripts (descriptions) for text, audio
(narration, music or sound effects) and video.
 Hardware Issues
For any multimedia production it is imperative to consider and finalise the "tools"
and equipment necessary to develop and play back the application. Hardware
issues include deciding, securing the fastest CPU and RAM and largest monitors
that is affordable, sufficient disk storage for all working files and records, file
sharing for collaborative work via networks or e-mail and establishing a file back-
up system.
 Authoring Software Selection
Selection of appropriate authoring software depends on what is the in-house team
expertise, what are the funds required to acquire new software and to train the
manpower and what are the demands of the new title being developed. For e.g. for
a business or training related application it would be better to use an authoring
programme that has built-in spread sheet and chart capabilities. Two most widely
used authoring applications today are Macromedia Director and Macromedia
Authorware.

4.6 Managing Production and Post Production

This involves managing the production process and planning and managing
content acquisition.
 Managing the Production Process
The prime role the production manager is to keep the project on-time and on-
budget. For this detailed Timeline/PERT charts need to be developed and an
effective tracking system needs to be designed and implemented to keep constant
track of what is going on. A good tracking system should monitor and keep record
of the following project development aspects:
 Project Financial Accounting System
 Project Building Blocks filing and record system
 Artwork and applications screens and interfaces
 Programming code filing and documentation system
 Project revision and testing records
 Managing Content Acquisition
Content is the "stuff" around which an application is developed. It is the text,
narration, graphics, colours, backgrounds, videos and animation. In other words,
content are all the elements that compose a multimedia application. Content has
a value and a cost. Cost refers to the monetary price incurred to acquire or develop
content, while value refers to its merit, usefulness, importance, or significance. A
balance has to be struck between the value and cost of the content against the
production budget and the desired outcomes.
Content acquisition is one of the most time-consuming and budget intensive
activities during the development of a multimedia application. The multimedia
producer has to determine if it is feasible to incorporate the suggested content
based on its cost and value; determine the alternatives; evaluate the legal
implications of using proposed content; and, determine the best strategy to develop
or modify the desired content.
 Content Identification, Selection, Development and Acquisition
Content either has to be sourced or if it is not available then it has to be created.
This implies that the source must be identified, selected and the content acquired,
or it must be developed. Mostly, budgetary constraints define whether content is
developed, purchased or borrowed. Copyright issues are the next most important
constraint that influences content generation.
The main responsibility of content development lies with the Content Specialist,
Script Writer or Computer Graphic Artist. The content specialist undertakes the
following tasks:
o Content research
 Identifying document sources
  Identification of the building blocks like colours and graphics
representative of the theme, time or period to be presented in the
application
 Identifying individuals to be interviewed
 Location to be videotaped
The responsibilities of the Script Writer are the following:
 Content evaluation
 Adaptation of the content to the goals and objectives of the
application
 Development of the application script and storyboard based on the
content
 The computer graphic artist is responsible for the development of the
following:
 Developing line art necessary for the application
 Scanning and editing of photos, backgrounds, and other Graphic
elements
 Chart development
 Maps preparation
 Text manipulation
 3-D graphics and walkthrough
 Computer animation
If content is not readily available then it needs to be developed. The creation of
story, graphics and the composition of music are examples of content development.
Sometimes content needs to be adapted to meet the needs of the application. This
includes editing and manipulation of existing graphics, photos, video, sound or
text.
 Copyrights
Producers and users of multimedia programmes need to be aware of and abide by
the copyright law. Multimedia productions, by definition, combine a variety of
elements from varied sources. It is essential to know how the use of these materials
is affected by legal constraints. It is also important to acquire copyrights for own
production, after its completion.

4.7 Testing and Delivering Multimedia Application

The activities that are covered involve the following:
  The Evaluation Process
Testing of a multimedia title is essential so that the final application adheres to
international quality standards and is not infested with bugs, technical snags,
inaccurate information or simple grammatical or typographical errors. The process
of evaluating (testing) and revising a multimedia application project is dynamic
and constant. It involves both internal and external evaluation.
 Internal Evaluation
This happens within the multimedia development group, through internal
discussions for evaluating the aspects of the application:
 Application design : is it logical and facilitates learning
 Project goals and objectives : are the established goals and Objectives
being met
 Content is the acquired content represented accurately
 Text and narration : are the text and narration grammatically Correct
 Application graphics : are the application graphics adequate To fulfill
the goals and objectives
 Sound : is the background music, effects and other sounds well
recorded
 Application navigation : are the navigational structures and Aids
effective
 Programming code : is it working as originally planned
 Delivery : can the application be delivered via the proposed medium
 Time and budget : is the project on-time and on-budget
 Legal considerations: have all licenses and other copyrights Been
procured
The prime responsibility of this function lies with the production manager and can
be most effective if the team members are open to positive criticism of their peers.
 External Evaluation
The following are the components of external evaluation:
 Alpha Testing
 Focus Group Testing
 Beta Testing
Alpha Testing
Alpha testing takes place when the project is considered a working model i.e. it is
not finished but it is functional. The purpose of Alpha testing is to determine if the
general direction and structure are adequate and what changes are necessary.
Members of the Alpha-testing group should include a balance of friends and
critiques.
Focus Group Testing
After revising the application based on the feedback of the Alpha test, another
possible strategy is to present the application to a focus group. These groups are
composed of individuals who represent the expected audience of the project.
Standardized forms should be used for requesting comments and suggestions from
the Focus Group.
Beta Testing
Once the project is in a final draft form, copies should be made available to a group
of potential users called a beta-testing group. Here again, standardised
questionnaires should be used for collating feedback.
Quality Assurance (QA) is the formal name given to the process of beta testing.
When the beta version of a multimedia application is released and the functionality
testing starts, the QA process has formally begun. Beta testers check all possible
paths of navigation and log all events that strike them as unusual. In addition they
do things that users will not usually do like multiple mouse clicking, dragging
things around and entering unneeded keystrokes. The idea is to look for things that
do not work. Beta testing can be done in-house or it can be outsourced to a
professional lab, depending on financial resources and product secrecy issues. Beta
testing includes:
 Compatibility Testing
 Functionality Testing
 Functional Localisation Testing
 Install Testing
 Performance Testing
 Stress Load Testing
 Load Testing
 Project Revision
After the tests are over the production manager and the multimedia architect
should discuss the merits of each of the comments and suggestions offered by the
evaluating group. Based on the feedback the application should be revised,
incorporating the valid changes suggested. 
 Developing Documentation
User documentation is a very important feature of high-end multimedia titles.
While designing the application documentation, the following information should
be provided :
 Instructions for installing the application
 Information about what files to install in the computer
 Operating system
 Notice about system requirements
 Warnings about potential extension conflicts
 Content Development Acknowledgment
 Copyright Acknowledgment
 Notes for trainer, if it is a CBT application
 Directions for navigating into the application
 An e-mail address for sending comments and suggestions
 Contact details for technical support
This information can be provided to the user in the form of a Read-Me file, which
is a self-contained read-only document contained in the application itself. The
other way is to develop a printed User's Manual for the information to the user.
 Delivering the Multimedia Application
High-end multimedia applications that are text and graphic heavy are best
delivered on a CD-ROM. The other effective way of delivery is on an internet
website.
Burning a CD-ROM
Before recording a CD-ROM, it must be ensured that the application and
supporting Files after they are recorded on the CD-ROM. Read and Write CD-
ROM drives will allow editing in the near future. The process of burning a CD-
ROM is similar to recording on any type of drive hard disc or floppy diskette.
The issue of which CD-ROM format should be used has to be considered before
burning a CD-ROM. Formats to choose from include-ISO 9660 Standard,
Hierarchical File System (HFS) Hybrid, and Global Hybrid Mixed Mode. Of these
the standard format standard format sanctioned by the International Standards
Organisation is ISO 9660. This standard has several file structure variations to
accommodate the needs of different operating systems and file types.
Delivery through internet website
Multimedia content is being widely disseminated through internet. Although
currently bandwidth problems, requirement of a number of plug-ins to play real
audio and real video, long download time and other problems exists that hamper
the delivery of multimedia applications through internet, the pace of technological
improvement will soon pave the way for easy and effective delivery.
One major advantage that internet will have over CD-ROMs is that are amenable
to continuous updating and hence the content does not get outdated.
Integration of CD-ROM and Internet
The relationship between CD- ROM and internet is similar to the relationship
between computer’s hard drive and ROM. On the ROM, the information once
recorded cannot be changed, while on the hard disc information can be written
over and over again.
A more effective way of delivering a multimedia application is an integration of
the two mediums of CD-ROM and Internet. A particular application if developed
on the CD-ROM, has an embedded link to a website where regular updates are
available. Vice-versa, if the application is developed as a website where
information keeps accumulating, then as the archive becomes substantial it can be
reproduced on a CD-ROM for convenience viewing.

4.8 Multimedia File Format

In the present environment there are many files formats existing for multimedia in
Widows and Internet. The following table shows the details on these multimedia
formats.
Table 4.1: Multimedia File Format Table
File Extension Description
AVI (Audio Video Video With Sound track accessible through Windows
Interleaved) media player.
BMP (Bitmap) Graphics, accessible through windows Paintbrush
CGM (Computer 16 Colour graphics. An international Standard for moving
Graphics Metafile) simple graphics between families of Corel Draw and most
major graphics package.
FLC, FLI (Flick) Animation, a format started by Autodesk. That can be
played back from a wide variety of graphics software.
JPG (JPEG: Joint Photos: High quality photographs stored using a special
Photo Expert Group) graphics compression format.
MFF (MIDI File Music: A slightly abbreviated MIDI Format designed for
Format) Microsoft windows, accessible through media player.
MOV (Quick time) Video: A video format that originated on Apples macintosh
 computers, now in windows too.
MPG (MPEG: Video: A highly compressed format Requiring special
Motion Expert pictures hardware and software for DOS playback and
Group) recording.
PCD (Photo CD) Photos: Photographs stored on Kodak Photos CDs,
accessible by Kodak's own software.
PCX (Picture Graphics: A popular format accessible by Most graphics
Paintbrush) programs, including paintbrush.
Tif (TIFF: Tagged Graphics: A format popularized by Aldus PageMaker for
Image File Format) moving graphics between different types of software and
computers, often used by scanners.
VOC (Creative Sound: Sound Blaster cards record sounds in the format
Voice)
Wav (Waveform) Sound: Windows preferred format for Storing
recorded sounds

Self Assessment
Q1. What is planning and costing in multimedia?
Q2. What is multimedia team?
Q3. What is multimedia planning?
Q4. What happens in post production of a film?
Q5. How many stages in a multimedia project? List them out one by one in
sequence
Q6. State the components of external evaluation of multimedia application
Q7. What is Quality Assurance in external evaluation
Q8. What are the features of a good tracking system in managing the Production
Process?
Q9. Name the two most widely used authoring applications today
Q10. List the members of the multimedia production team

CHAPTER FIVE
MULTIMEDIA SOFTWARE
5.1 Introduction
Multimedia Software is the software that can play and view all sorts of media such
as music, videos, pictures etc. examples: VLC media player, Windows Media
Player. However, the following definitions of multimedia software can be adopted:
 Multimedia software refers to program that enables the creation and editing of
multimedia documents

 Multimedia software refers to the programs that include image, video, and
audio editing software, animation software, and other specialty software
required to produce computer games, animations, and movies.

 Multimedia software refers to software that allows users to combine text,

graphics, audio, video, and animation in an interactive application and that
often is used for computer-based training and web-based presentations.

5.2 Multimedia Authoring and Tools

Authoring is the process of creating multimedia applications. An authoring system
is a program which has pre-programmed elements for the development of
interactive multimedia presentations. Multimedia authoring involves collating,
structuring and presenting information in the form of a digital multimedia, which
can incorporate text, audio, and still and moving images.
Multimedia Authoring Tool also known as Authorware is a program that helps you
write hypertext or multimedia applications. Authoring tools usually enable you to
create a final application merely by linking together objects, such as a paragraph of
text, an illustration, or a song. Most authoring systems also support a scripting
language for more sophisticated applications. Authoring tools require less technical
knowledge to master and are used exclusively for applications that present a
mixture of textual, graphical, and audio data.

5.2.1 Features of Authoring Tools

There two basic features of multimedia authoring tools, which are:
–Ability to create and edit a product
–Presentation scheme for delivering product
Other features include:
–Editing and organizing features
–Programming features
–Interactivity features
–Performance timing and playback features
–Cross-platform and internet features

5.2.2 Perspectives in Multimedia Authoring Tools

There are four main perspectives in multimedia authoring tools:
–Tool (any software package that could author multimedia product)
–Product (the result of combining all multimedia components)
–Developer (designers, programmers, and multimedia authors)
–End user (customer or viewer)

5.2.3 Types of Authoring Tools

There are three types of authoring tools, which are divided by the style in which
the multimedia presentation is created. They are as follows:
– Card and page based tools
– Icon based- event driven tools
– Time based tools
Now let us discuss these three authoring tools in details along with their required
software, their corresponding advantages and disadvantages.

 Card and page based tools:

This tool provides a simple and easily understandable metaphor for organizing
multimedia elements. It contains media objects such as buttons, text files and
graphic objects. It provides facilities for linking objects to pages (or) cards. The
software required are: Hypercard, ToolBook, HyperNext Studio, Hyper Studio,
PhytonCard, and Revolution.
Advantages:
 Easy to understand
 Easy to use
 Easy to link metaphor1=screen1=card1= page1
 It consumes very less time for developing an application.
Disadvantages:
 Few applications run only on one platform.
 Card and page tools are not powerful as unique stand alone.

 Icon based- event driven tools:

Icons (or) object based tools are the simplest event driven authoring object. Its
provision of simple branching has the ability to go to another section of multimedia
production. Multimedia elements and interaction are organized in the flowchart. A
flow chart can be build by dragging appropriate icons from a library and then
dropping them in the required field finally adding multimedia elements to it. The
software required are Icon Author and Macromedia Author ware.
Advantages:
 It has a clear structure [appropriately designed flow charts].
 Easy to edit and update the elements.
Disadvantages:
 Learning process is very difficult
 Very expensive in nature.

 Time based tools:

Time based tools are best suited for a message with a beginning and an end so that
a message can be passed within a stipulated time period. Few time based tools
facilitate navigation and interactive control. It has the branching technique so that
different loops can be formed for different multimedia applications and time period
can be set for these individual applications. The software required are Adobe’s
Directors and Flash.
Advantages:
 These tools are good for creating animation.
 Branching, user control interactivity.
Disadvantages:
 Steep learning curve for advance features.
 Music and sound files embedded in Flash movies increases the file size and
increases the download time.
 Very expensive.

5.3 Using Programming Language

Multimedia product still can be developed using programming language and the
quality is about the same. But the amount of work to code every element and
function in the product can be extensive and labour-intensive. This authoring tools
can save a lot of time and money but not suitable for beginners.

5.4 Text Editor

A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files. Text editors are
often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can
be used to change configuration files and programming language source code.
Common features:
–Cut, copy and paste
–Text formatting
–Undo and redo
–Data transformation
Examples:
–Windows Notepad
–Emacs

5.5 Image Editor

Image Editor is a graphics program that provides a variety of special
features for editing bitmap images.
Common features:
–Selection
–Layers
–Image size alteration
–Crop
–Enhancing images
–Change colour depth
Examples of Image Editor
•Adobe Photoshop
•GIMP (freeware)
•Microsoft Office Picture
•Fotografix (freeware)
5.6 Drawing Program
Drawing program is a computer program that allows users to compose and edit
vector graphics images interactively on the computer screen.
Drawing programs are better for:
–graphic design
–page layout
–typography
–Logos
–sharp-edged artistic illustrations (e.g. cartoons, clip art, complex geometric
patterns)
–technical illustrations, etc.
Drawing Program Examples
•Xfig
•Inkscape (freeware)
•Adobe Illustrator
•CorelDRAW

5.7 Computer Animation

Computer animation can be created with animation software. Some impressive
animation can be achieved even with basic programs; however, the rendering can
take a lot of time on an ordinary home computer. There are two basic types of
animations, path animation and frame animation.
(i) Path Animation
Path animations involve moving an object on a screen that has a constant
background e.g. a cartoon character may move across the screen regardless any
change in the background or the character.
(ii) Frame Animation
In frame animations, several objects are allowed to move simultaneously and the
objects or the background can also change.
The moving objects are one of the most appropriate tools to enhance
understanding, as they allow the learner to see the demonstration of changes,
processes and procedures Computer Animation Software are:
•Adobe Flash
•Adobe Image Ready
•XARA 3D
•Ulead GIF Animator
Computer Animation Techniques:
 Tweening
Inbetweening or tweening is the process of generating intermediate frames
between two images to give the appearance that the first image evolves smoothly
into the second image.

Figure 5.1: Tweening Technique

 Morphing
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes (or
morphs) one image into another through a seamless transition.

Figure 5.2: Morphing Technique

 Onion Skinning
Onion skinning is a technique used in creating animated cartoons and editing
movies to see several frames at once. This way, the animator can make decisions
on how to create or change an image based on the previous image in the sequence.

Figure 5.3: Onion Skinning Technique

5.8 Waveform Editor

Waveform programs is a computer application for audio editing, i.e. manipulating
digital audio. This program allows the user to do the following:
–Record audio and store as digital audio
–Mix multiple sound sources/tracks
–Apply simple or advanced effects or filters
–Conversion between different audio file formats, or between different sound
quality levels
Examples of Waveform Editor:
•Adobe Audition
•Creative Wavestudio
•Goldwave
•Sound Forge
•Wavelab

5.9 Video Editing Program

Video editing program is application software which handles the editing of video
sequences on a computer.
Common features:
–Splitting
–Add background sound
–Transition
–Crop
–Add title
–Add special effect
Examples of Video Editing Program:
•Adobe Premiere
•Pinnacle Studio
•Video Studio
•Windows Movie Maker

Self Assessment
Q1.What is an Authoring Tool? What are two basic features in Authoring Tool?
Q2.What are the four main perspectives in Multimedia authoring tools?
Q3.There are three types of Authoring Tool. Briefly explain each one of them.
Q4.Explain the differences between image editing program and drawing program.
Q5.List any four common features in Image Editor program.
Q6.What are the three computer animation techniques?
Q7.Give four basic features of Waveform Editor program.
Q8.Give four basic features in Video editing program.
Q9. What are Multimedia Software?
Q10. What is animation?
 CHAPTER SIX
MULTIMEDIA SOUND AND VIDEO

6.1 Introduction
Sound is a form of energy that is transmitted by pressure variations which the
human ear can detect. It can also be referred to as vibrations transmitted through an
elastic solid, a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to
20,000 hertz and capable of being detected by human organs of hearing. Sound is
perhaps the most important element of multimedia. It is meaningful “speech” in
any language, from a whisper to a scream. It can provide the listening pleasure of
music, the startling accent of special effects or the ambience of a moodsetting
background. Sound waves can be represented in the form of either analogue or
digital signals which are referred to as analogue or digital audios respectively.
Analogue audios are represented using electrical signals while digital audios are
represented with stream of numbers
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing,
transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in
motion. Video makes use of all of the elements of multimedia, bringing your
products and services alive, but at a high cost. The power of today’s personal
computers, and the recent establishment of the MPC (Multimedia Personal
Computer) III standard, have increased the ease of digital video capture and the use
of motion video within teaching and learning. Motion video is made up of a series
of still frames played at a speed of 25 frames per second. However, although still
frame or image capture is now relatively straight forward, motion video capture is
more complicated than capturing individual frames and playing them together in a
sequence.

6.2 Power of Sound

When something vibrates in the air is moving back and forth it creates wave of
pressure. These waves spread like ripples from pebble tossed into a still pool and
when it reaches the eardrums, the change of pressure or vibration is experienced as
sound. Sound pressure levels are measured in decibels (db); a decibel measurement
is actually the ratio between a chosen reference point on a logarithmic scale and
the level that is actually experienced. The need for multimedia rich data has been
greatly and rapidly increasing and this type of data requires high processing power
and memory. Not only that, if the data is in a non-digital or analogue form, it has
first to be converted into a digitised form. Initially multimedia data has been stored
in the form of bits and bytes. For this data to be processed and stored digitally, it
must first be changed from its original analogue signals into digital ones. From the
nature of the exercise the process is called - the analogue-to-digital conversion.
The figure below shows the graph of the data value over time for analogue and
digital signals.
 (a) Analogue signal (b) Digital signal

Figure 6.1: The Graph of (a) Analogue; and (b) Digital Signal

The process of obtaining digital data from its analogue form is called digital
processing. The most common situation where digital processing is involved is the
digital audio processing. This process uses a converter called Digital-to-Analogue
Converter (DAC). On the other hand, the reverse process needs an Analogue-to-
Digital Converter (ADC). The figure below shows the process involved in
transforming a digital signal to analogue and vice-versa.

Figure 6.2: Process of transforming digital signal to analogue and vice-versa

Advantages of using Audio in Multimedia
The most obvious advantage of using audio is that it can provide an interface for
visually disabled users, however using audio offers a number of other advantages
for all users:
 It can convey meaning, providing an extra channel of information. It allows
redundancy to be incorporated into the presentation of information, so that if the
meaning is unclear to a user using visual information alone, the audio may
clarify it.
 Different learners use different learning strategies, and audio can provide
additional information to support different learning styles, for example some
users may learn more by hearing than reading a piece of text.
 Audio can add a sense of realism. Cultural associations with music allow you to
convey emotion, time period, geographic location, etc. However, when using
audio in this way you must be aware that meanings may differ in different
cultures.
 It is useful for directing attention to important events. Non-speech audio may be
readily identified by users, for example the sound of breaking glass to signify
an error. Since audio can grab the users attention so successfully, it must be
used carefully so as not to unduly distract from other media.
 It can add interest to a presentation or program.
 Ease of communication - users may respond better to the spoken word than
other media. For example in a company presentation, 'sound bytes' from
satisfied customers can be used.

Disadvantages of using Audio in Multimedia

There are however a number of disadvantages to using audio:
 Like most media, files can be large. However files sizes can be reduced by
various methods, and streamed audio can be delivered over the Web.
 Audio can be easily overused, and when sounds are continually used users tend
to tune them out. When used in a complex environment it can increase the
likelihood of cognitive overload. Studies have shown that while congruent use
of audio and video can enhance comprehension and learning, incongruent
material can significantly reduce it. That is, where multiple media are used they
should be highly related to each other to be most effective.
 For most people, audio is not as memorable as visual media.
 Good quality audio can be difficult to produce, and like other media most
commercial audio, particularly music, is copyright.
 Users must have appropriate hardware and software. In an open plan
environment this must include headphones

6.3 Digital Audio

A digital audio is a signal that represents audio as a series of numbers. Sound in the
natural world is analogue while the sound stored on a computer is digital. The
analogue-to-digital converter mechanism converts an audio signal into digital
signal of the waveform. This digitization of analogue sound is composed of the
following:
 Sampling- this is the rate at which the converted sound is captured. Sampling
rate is measured in hertz (hz)
 Quantization- this refers to changing the sampled data into discrete levels. The
quantization of sample value depends on the number of bits used in measuring
the height of the waveform.
 Encoding- this is the process of changing digital audio from one format to
another. The methods of encoding digital sound include: Pulse Code
Modulation (PCM), Differential Pulse Code Modulation (DPCM) and Adaptive
Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM)

6.3.1 Preparing Digital Audio Files

Digital audio is created when a sound wave is converted into numbers – a process
referred to as digitizing. And preparing digital audio files is fairly straight forward.
If you have analogue source materials – music or sound effects that you have
recorded on analogue media such as cassette tapes.
• The first step is to digitize the analogue material and recording it onto a computer
readable digital media.
• It is necessary to focus on two crucial aspects of preparing digital audio files:
• Balancing the need for sound quality against your available RAM and Hard disk
resources.
• Setting proper recording levels to get a good, clean recording.

Remember that the sampling rate determines the frequency at which samples will
be drawn for the recording. Sampling at higher rates more accurately captures the
high frequency content of your sound. Audio resolution determines the accuracy
with which a sound can be digitized.

6.3.2 Formula for Determining the Size of the Digital Audio

 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐
= 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
× 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
×൬ ൰×1
8

𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑜
= 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
× 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
×൬ ൰×2
8

𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑆𝑖𝑧𝑒 = 𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 × 𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 × 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙 × 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

 The sampling rate is how often the samples are taken.

 The sample size is the amount of information stored. This is called as bit
resolution.
 The number of channels is 2 for stereo and 1 for monophonic.
 The time span of the recording is measured in seconds.

Calculate Sound File Size

Example 1:
Calculate how much storage space is needed to record a 16-bit, 44.1khz, stereo
music for a duration of 30 seconds.
Solution
Sound File Size = Sample rate x sample size x channel x duration
Sound file size = 44100 x 2 x 2 x 30
= 5292000 bytes

Example 2:
Calculate how much storage space is needed to record a 8-bit, 11khz, monosound
for a duration of 10 seconds.
Solution
Sound File Size = Sample rate x sample size x channel x duration
Sound file size = 11000 x 1 x 1 x 10
= 110000 bytes

6.3.3 Editing Digital Recordings

Once a recording has been made, it will almost certainly need to be edited. The
basic sound editing operations that most multimedia procedures needed are
described as follow:
1. Multiple Tasks: Able to edit and combine multiple tracks and then merge the
tracks and export them in a final mix to a single audio file.
2. Trimming: Removing dead air or blank space from the front of a recording and
an unnecessary extra time off the end is your first sound editing task.
3. Splicing and Assembly: Using the same tools mentioned for trimming, you will
probably want to remove the extraneous noises that inevitably creep into recording.
4. Volume Adjustments: If you are trying to assemble ten different recordings into
a single track there is a little chance that all the segments have the same volume.
5. Format Conversion: In some cases your digital audio editing software might
read a format different from that read by your presentation or authoring program.
6. Resampling or downsampling: If you have recorded and edited your sounds at
16 bit sampling rates but are using lower rates you must resample or downsample
the file.
7. Equalization: Some programs offer digital equalization capabilities that allow
you to modify a recording frequency content so that it sounds brighter or darker.
8. Digital Signal Processing: Some programs allow you to process the signal with
reverberation, multitap delay, and other special effects using DSP routines.
9. Reversing Sounds: Another simple manipulation is to reverse all or a portion of
a digital audio recording. Sounds can produce a surreal, other wordly effect when
played backward.
10. Time Stretching: Advanced programs let you alter the length of a sound file
without changing its pitch. This feature can be very useful but watch out: most
time stretching algorithms will severely degrade the audio quality.

6.3.4 Making MIDI Audio

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a communication standard
developed for electronic musical instruments and computers. MIDI files allow
music and sound synthesizers from different manufacturers to communicate with
each other by sending messages along cables connected to the devices. Creating
your own original score can be one of the most creative and rewarding aspects of
building a multimedia project, and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is
the quickest, easiest and most flexible tool for this task. The process of creating
MIDI music is quite different from digitizing existing audio. To make MIDI
scores, however you will need sequencer software and a sound synthesizer. The
MIDI keyboard is also useful to simply the creation of musical scores. An
advantage of structured data such as MIDI is the ease with which the music
director can edit the data.
A MIDI file format is used in the following circumstances:
 Digital audio will not work due to memory constraints and more processing
power requirements
 When there is high quality of MIDI source
 When there is no requirement for dialogue.
 A digital audio file format is preferred in the following circumstances:
 When there is no control over the playback hardware
 When the computing resources and the bandwidth requirements are high.
 When dialogue is required.

6.3.5 Audio File Formats

A file format determines the application that is to be used for opening a file. An
audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer
system. It is simply a recognized methodology for organizing the digital sounds
bits and bytes into a data file. There are a large number of audio formats, but in all
the file size (and quality) depend on:
 Sampling frequency
 Bit depth
 Number of channels (mono, stereo)
 Lossiness of compression
The easiest way to reduce file size is to switch from stereo to mono. You
immediately lose half the data, and for many audio files it will have only a small
effect on perceived quality.
Bit depth, or sample size, is the amount of information stored for each point -
equivalent to the bits/pixel in an image file. This is usually 8 or 16 bits.
Frequency is the number of times per second the sound was sampled - the higher
the frequency, the better the quality. In practice the frequency is usually set at one
of a number of predetermined figures, most commonly 11KHz, 22KHz and
44KHz. 22kHz is very common in computer sound file formats, 44kHz is the
standard for audio compact discs
The total size of a mono, uncompressed sound file will be the sample rate * bit
depth * duration. Stereo sound will be twice this. For example, a CD quality sound
file will be 16 bit, 44KHz, and uncompressed will be about 10.5Mb per minute.

There are three major groups of audio file formats namely uncompressed audio
format, lossless compressed audio format and lossy compressed audio format.
(i) Uncompressed Audio Format: this enables the storage of wide variety of audio
formats by adding metadata which contains header before the audio data to declare
the format of the audio data. Examples are WAV, AIFF, AU or raw, LPCM
(header less).
(ii) Lossless Compressed Audio Format: this format stores data in less space
without losing any information. The original uncompressed data can be recreated
from the compressed version. Examples are FLAC, WavPack (.wv), Monkey’s
Audio (.ape), ALAC (Apple Lossless .m4a), TTA, ATRAC (Advanced Lossless),
MPEG-4 SLS, MPEG-4 ALS, MPEG-4 DST, Windows Media Audio Lossless
(WMA lossless), Shorten (SHN).
(iii) Lossy Compressed Audio Format: this enables even greater reductions in file
size by removing some of the audio information and simplifying the data. This
also results in a reduction of audio quality. Examples are MP3, Vorbis, Musepack,
AAC, ATRAC and Windows Media Audio Lossy (WMA lossy)

However, the commonly used sound file formats are the following:
 Wave (.wav) - this is the standard form for uncompressed audio on a
computer. These files can be interpreted and used by nearly any program or
 operating system. They can be set to have different degree of clarity and
sharpness which increases the size of the file.
 MP3 (.mp3) – this is a popular compressed audio format widely used to
transfer music over the internet. They are created by taking wave audio data
and processing it with a special algorithm. The final result of MP3 file is
vastly smaller than the original wave file but sounds very nearly as good.
 Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI ,mid)- MIDI is an entirely
different sort of file that is not compressed audio. It is a kind of language
that allows computers and musical instruments to communicate. This
language consists of instructions telling the instrument which notes to play
with that instrument and when. MIDI can be used entirely within a computer
with no external instruments.
 Real Audio (.ra)- this is a streaming audio format often used by internet
radio stations and for posting sound files on websites. Real audio format
produces significant file size reductions.
 Quick Time- this comes to functionality when movies are created without a
video channel and used as a sound format. Quick time accepts different
sample rates, bit depth and allows for considerable compression, supports
streaming audio and video.
 Windows Media (.wma)- this is a format similar to MP3. It is essentially a
competing format created by Microsoft and used primarily in Windows
Media Player and other compatible programs.
 AIFF and AIFF-C – AIFF stands for Audio Interchange File Format and was
developed by Apple. It is one of the best choice for cross-platform audio.
AIFF is very flexible file format allowing the specification of arbitrary
sampling rates, sample size, numbers of channel and application specific
format.
 Sun Audio (.av)- this is a fast 2:1 ratio compression technique for 16bit
audio that is used in Sun audio files. It has the strongest cross-platform
support of any audio compression method and often referred to as ohm’s law
(µ-law). AV is a SUN Microsystems format that is popular in the Unix
world and has the advantage of being available on a variety of systems.

6.4 Digital Video

Digital video is not like normal analogue video used by everyday televisions. To
understand how digital video works it is best to think of it as a sequence of non-
interlaced images, each of which is a two-dimensional frame of picture elements or
pixels. Present day analogue television systems such as the National Television
Standards Committee (NTSC), used in North America and Japan and Phase
Alternate Line (PAL), used in Western Europe, employ line interlacing. Systems
that use line interlacing alternately scan odd and even lines of the video, which can
produce artefacts when analogue video is digitized. This issue complicates any
discussion of digital video and the compression process, and so is best left aside for
now. Associated with each pixel are two values, luminance and chrominance. The
luminance is a value proportional to the pixel’s intensity. The chrominance is a
value that represents the colour of the pixel and there are a number of
representations to choose from. Any colour can be synthesised by an appropriate
mixture of three properly chosen primary colours. Red, Green and Blue (RGB) are
usually chosen for the primary colours. Another system, known as YUV, allows
colour to be approximated using only two variables where Y represents the
luminance, and U and V the chrominance. When an analogue signal is digitised it
is quantized. Quantization is the process by which a continuous range of values
from an input signal is divided into non-overlapping discrete ranges and each range
assigned a unique symbol. A digitized monochrome photograph might, for
example, contain only 256 different kinds of pixel. Such an image would be said to
have a pixel depth of 8 bits. A higher quality image might be quantized allowing
24 bits per pixel.

Digital video can be divided into two main areas:

 That which has been captured/digitised from an analogue video source, e.g.
VHS tape, camcorder, live video feed
 Animations created entirely in the digital domain, e.g. using software packages
such as 3D Studio and Lightwave
In each case the resulting video may subsequently be viewed in the analogue or
digital domain. There are, of course, many examples of video which combine these
two areas. These include television adverts and programs such as Babylon 5, which
makes extensive use of Lightwave, films and many CD-ROM programs.
The advantage of integrating video into a multimedia presentation is the capacity
to effectively convey a great deal of information in the least amount of time. Video
is also very hardware-intensive (require the highest performance demand on your
computer):
–Storage issue: full-screen, uncompressed video usesover 20 megabytes per second
(MBps) of bandwidth and storage space.
–Processor capability in handling very huge data on real time delivery

6.4.1 Characteristics of Digital Video

Digital video can be characterised by a few variables, which include the following:
Frame rate:
This refers to the speed at which video frames appear or the number of frames
displayed per second. It is measured in frames per second (fps). The illusion of
motion can be experienced at frame rates as low as 12 frames per second, but
modern cinema uses 24 frames per second, and PAL television 25 frames per
second.
Frame dimensions/Aspect ratio:
The width and height of the image expressed in the number of pixels. Digital video
comparable to television requires dimensions of around 640 x 480 pixels.
Pixel depth:
The number of bits per pixel. In some cases it might be possible separate the bits
dedicated to luminance from those used for chrominance. In others all the bits
might be used to reference one of a range of colours from a known palette.

Broadcasting Formats:
 NTSC (National Television System Committee)
Television broadcasting system used in the US
 PAL (Phase Alternating Line)
Television broadcasting system used in large parts of the world outside the US
 SECAM (Sequential Colour with Memory)
– television broadcasting system first used in France

6.4.2 File Size Considerations

Digitized video files can be extremely large. A single second of high-quality colour
video that takes up only one-quarter of a computer screen can be as large as 1 MB.
•Several elements determine the file size:
–Frame Rate
–Image Size
–Colour Depth
–the length of the video
 Calculate Video File Size
Video File Size = Frame size x Frame rate x colour depth x duration
Notes (Colour depth) : B&W video = 1 byte
Colour video = 3 bytes
Example 1:
Calculate the file size for a video with 320 x 240 pixels, color video, 30 fps, and
length 15 seconds.
Solution:
Video File Size = Frame size x Frame rate x colour depth x duration
Video file size = 320 x 240 x 3 x 30 x 15
= 103680000 bytes
Example 2:
Calculate the file size for a video with 300 x 200 pixels, black and white video, 25
fps, and length 30 seconds.
Solution:
Video File Size = Frame size x Frame rate x colour depth x duration
Video file size = 300 x 200 x 1 x 25 x 30
= 45000000 bytes

6.4.3 Video Compression

Because of the large sizes associated with video files, video
compression/decompression programs, known as codecs, have been developed.
These programs can substantially reduce the size of video files, which means that
more video can fit on a single CD and that the speed of transferring video from a
CD to the computer can be increased.

6.4.4 Digital Video File Formats

Common File Formats Include:
 MOV (Movie)
Developed by Apple computers for the Quicktime video player;
Best used for streaming;
Also known as Quicktime or movie format
 WMV (Windows Media Video)
Developed by Microsoft for streaming video
 AVI (Audio Video Interleave)
Developed by Microsoft for Windows media player;
Not good for streaming
 MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group)
Standard file format for DVD
 MPEG-4 (Motion Picture Experts Group)
Standard file format for Blu-ray disk;
Uses a greater compression and achieves a higher quality video on the Internet
 FLV (Flash video)
File format used to deliver video over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player

6.4.5 Advantages of Digital Video

The advantages of digital representation for video are many. It permits
 Storing video on digital devices or in memory, ready to be processed (noise
removal, cut and paste, and so on) and integrated into various multimedia
applications
 Direct access, which makes nonlinear video editing simple repeated recording
without degradation of image quality
 Ease of encryption and better tolerance to channel noise
 One of the advantages of digitized video is that it can be easily edited.
 The video is stored as a standard computer file.
 Software motion video does not require specialized hardware for playback.
 Digital video requires neither a video board in the computer nor an external
device (which adds extra costs and complexity) such as a videodisc player.
 Long-lasting.

6.4.6 Disadvantages of Digital Video

 Requires large storage capacity devices.
 Copies can be made illegally.
 Need fast computer system for playback and capture.
 Requires knowledge of digital compression technology.

6.4.7 Digital Video Equipment

 Computer
 Video Camera
 Microphones
 Tripods
 Lighting
 Recordable media
 Video switcher
 Cables/connectors
Common Video Cables Include:
 RCA
 BNC
 HDMI
 Coaxial (F-connector)
 RGB
 Firewire

6.4.8 Camera Movements

 Pan
Camera remains stationary and the movement is from side to side (left and right)
Directions are “pan right” or “pan left”
 Tilt
Camera remains stationary and the movement is up and down
Directions are “tilt up” or “tilt down”
 Truck
Camera physically moves side to side (left and right)
Directions are truck right or truck left
 Dolly
Camera physically moves towards or away from the subject
Directions are “dolly in” or “dolly out”
 Zoom
Uses the mechanics of the camera lens to make the subject appear closer
Directions are “zoom in” or “zoom out”

6.4.9 Camera Compositions

 Rule of Thirds
Mentally dividing the frame (what you see in the viewfinder) into thirds, both
vertically and horizontally
Subject should occupy two thirds of frame (horizontally and vertically)
 Close-Up
Shot used to single out the more important part of the subject
Example – camera framing of a person’s face
 Medium Shot (Mid Shot)
Shot shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression
of the whole subject
Example – camera framing of a person from waist up to top of head
 Wide/Long Shot
Shot shows subject and location in its entirety
Example – camera framing of a person from head to toe
 High Angle Shot
Shot composed by shooting the subject from above normal eye-level
High angle shots make the subject look small, weak, afraid, or dependent
 Low Angle Shot
Shot composed by shooting the subject form below normal eye-level
Low angle shots make the subject appear tall, powerful, commanding, strong or
scary

6.5 Streaming
Until relatively recently to listen to an audio file or play a video over the Web, the
whole file first had to be downloaded. This changed with the release of Real Audio
from Progressive Networks. Real Audio, and other similar products that have
followed for both audio and video, allow streaming over the Internet. Streaming
means that the audio or video file is played in real-time on the user's machine,
without the need to store it as a local file first. To play a RealMedia file, a link is
included in the HTML document to a metafile, which contains the location of the
media file, which is held on a RealServer. When the link is selected, the RealMedia
player is invoked on the client, and the player begins to stream the media file.
Generally the web browser plug-ins to play the streamed media files are freely
available, but the server to deliver the files must be purchased. There are now
many products available which support streaming of various audio and video
formats including MPEG, AVI and QuickTime, including Real Media, Microsoft's
Media Player and Xing's Streamworks.

Self Assessment
Q1. Compare Digital Audio and MIDI?
Q2. Differentiate Analog and Digital multimedia system?
Q3. Define the hardware devices: ADC and DAC
Q4. Do you need ADC for a multimedia data that is already generated by the
computer? Why?
Q5. Write the description for each of the following file formats:
GIF, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, and PNG
Q6. What is Lossy Compression?
Q7. What is Lossless Compression?
Q8. What are the advantages of Compression?
Q9. What is MP3/MPEG format?
Q10. Compare lossless and lossy video compressions?

CHAPTER SEVEN
GRAPHIC DESIGN CONCEPTS

7.1 Introduction
The term 'graphic design' was coined by William Addison Dwiggins in 1922. The
first university program in graphic design was founded by Alvin Eisenman at Yale.
In 1993 Paul Rand defined graphic design: "to design is much more than simply to
assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to
simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade and perhaps
even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry." Graphic design is not
just editing a picture in Photoshop. There are arguments to say that writing on cave
walls and designing columns in ancient Rome can be considered graphic design.
The reason for this argument is that all of these were used to share information and
to communicate. These designs are meant to make text more interesting, which in
turn can define an entire company, product, message, or mission.

Graphic design is a craft where professionals create visual content to communicate

messages. Graphic design also known as visual communication design can be said
to be the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with
visual and textual contents. By applying visual hierarchy and page layout
techniques, designers use typography and pictures to meet users’ specific needs
and focus on the logic of displaying elements in interactive designs, to optimize the
user experience. Computer technology now gives more people access to many of
the same or similar design tools as those used by media professionals. To use these
tools to effectively communicate a message, however, requires more than just
knowledge of the computer software. It requires an understanding of how to
structure visual information using the elements and principles of design.
Information is becoming more visual in nature. (Consider CD-ROM multimedia
encyclopaedias and games, or the images available across the Internet – the
electronic “information superhighway.”) As we exchange more information with
people whose language and culture differ from ours, visual communication through
well-designed symbols and images may help make our messages easier to
understand. The designer works with a variety of communication tools in order to
convey a message from a client to a specific audience. The main tools are image
and typography.

7.2 Types of Graphic Design

There are basically four types of graphic design namely: Image-based design,
Type-based design, Image and Type design and Symbols, logos and logotypes.
7.2.1 Image-based design
Designers develop images to represent the ideas their clients want to communicate.
Images can be incredibly powerful and compelling tools of communication,
conveying not only information but also moods and emotions. People respond to
images instinctively based on their personalities, associations, and previous
experience. In the case of image-based design, the images must carry the entire
message; there are few if any words to help. These images may be photographic,
painted, drawn, or graphically rendered in many different ways. Image-based
design is employed when the designer determines that, in a particular case, a
picture is indeed worth a thousand words.
Image-based design: examples

Figure 7.1: Examples of Image-based design

7.2.2 Type-based design

In some cases, designers rely on words to convey a message, but they use words
differently from the ways writers do. To designers, what the words look like is as
important as their meaning. The visual forms of the letters, whether typography or
handmade lettering, perform many communication functions. They can grab your
attention on a poster, identify the product name on a package or a truck, or present
running text as the typography in a book does. Designers are experts at presenting
information in a visual form in print or on film, packaging, or signs.
Type-based design: examples
Figure 7.2: Examples of Type-based design

7.2.3 Image and Type design

Designers often combine images and typography to communicate a client’s
message to an audience. In fact, the majority of graphic design is the combination
of images with typography. Designers explore the creative possibilities presented
by words (typography) and images (photography, illustration, and fine art). It is up
to the designer not only to find or create appropriate letterforms and images but
also to establish the best balance between them.
Image and type design: examples

Figure 7.3: Examples of Image and type design

7.2.4 Symbols, logos and logotypes

Symbols and logos are special, highly condensed information forms or identifiers.
Symbols are an abstract representation of a particular idea or identity. The CBS
“eye” logo is a symbolic form, which we learn to recognize as representing a
particular concept or company. Logotypes are corporate identifications based on a
special typographical word treatment. Some logos are combinations of symbol and
logotype. In order to create these identifiers, the designer must have a clear vision
of the corporation or idea to be represented and of the audience to which the
message is directed.
Symbols: examples

Figure 7.4: Examples of symbol

Logos: examples

Figure 7.5: Examples of Logos

The most successful logos are the ones that become symbols themselves. Usually
the type is removed once the logo becomes universally known.
Logotype: examples

Figure 7.6: Examples of Logotype

7.3 Design Process in Graphic Design

The graphic design process describes the different stages of a design project. A
good graphic design process is structured around ensuring the client gets the
highest quality solution and service appropriate to their business, marketing or
communication problem. There are four major steps involved in the graphic design
process. It can be broken down into four sub-processes (definition, creation,
feedback, and delivery) and consists of 9 single steps. This approach can be used
for almost every design project:
 Definition Phase
Step 1: Creative Brief
Step 2: Graphic Design Research
Step 3: Brainstorming / Mood Boarding
 Creation Phase
Step 4: Sketching
Step 5: Design Building
Step 6: Refining
 Feedback Phase
Step 7: Presenting
Step 8: Revisions
 Delivery Phase
Step 9: Final Delivery

Graphic Design Process Steps

1. The Creative Brief
The first step in the creative graphic design process is the creative brief. It helps
the designer learn more about the needs of the client. This step is critical since the
designer needs to gather as much information as possible about the client, his or
her company, and his or her project expectations. The creative brief is the
foundation of the project, and it will significantly affect the following steps.

How You Did It in the Past

Often, the creative brief is developed via email or phone. This approach has two
huge disadvantages:
 The graphic designer needs to structure the information after gathering it.
 Data might get lost.
How You Should Do It Now
Luckily, there are ways to simplify the creative brief process. You can use tools
like Jotform, which allows you to create simple forms that can be shared with your
client. You can enter all of the information you need into them, and you will be
able to store this data within the tool. If you need to review the initial answers, you
can easily log in and check the submission (at any point in the project).

2. Graphic Design Research

If you are asking the right questions, the creative brief offers a lot of valuable
information. Regardless, there are always topics that you should not include (such
as competitor designs), since you need to (unbiasedly) analyze them on your own.
The goal of the research step is to learn more about your client’s competitors. Your
rivals’ designs can be good sources of inspiration. You should not copy them, but
analyze what works, what does not work, and how you can make improvements.
Ultimately, you want to be different, but learn about the common tones and styles.

How You Did It in the Past

You probably used a simple Google search to research your competitors, which is
definitely still an option. But in most cases, you should use alternative resources,
and as much data as possible.

How You Should Do It Now

The first step is to get a comprehensive list of competitors (if you have not asked
for them in the creative brief):
 Google them.
 To further identify them, use tools like Buzzsumo or Ahrefs.
 Use Google Maps to identify where they are.
 Use Alexa to find similar sites (which are often competing with the sites you
already found.
 Use industry directories, such as Yelp or Check a Trade.
 To identify similar websites, use the aptly named SimilarWeb.com.
 If your client is selling software or an app, you can use pages like
AlternativeTo.
Second, analyze the competitors:
 Check their website and blog
 Check out their design work by looking at their logo design, website theme
etc.
 Check their press mentions and interviews
 Check their social media channels (such as Facebook, YouTube and
LinkedIn)
 Sign up for their newsletter and download their eBooks

3. Brainstorming and Mood boarding

Once you have a good understanding of your client and his or her competitors, it is
time to generate design ideas. You can use a pen and paper to map out the purpose
of the design. What emotions and thoughts should you use as design triggers?
What is the message of the design? Of course, brainstorming means that you are
coming up with a lot of ideas. But keep your main focus in mind while shooting
out designs. After gathering some ideas, you can create a mood board that will
allow you to gather your ideas.

How You Did It in the Past

It used to be tough to generate and prioritize numerous ideas. Of course, since
you’re creative, you come up with a bunch of concepts. But a fresh perspective
may have been missing from them.
How You Should Do It
Nowadays, you should use design platforms like Dribbble, Facebook groups like
Advanced Graphic Design, Slack communities like Designer’s Talk or also Q&A
portals like Quora. They will give you inspiration, validate your ideas, and help
you prioritize. You could analyze existing designs, ask questions about
preferences, or just introduce your design idea(s) and wait for feedback.

4. Sketching the Graphic Design

Now it is time to build on your prioritized ideas and start sketching. Often, you still
won’t use a computer for your sketches. And you definitely don’t need to sketch
online.

How You Did It in the Past

You were curious about your ideas. But since some years now, you directly
converted and digitized them. However, working on computer designs means
exposing yourself to distractions, such as your latest Facebook notifications and
LinkedIn messages. Remember, they would not help you deliver on time.

How You Should Do It Now

Instead, start offline, which will help you concentrate and remove any digital
distractions from your workplace. You could use a large sketchpad and your
favourite pens, which will allow you to minimize distractions and optimize your
productivity and focus. If you still want to share your early sketches with the
client, use an app like Adobe Scan or Tiny Scanner to digitize your “offline
designs”.

5. Graphic Design Production Process

After you have shared your best sketches with your client, he or she will provide
you with initial feedback. Now you can (finally!) start working on the final
designs. At this stage, it will be important to come up with different variations of
designs. That way, you will allow the clients to choose between existing designs.
To build these designs, you will probably need a lot of different graphic resources;
you should not create everything from scratch.

How You Did It in the Past

You have searched for specific design elements on stock websites, and paid for
them individually. Afterward, you had to ensure that the author was credited. It
was a cumbersome process, and the choice for resources was quite limited.

How You Should Do It

These days, you can use a platform like Freepik or other suitable graphic design
tool which provides you with access to more than 500k resources for free (and
even 1m+ if you become a premium user).
Here is the huge advantage: You do not need to pay for resources anymore. Just
pick the elements you need, and use them.

6. Refine Design
Let us face it. Your clients will always have plenty of feedback and change
requests. In other words, you will need to start refining your designs. But before
presenting the designs to your client again, you can ask other people for instant
feedback.

How You Did It in the Past

You probably showed your design to friends and family, in order to get their
design feedback. It would be advised that you continue engaging in this tactic. You
only need to keep in mind that they (probably) are not designers, so they see your
work from a completely different perspective. That difference can be good, but it
could also result in worthless feedback.

How You Should Do It Now

Do not stop asking your relatives and friends for feedback, but also present your
work to designers. Similar to the brainstorming phase, you should get active on
platforms like Behance, and share your work with professionals. In addition,
engage with other community members. Give and take. Provide feedback, and you
will get feedback.

7. Presenting
The way you are presenting your work will affect your number of revisions, as
well as the related feedback. Of course, it also depends on your clients. Being able
to tell a story about your designs will help you influence and convince your client.
How You Did It in the Past
Presenting your own work can be difficult. Often, you’ve finished a new version of
your design, and just sent an email like this:
“Hi John, I’ve attached the latest version. Please let me know your thoughts about
it.”
However, if you only changed a colour, it might not be enough context—even if
you worked on it for hours.

How You Should Do It Now

Take the time to properly present your work. Of course, you cannot schedule a
one-hour meeting every time you change something. But schedule calls for design
milestones and important changes. Use these meetings to tell a story about your
design. A story? Yes, you read that right. If the New York Public Library can tell a
story about their new logo, you can, too. Concentrate on presenting the process of
your design. That way, your client will better understand your work. Here’s the
huge benefit: Even if your client has another opinion, your presentation will
explain your perspective, which could convince him or her of your idea.

8. Client Approval Process

In most cases, you will get a lot of revision requests and plenty of unstructured
feedback. Hence, you must gather the feedback, structure it, and implement the
needed changes to establish an approval process. Easier said than done.

How You Did It in the Past

Normally, revisions and feedback are handled via email, which often results in
hundreds of emails. If you do not have a good method for structuring new
feedback, you are lost.

How You Should Do It Now

Online proofing tools such as Filestage can help you structure feedback and speed
up your review cycles. You can upload your designs, and invite your clients to
review them. Then they can directly comment and markup your files. After
implementing the requested changes, you can update a new version, and the
feedback cycle starts afresh.

9. Final Delivery
Congrats! You delivered the final design(s), and the client is happy. Time to send
out an invoice.

How You Did It in the Past

You opened your Word invoice template, adjusted the numbers, and saved it as a
new file. Definitely one way to do it. But it could be easier. You could get some
additional, useful invoicing features.

How You Should Do It Now

Make sure that you will get your money as quickly as possible. This assurance
requires creating an invoice as soon as possible. So forget about your templates.
Just use a tool like FreshBooks, QuickBooks, or Xero. Then you can simplify your
accounting work and connect your bank account. That way, you can manage and
track all of your transactions within the software. You can then reconcile
transactions on a daily or weekly basis, in order to make sure that you’re matching
your projects and payments.
7.4 Elements of Graphic Design
The elements of visual design (line, shape, texture, space, size, value and colour)
are like the wood, nails and concrete used to construct a house. An expert builder is
very familiar with the materials of the trade. Good designers also need to become
familiar with the elements of design – how to create them and when and how to
use them. If a builder constructed a house without understanding the basic
principles of how the building materials should be assembled, the house would
probably collapse! Similarly, in a project such as a poster, the elements of design
need to be assembled using the knowledge of a group of design principles. That
way, the design will be able to do its job of communicating a message.
(Note: Design reference materials may use different names for the elements and
principles than those used here, but the ideas are generally the same.)
Graphic designers are trained in the use of these elements of graphic design. Each
of these elements is put to use for specific purpose and when applied properly can
achieve great result. The elements are defined as thus:

Line – Any mark, whether straight, dashed, dotted, curved or jagged, connecting
two points
Shape – Anything with height or width
Texture – The smoothness or roughness of the paper used in printing or the illusion
of a three-dimensional surface created by a photo or design
Space – The distance or area between or around things
Size – How big or small something is
Colour – Wavelengths of light that are reflected back to the viewer’s eye from
objects
Value – The lightness or darkness of colours

The chart below shows the basic elements of graphic design and their
corresponding functions:
Table 7.1: Graphic Design Elements and their Functions
Graphic Design Element Function
Line This defines appearance and pattern
This is used for colour, pattern and opacity which
Shape provide form and guidance
Texture It adds a tactile (sense of touch) or visual factor
This can be used to both separate and connect
Space elements in a design
Size It defines size and visual weight
This serves as link to an emotion for emphasis or to
Colour enhance other elements
This is used to add enormous depth, contrast and
Value emphasis to design

Usage:
The specific list of industries and publication that require graphic design is long. It
covers practically every media that is based on visual communication ranging from
newspapers to websites. Below is a partial listing of some of the areas where
graphic design is used:
  Websites
 Advertising
 Illustrations
 Logos and company branding
 Greeting cards
 Book covers and design
 Promotional materials
 Packaging
 Posters
 Layout of magazines and newspapers

7.5 Graphic Design Principles

The following are the functional principles of graphic design:
Principle 1: Emphasis – this refers to using the size, shape, colour or texture of
elements to show levels of importance
Principle 2: Rhythm – this refers to using elements to create a direction for the eye
to follow or to suggest a pattern of movement
Principle 3: Unity – this refers to using elements that look like they belong with
each other
Principle 4: Balance – this refers to arranging elements so that they create a
feeling of evenly distributed weight
7.6 Benefits of Graphic Design
Graphic design is about more than just appearance, and provides many more
benefits than simply making something look good. Its importance is often
underestimated, but good design can bring many significant benefits. Here are
some of the benefits:
 Graphic design enhances transfer of knowledge and visual messages
 Graphic design enhances readability and legibility by improving the visual
presentation and layout of texts
 Graphic design aids in selling a product or idea through effective visual
communication
 Graphic design helps in communicating information quickly and
economically in way finding signage systems through colours or symbols
that can be read and followed from a distance.
Self Assessment
Q1. What Is Graphic Design?
Q2. What Are The Elements Of Graphic Design?
Q3. What Are The Tools Of Graphic Design?
Q4. What Is A Graphic Material?
Q5. What Are The Components Of Graphic Design?
Q6. What Are The Steps Involved In Graphic Design Process?
Q7. What Is The Visual Design?
Q8. What are the areas where graphic design is used
Q9. Briefly explain the types of graphic design
Q10. What are the benefits of Graphic Design
 CHAPTER EIGHT
GRAPHIC DESIGN USING ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

8.1 Introduction
Adobe Photoshop CS is a popular image editing software that provides a work
environment consistent with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe
ImageReady, and other products in the Adobe Creative Suite. This chapter is an
introduction to using Adobe Photoshop for graphic design. Here you will learn
how to get started, how to use the interface, and how to modify images with basic
Photoshop tools.

8.2 Opening
The way to begin is by opening Adobe Photoshop CS. This can be performed
following any of the steps below:
On a PC, click Start > Programs > Adobe > Photoshop CS, or click on the
shortcut on the desktop.

On a Mac, click Macintosh HD > Application > Adobe Photoshop CS > Adobe
Photoshop CS shown in Figure 8.1, or click the icon in the Dock.

Figure 8.1: Navigation to Photoshop CS

8.3 Setting Up the Document
Setting up your document correctly from the start will make your job much
easier as you work through your project. This will require some advanced
planning. For example, if your final output will be a brochure, you may need to
set up your document to be horizontal and double-sided.

To create a new document, click File > New. This will open the Document
Setup dialog box (Figure 8.2).

Figure 8.2: Document Setup dialog box

In this place, you will be able to name your file, set up the correct page size, and
orientation for your document. Options include, but are not limited to:

Page Size and Orientation

Change the page size by typing in new values for width and height. Page size
represents the final size you want after bleeds or trimming other marks outside
the page. In the Preset dropdown menu you can find such common sizes as letter,
legal, tabloid, etc. Typing in exact values for Height and Width gives you more
control over the size and orientation of your page.

Resolution
Resolution is a number of pixels on a printed area of an image. The higher the
resolution, the more pixels there are on the page, the better is the quality of the
image. However, high resolution increases the size of the file. The standard
recommended resolution for printed images is 150 - 300, for web images - 72.

Colour Mode
Choose a colour mode that will best fit your project. For example, when making
a graphic for a web site, choose RGB. When making an image for print, choose
CMYK.

Background Contents
Choose the background: white, colour, or transparent. When you have entered all
of your document settings, click OK.

Opening an Image from A Disk

If the image you have is saved on a disk, select File > Open, and then navigate to
the disk drive where your image is saved. Choose the image file and click Open.
At this point, you may want to save your image under a different name so that you
can always have the original to fall back on in case of a mistake. To save your file,
select File > Save As and type in the new name of the file in the dialogue box.
8.4 Interface Layout
This is the layout of Adobe Photoshop interface.

Figure 8.3: Adobe Photoshop interface Layout

Menu Bar
If you look at the top of the screen you will see the Menu bar which contains
all the main functions of Photoshop, such as File, Edit, Image, Layer,
Select, Filter, View, Window, and Help.

Tool Bar
Most of the major tools are located in the Tool bar for easy access.

Options Bar
The Options bar contains extra options for most tools. The options change as
different tools are selected. Some tools share the same settings in the options
bar, for example, painting modes and opacity, the others have specific
options, for example, the Auto Erase setting for the Pencil tool.
The Image
The image will appear in its own window once you open a file.

Image Name
The name of any image that you open will be at the top of the image window
as shown above.

Palettes
Palettes contain functions that help you monitor and modify images. By
default, palettes are stacked together in groups. These are the palettes that are
usually visible: Navigator, Colour, Histogram, Layer. If none of the palettes
are visible, go to Window in the Menu bar and choose palettes you need to
work with. Below is the description of the most commonly used palettes in
Adobe Photoshop CS.

Navigator
The Navigator palette (Figure 8.4) allows you to resize and move around
within the image. Drag the slider, click on the Zoom In and Zoom Out icons,
or specify the percentage to navigate in the image.

Figure 8.4: Navigator palette

Colour, Swatches, Style

The Colour palette (Figure 8.5) displays the current foreground and
background colours and RGB values for these colours. You can use the sliders
to change the foreground and background colours in different colour modes.
You can also choose a colour from the spectrum of colours displayed in the
colour ramp at the bottom of the palette.

Figure 8.5: Colour palette

In the Swatches palette (Figure 8.6) you can choose a foreground or

background colour or add a customized colour to the library.

Figure 8.6: Swatches palette

The Styles palette (Figure 8.7) allows you to view, select, and apply preset
layer styles. By default, a preset style replaces the current layer style. You can
use the styles in the palette or add your own using the Create New Style icon.
Figure 8.7: Styles palette

History
The History palette (Figure 8.8) stores and displays each action performed
allowing you jump to any recent stage of the image alteration. The alterations
should be created during the current working session; after saving or closing
the document the History palette clears all the contents. Each time you apply a
change to an image, the new state of that image is added to the palette. The
History palette can store up to 20 stages. However, you can always go back to
the first stage, for example opening the document. It is important to know that
once you click on any of the previous stages, all the changes that were made
after it will be lost.
Figure 8.8: History palette

Layers
Layers allow you to organize your work into distinct levels that can be edited
and viewed as individual units. Every Photoshop CS document contains at
least one layer. Creating multiple layers lets you easily control how your
artwork is printed, displayed, and edited. You will use the Layers palette
(Figure 8.9) often while creating a document, so it is crucial to understand
what it does and how to use it.
 Figure 8.9: Layers palette

A) Layer Visibility - the eye shows that the selected layer is visible. Click on
or off to see or to hide a layer.

B) Layer Locking Options - click the checkered square icon to lock

Transparency; click the brush icon to lock the Image; click the arrow icon to
lock the Position; click the lock icon to lock all options.

C) Layer Blending Mode - defines how the layer's pixels blend with
underlying pixels in the image. By choosing a particular blending mode from
the dropdown menu you can create a variety of special effects.
D) Fill - by typing in a value or dragging the slider you can specify the
transparency of the colour of the image or object.
E) Opacity - by typing in a value or dragging a slider you can specify the
transparency of the entire layer.

F) Layer Lock - the icon shows when the layer is locked and disappears when
it is unlocked. Double-click the icon to unlock the layer.

G) Layer Options Menu - click the black triangle to see the following options:
New Layer, Duplicate Layer, Delete Layer, Layer Properties, etc. Some of the
options are presented as icons at the bottom of the Layers palette.

H) Layer Styles - if a layer has a style, an "F" icon shows at the bottom of the
Layers palette. Click the little black triangle to see style options.

I) Layer Mask - a grayscale image, with parts painted in black hidden, parts
painted in white showing, and parts painted in gray shades showing in various
levels of transparency.

J) Layer Set - this option helps to organize images with multiple layers. Click
the icon to create a folder for several layers.

K) Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer - have the same opacity and blending
mode options as image layers and can be rearranged, deleted, hidden, and
duplicated in the same manner as image layers. Click the icon and select an
option to create a new fill or adjustment layer.

L) Create New Layer - click this icon to create a new layer.

M) Delete Layer - to delete a layer, select a layer in the Layers palette and
drag it to the trash can icon; or, select a layer and click the icon.

Tool Box
If you have used other Adobe products, such as Illustrator or InDesign, you
should be familiar with the toolbox in Photoshop CS as it shares some of the
tools from these applications. If you are a novice user of Adobe products you
should keep in mind that you might not need to use all the tools. In this
tutorial, only the basic tools will be discussed in depth.

To view detailed descriptions of the tools in the toolbox click on section of

tools you wish to learn about.

Selection tools

Alteration tools

Drawing and
Selection tools

Assisting tools

Colour boxes and

Modes

Figure 8.10: Layers palette

Some tools in the toolbar have additional "hidden" tools. These tools have
small black triangles in the right-hand corner. To view the "hidden" tools,
click and hold down on any tool that has a black triangle in the corner (Figure
8.11).
Figure 8.11: "Hidden" tools

Table 8.1: Selection Tool

Button Tool Description
Selects an object by drawing a rectangle or
Marquee an ellipse around it.
Click the tool button, choose a rectangular or
an elliptical marquee. Drag the marquee over
the area of the image you wish to select.
Used to select and move objects on the page.
Move Click the tool button, then click on any object
on the page you wish to move.
Selects an object by drawing a freehand
Lasso border around it.
Click the tool button, drag to draw a freehand
border around the are of the image you wish
to select.
Selects an object by drawing a straight-edge
Polygonal border around it. Click the tool button, click
Lasso on the starting point on the image, drag to
draw a straight-edge border, click and drag
again to select the area of the image you wish
to select. Double-click to finish.
Selects an object by drawing a border that
Magnetic snaps to the edges of the defined area of the
Lasso object.
Click on the starting point on the image, drag
around the area of the image. The tool will
make fastening points at the edges. To finish
 selecting, drag the border to the starting point
and click precisely in the point.
Magic Selects all objects in a document with the
Wand same or similar fill colour, stroke weight,
stroke colour, opacity, or blending mode. By
specifying the colour range, or tolerance, you
can control what the Magic Wand tool
selects.
Click the tool button, then click on the area
of the image you
wish to select.
Selects and cuts parts of an image.
Crop Tool Click the tool button, then click and drag the
tool over the part of the image that you want
to keep. Resize the selected area dragging the
squares at the sides and corners. Click the
RETURN key when your crop box is sized
correctly.
Used to cut images into slices, which can be
Slice Tool exported to a web page

Table 8.2: Alteration Tools

Button Tool Description

Healing Corrects small blemishes in scanned photos.

Brush Select the tool, hold down the ALT key and
left-click on the base colour you need to
heal. Then left-click over the blemish
Draws lines of different thicknesses and
Brush Tool colours.
Select the tool. Then click on the selected
area, drag to draw lines. Use the Options bar
to change the Brush, Mode, Opacity, and
Flow.
 Takes a sample of an image and applies over
Clone Stamp another image, or a part of the same image.
Select the tool. Hold down the ALT key and
left-click on a certain point of the document
where you want to start your copy point.
Then, put your mouse over whatever part of
the new document you want the picture to
go to. Hold down the left mouse button and
drag the mouse across the page to copy the
picture.
Paints over an image using the source data
Art History from a specified history state or snapshot.
Brush Select the tool, specify the Brush, Blending
Mode, Opacity, Style, Area, and Tolerance
Removes part of an existing path or stroke.
Erase Tool You can use the Erase tool on paths, but not
on text.
Select the tool, click on the part of the image
you wish to erase. Drag to erase pixels.
Paint Bucket Fills and entire area with a specific colour of
Tool your choice. Select the tool. Choose a
foreground colour in the Colour Box. Select
an area you wish to apply the colour to.
Click the tool button, then click on the
selected area.
Gradient Tool Applies a gradient fill to a selected part of
the image or to an entire layer. Select an
area you wish to apply gradient to, click the
tool button, choose a fill in the Options bar,
click on the starting point, hold the mouse
down and drag to the end point.

Blur Tool Blurs the sharp edges of an image

Dodge Tool Lightens areas in an image. Select the area

where you wish to apply the tool.

Table 8.3: Drawing and Selection Tools

Button Tool Description
 Direct Selects paths and path segments.
Selection Tool Select the tool, click anywhere on the path.
Types text on a page. Every time you click the
Type Tool Type Tool on a new portion of the page a new
layer will be created.
Select the tool, click on the page and begin to
type. You can specify the font and size in the
Options bar. You can also resize and transform
the text box by dragging the squares at the sides
and corners. Use the Move Tool to move the
text on the page.
Draws smooth-edged paths.
Pen Tool Select the tool, click on the page, drag to draw a
path. Click and drag the anchor points to
modify the path.

Rectangle Draws a rectangle shape. Other shapes that are

Tool hidden in this tool are: Rounded Rectangle
Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, Line Tool,
and Custom Shape Tool.
Select the tool, click and drag on the page to
draw a shape. The shape will be automatically
filled with the current foreground colour.

Table 8.4: Assisting Tools

Button Tool Description
Serves as a comment feature. Usually used for
Notes Tool electronic text edits
Select the tool, click on the spot on the page
Eyedropper where you wish to make a comment. Type in
Tool the text box.
Takes colour samples from colours on the page
and displays them in the Colour Boxes.
Allows you to move around within the image.
Select the tool, click on the spot on the page,
Hand Tool hold the mouse button down, drag to move in
the area.
Magnifies or reduces the display of any area in
Magnifying your image window.
 Glass Tool Select the tool, choose Zoom In or Zoom Out in
the Options bar, click on the area of the image
you wish to magnify or reduce.
Table 8.5: Colour Boxes and Modes
Button Tool Description

The foreground colour appears in the upper

Colour Boxes colour selection box and represents a colour
that is currently active. The background colour
appears in the lower box and represents an
inactive colour.
To change the foreground colour, click the
upper colour selection box in the toolbox.
To change the background colour, click the
lower colour selection box in the toolbox.
To reverse the foreground and background
colours, click the
Switch Colours icon (the arrow) in the toolbox.
To restore the default foreground and
background colours, click the Default Colours
icon (the little black and white boxes) in the
toolbox.
NOTE: If you are using the Gradient Tool, the
currently selected foreground and background
colours will be the default colours of the
gradient.

Modes Edit in Standard Mode and Edit in Quick Mask

Mode are used for modifying images in the
unmasked or masked area.

Standard Screen, Full Screen with Menu Bar,

Full Screen are used for viewing larger or
smaller are of the image.

Edit in ImageReady is used to transfer the file

for editing in Adobe ImageReady.
8.5 Basic Image Editing
Now that you know how to find your way around in the Photoshop interface
and are familiar with the most common commands, pallets, and tools, you can
start doing some basic image editing. In the next sections of this chapter you
will learn how to crop, resize, correct, and sharp/blur your images.

8.5.1 Cropping
Cropping is one of the most basic editing techniques that can improve your
images. Cropping helps to bring out the most important features in your image
and focus the viewers' attention on these features. Cropping also allows you to
make your image a standard photo size.

There are several ways to crop images in Adobe Photoshop:

1. Cropping with the Crop Tool
2. Cropping to a specific size
3. Cropping with the Marquee Tool

Cropping with the Crop Tool

The Crop Tool allows you to make a precise selection of an image you wish to
edit. To crop with the Crop Tool, follow these steps:

1. Open the image you wish to crop (see Getting Started for detailed
instructions).
2. Select the Crop Tool from the Toolbox (see Selection Tools for location
and description).
3. Click on your image once and drag the mouse out to make a cropping
border (Figure 8.12).
 Figure 8.12: Cropping border

4. Resize the border by dragging the squares at the sides and corners till you
are satisfied with the way your image looks.

NOTE: You can also rotate your cropping border. Move the cursor outside the
border, you will see how it turns into a double-headed arrow (Figure 8.13).
Drag the arrows in the directions you wish to rotate your selection.
 Figure 8.13: Rotating the cropping border

5. Once you are completely satisfied with your cropped image, press ENTER.

Cropping to a Specific Size

If you wish to print your digital photos or other images on standard size photo
paper, you will have to crop your images to a specific size, such as 8x10. To
crop an image to a specific size, do the following:

1. Open the image you wish to crop.

2. Select the Crop Tool from the Toolbox.
3. In the Options bar, specify the values for Width and Height (Figure 8.14).

Figure 8.14: Crop Tool Options bar

4. Click in your image and drag the cropping border. Notice that the border is
constrained - you cannot make it wider or longer than the specified values
(Figure 8.15). For example, if you entered 8 for Width and 10 for Height,
whatever size you make the border, the area within it will fit on an 8x10 photo.
Figure 8.15: Cropping to a specific size

5. Once you are completely satisfied with your cropped image, press ENTER.

Cropping with the Marquee Tool

If you are in a hurry and need just a simple crop, you can use the Marquee Tool
and a menu command. To crop with the Marquee Tool, follow the steps below:

1. Open the image you wish to crop.

2. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Toolbox (see Selection
Tools).
3. Click in your image and drag the mouse to draw a marquee around the area
you wish to crop (Figure 8.16).
Figure 8.16: Drawing a marquee

4. In the main menu, go to Image > Crop (Figure 8.17). The image will be
immediately cropped.

Figure 8.17: Image > Crop menu

8.5.2 Resizing
Resizing in Photoshop can help you print your images in standard photo sizes,
resize and preserve the high quality of digital photos, and enlarge small images
to a poster size.

Resizing to a Specific Size

To resize your image to a preset size, follow the steps below:
1. In the main menu, go to File > New.
2. In the New dialog box, click on the Preset dropdown menu. You will see
several preset sizes, such as 2x3, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 with the preset resolution of
300 ppi (Figure 8.18).

Figure 8.18: Preset size in the New dialog box

3. Choose the size that you wish and click OK.

NOTE: All the preset sizes are in portrait orientation. If you wish to resize an
image with the landscape orientation, you need to create your own preset. To
create your own size, do the following:

1. Type in the values for Width and Height, for example 7x5.
2. Type in your desired resolution (150 ppi is enough for high quality printing,
and 72 ppi is good for the web images).
3. Click the Save Preset button (Figure 8.19).
 Figure 8.19: Saving a preset size

Resizing Digital Photos

Digital photos usually have large dimensions but low resolution, 72 ppi, which
effects their quality when their size is decreased or increased. When printed, the
photos with the changed size will look pixilated. To resize the digital photos
without loosing the quality, follow these steps:

1. Open the digital photo you wish to resize.

2. In the main menu, go to View > Rulers. You will be able to see the
dimension of your photo (Figure 8.20).

Figure 8.20: Dimensions of a digital photo - 11.111 x 8.333

3. In the main menu, go to Image > Image Size.
4. In the Image Size dialog box, check the Resample Image box off
(Figure 8.21).
Type in your desired resolution (anything between 150 and 300 ppi). The photo
is now 6.667 x 5 inches.

Figure 8.21: Changing resolution.

Enlarging
If you want to make your digital photo into a poster size image, you can do it in
the Image Size dialog box. However, just increasing the dimensions will make
the image appear blurry and pixilated. To enlarge the image without loosing the
quality, follow these steps:

1. Open the digital image you wish to enlarge.

2. In the main menu, go to Image > Image Size.
3. In the Image Size dialog box, make sure the Resample Image box is checked
off and choose Bicubic Smoother from the dropdown box (Figure 8.22).
 Figure 8.22: Increasing the size by 10 percent

4. Change the Document Size measurements to Percent. Type in 110; this will
increase the size of the image by 10 percent (Figure 8.22).
5. Continue enlarging by 10 percent till you are satisfied with the size.

8.5.3 Correcting
Digital cameras tend to cause various problems, such as "red eye" or "hot
spots", if you use flash, or underexposure, if you do not. In Photoshop, you can
correct these problems, as well as adjust the overall colour of your digital photo.

Red Eye Removal

The digital camera flash is located right above the lens, which causes the "red-
eye"; however, you can fix your photos easily in Photoshop. To remove the "red
eye", follow the steps below:

1. Open a photo you wish to correct.

2. Select the Zoom Tool from the Toolbox. Click and drag to draw a rectangle
around the eye (Figure 8.23).
 Figure 8.23: Red eye zoomed in

3. Make sure your default Foreground and Background colours are black and
white (Figure 8.24).

Figure 8.24: Foreground and Background colours set to black and white

4. Click on the little black triangle of the Heeling Brush Tool button and select
the Colour Replacement Tool.
5. Click on the red and paint, holding down the mouse button. You will see
how the red will disappear (Figure 8.25).

Figure 8.25: Red eye corrected

6. Repeat the steps for the other eye.

Hot Spot Removal

Using a flash can also cause another problem - shiny areas on people's faces or
the flash reflection in the shiny surfaces. To correct this problem, follow the
steps below:
1. Open the photo you wish to correct.
2. Select the Clone Stamp Tool from the Toolbox.
3. In the Options bar, change the Blend Mode from Normal to
Darken (Figure 8.26).

Figure 8.26: Setting the options for the Clone Stamp Tool

4. Set the Opacity to 50 percent.

5. Choose a soft-edged brush, set the diameter to 40 or 50 (Figure 8.27).
 Figure 8.27: Brush settings

6. Hold down the SHIFT key and click in the clean area (without "hot spots")
to get a sample of colour (Figure 8.28).

Figure 8.28: Clone Stamp selection

7. Paint over the "hot spot", the light area will gradually darken (Figure 8.29)
 Figure 8.29: Corrected image

Adding Flash
If you took pictures indoors without a flash they will turn out underexposed and
dark; in Photoshop, you can make your photos lighter. To fix underexposed
photos, follow these steps:

1. Open a digital photo you wish to correct (Figure 8.30).

Figure 8.30: Underexposed photo

2. In the main menu, go to Layers > Duplicate. In the Duplicate Layer dialog
box, name the layer Layer 1.
3. Make sure Layer 1 is selected in the Layers palette. In the Blending Mode
dropdown box, change the Blending Mode to Screen (Figure 8.31). The
whole image will lighten.
 Figure 8.31: Changing the Blending Mode

4. Keep duplicating Layer 1 till you are satisfied with the quality of your
image (Figure 8.32).

Figure 8.32: Corrected photo

Colour Adjustment
Colour adjustment options in Photoshop CS can help you to make your digital
photos look more natural. To colour correct your images, follow these steps:

1. Open the image you wish to correct.

2. In the main menu, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. You will see a
dialog box displaying a diagram of the colours in your image (Figure 8.33).
The black triangle is for shadows, the gray is for midtones, the white is for
highlights. In the Channels dropdown menu, you can choose between RGB,
Red, Green, or Blue. These indicate whether your changes effect all the
colours, or just one (red, green, or blue).

Figure 8.33: Levels dialog box

3. Make sure the Preview box is checked off. Choose the channel you wish to
change and drag the triangles. Dragging the black triangle to the right will
make the shadows in your photo darker; dragging the white triangle to the
left will make the highlights in your photo lighter; dragging the gray triangle
to the left will make the midtones in your photo lighter, dragging it to the
right will make the midtones darker. You will be able to see the changes in
your image (Figure 8.34 a and b). Selecting just one colour channel can alter
the colour of your photo completely.
Figure 8.34 a. Initial image Figure 8.34 b. Corrected image

8.5.4 Sharpening/Softening
Sharpening
If your digital photos are slightly out of focus, you can use the basic sharpening
technique to make your images look crisper. To sharpen your photo, follow the
steps below:

1. Open an image you wish to sharpen. Note that this technique can sharpen
images that are only slightly blurry.
2. Use the Zoom Tool to make sure you are viewing your image in its full size,
that is, at 100%.
3. In the main menu, go to Filter> Sharpen> Unsharp Mask. You will see the
Unsharp Mask dialog box (Figure 8.35).
 Figure 8.35: Unsharp Mask dialog box

4. Enter 125 for the Amount, 1 for the Radius, and 3 for the Threshold.
5. Click OK. You will see how the image has become more in focus.

Softening
Sometimes you might not want objects or people in your photos look too sharp,
in this case you can use a softening technique. To soften am image, follow these
steps:

1. Open the image you wish to soften.

2. In the main menu, choose Layer > Duplicate Layer. You will have a new
layer called Background Copy.
3. In the main menu, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur
dialog box, type in 4 for Radius, or drag the slider to this position
(Figure 8.36).
 Figure 8.36: Gaussian Blur

4. Make sure the Background Copy layer is selected and change its opacity to
50% (Figure 8.37). The objects or people in your image will have a soft,
glowing effect.

Figure 8.37: Opacity

5. Select the Eraser Tool from the Toolbox, choose a soft-edged brush, and
erase over the areas in the face that are supposed to be sharp, such as eyes,
eyebrows, lips, and teeth (Figure 8.38a and b).
Figure 8.38a: Before Figure 8.38b: After

8.6 Saving
Remember to save your work often. Saving frequently lessens the risk of losing
the work you have been doing. To save your Photoshop document, do the
following:

1. Click File > Save.

2. Navigate to the place you would like your document to be saved by using
the dropdown menu and the navigation window.
3. Enter the name of your document in the Save As text field.
4. Choose a format to save your project in from the Format dropdown menu.
5. Click the Save button in the bottom right corner of the dialogue box.
6. Check to make sure that your document is saved in the place you intended.

NOTE: If you save your file as PSD (default Photoshop saving format) your
layers will be preserved, but the file size will be large. If you save your file as
JPEG (a common image format) your layers will be flattened and become one
layer. The file size though will be significantly smaller.
Self Assessment
Q1. In Photoshop, what is a smart object?
Q2. How do you organize layers in Photoshop?
Q3. How you can unlock the background in Photoshop?
Q4. How do you select an exact colour to match?
Q5. What is the difference between PSB (Photoshop Big) and PSD (Photoshop
Document)?
Q6. What is healing tool?
Q7. How to create an artistic border?
Q8. What is a Gaussian blur?
Q9. What are swatches palettes?
Q10. How does Red Eye tool works?
 CHAPTER NINE
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION USING ADOBE
DREAMWEAVER

9.1 Introduction
Macromedia Dreamweaver is an application that lets you design, code, and
manage websites. What is interesting about the software is that it offers both the
possibility to write code as well as make a website using a visual interface. It is
a professional HTML editor for designing, coding, and developing websites,
web pages, and web applications. Whether you enjoy the control of hand-coding
HTML or prefer to work in a visual editing environment, Dreamweaver
provides you with helpful tools to enhance your web creation experience. The
visual editing features in Dreamweaver let you quickly create pages without
writing a line of code. You can view all your site elements or assets and drag
them from an easy-to-use panel directly into a document. You can streamline
your development workflow by creating and editing images in Macromedia
Fireworks or another graphics application, then importing them directly into
Dreamweaver, or by adding Macromedia Flash objects. Dreamweaver also
provides a full-featured coding environment that includes code-editing tools
(such as code colouring and tag completion) and reference material on HTML,
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript, ColdFusion Markup Language
(CFML), Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP), and JavaServer Pages (JSP).
Macromedia Roundtrip HTML technology imports your hand-coded HTML
documents without reformatting the code; you can then reformat code with your
preferred formatting style. Dreamweaver also enables you to build dynamic
database-backed web applications using server technologies such as CFML,
ASP.NET, ASP, JSP, and PHP. Dreamweaver is fully customizable. You can
create your own objects and commands, modify keyboard shortcuts, and even
write JavaScript code to extend Dreamweaver capabilities with new behaviours,
Property inspectors, and site reports.

9.2 Webpage Highlights

Webpages are documents written in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and
stored as HTML files on web server. While websites are collection of
webpages. Most websites on the internet are made up of multiple webpages and
each website is identified by an address (Uniform Resource Locator-URL) that
specifies the location of the site.
There are two types of webpages that can be created. They are static and
dynamic webpages.
 Static Webpages- they are webpages that display exactly the same content
regardless of the browser or internet visitor requesting the pages.
 Dynamic Webpages-these are webpages that are customized in such a
way that they can display different contents depending on the browser or
internet visitor that request them.
A search engine is a popular type of dynamic webpage. Its content is drawn
from a database and the page is created dynamically when a browser loads it.

Editors
There are two popular types of editors that are used to create and edit HTML
files. They are- code editors and visual editors
Code editors- they provide environments that work with plain text, HTML
code and compose each tag manually without any visual interpretation
Visual editors- they enable working directly with the content of the webpage
which it in turn generates the underlying HTML codes. This is made possible
when elements are added to the page by dragging and dropping, copying and
pasting etc.

9.3 Getting Started

Before you get started, it is important that you decide what you want to put on
your website: images, buttons, videos, PDF documents, PowerPoint
presentations, etc. To create and maintain an organized website, you need to
establish a hierarchy of folders that contain all of the components that make up
your site. This folder is called your Local root folder. This folder is important
because this is where Dreamweaver looks for all your files. To create a root
folder, follow these steps:
Step 1: Create a new folder on your desktop. On a Mac, click File > New
Folder. On a PC, right-click and choose New Folder.
Step 2: Give the folder a brief, but descriptive name. Do not use capital letters,
spaces, or special characters when naming folders and files for your website. All
of your pages will be saved within this folder.
Step 3: Open the folder, and create another new folder inside. Name this folder
“images” (make sure the file name is lower case). Put all of your images,
buttons, movie files, etc. inside the images folder.
NOTE: Make sure that all of your pages and images are saved in your rooter
folder, or they will not appear the next your website is opened.

9.4 Dreamweaver CS6 Interface

When you open Dreamweaver, you’ll be greeted by the program’s Welcome
screen (Figure 9.1). This simple starting point lets you open any one of the nine
most recently opened files, create a new web page, view instructional videos,
and access online help.

Figure 9.1:  Dreamweaver’s Welcome screen

Dreamweaver CS6’s interface shares the look and feel of other programs, like
Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash, in Adobe’s “Creative Suite.” Out of the box,
Dreamweaver’s various windows are a unified whole (see Figure 9.2). That is,
the edges of all the windows touch each other, and resizing one window affects
the others around it. This type of interface is common on Windows computers,
but Mac fans accustomed to independent floating panels might find it strange.
 Figure 9.2: Dreamweaver CS6’s interface

Many of the program’s individual windows help you handle specific tasks, like
building CSS styles. The following are the main interface elements of this
program:
 Menu bar: this panel displays by default at the top of the Dreamweaver
interface and provides access to most of the functions and features available.
 Insert bar: this displays by default at the top of the interface underneath the
menu bar. It contains sets of toolbars grouped in categories.
 Document toolbar: this toolbar displays by default at the top of the document
window. It provides quick access to many tasks including switching
document views and transferring a document between local and remote sites.
 Document window: this displays the current document being created.
 Status bar: this is always located at the bottom of the document window. It
displays the tag selector tool and provides information about the current
document that is open in the document window.
 Panel group: this displays by default at the extreme right of the interface and
also by default the following are open: the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS),
Application, Tag Inspector and files panel group.
 Property Inspector: this displays by default at the bottom of the interface
underneath the document window. It enables the editing of the element
properties like text.
9.5 Managing your Sites
1. Begin by opening Adobe Dreamweaver CS6.
On a PC, click Start > Programs > Adobe > Dreamweaver CS6, or click on the
Dreamweaver shortcut on the desktop.
On a Mac, click Macintosh HD > Applications > Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 , or
click the Dreamweaver icon in the Dock. (Figure 9.3)

Figure 9.3: Navigating to the Dreamweaver CS6 application

The most important step you need to take every time you launch Dreamweaver
CS6 is to define your Local Info. The local root folder is the name for the folder
where you are storing all of your website’s contents.
To define a site, follow these steps:
1. Click Site > Manage Sites.
2. Click New > Site.
3. Select the Site tab.
4. Enter a name for the site in the Site Name text field (This name will be for
your use only – it will not be published with your site.)
5. Click the small folder icon next to the Local Site Folder text field. Browse to
the root folder that you created earlier. Once you have located the folder, click
the Choose button.
6. Select the Advanced Settings tab.
7. Click the small folder icon next to the Default Images Folder text field
(Figure 9.4). Browse to the images folder that you created earlier in the tutorial.
Once you’ve located the folder, click the Choose button.
Figure 9.4: Selecting the Default Images Folder in Dreamweaver CS6

Next, every time you launch Dreamweaver, you have to define your Remote
Info. The Remote Info tab is used to tell Dreamweaver where to put your files
when you are ready to upload them to the web. If you are using personal server
space, use the diagram below (Figure 9.5) to fill out the information. (If you are
using any other server you will need to know the host name.). To define the
remote info, do the following:

1. Click on the Server (Figure 9.5) tab located on the left side of the toolbar.
2. To add a server, click the + symbol from the bottom left-hand corner of the
window.
3. Type in personal.bgsu.edu for FTP Address.
4. Type in public_html for Host directory.
5. Type in your webmail username for Username.
6. Type in your webmail password for Password.
7. Make sure the Use passive FTP (if not visible, click the More Options arrow
toward the bottom) box is checked.
8. Click Test to make sure it connects to the server correctly.
Figure 9.5: Configuring the Remote Server in Dreamweaver CS6

9.6 Creating a Homepage

To create a Web page, follow these guidelines:
1. To add a new page go to File > New and choose a basic HTML page. Save
this page by clicking File >Save As. Name the first page index.html. This will
be the first page that users encounter when they visit your site. Save this file to
your local root folder as index.html. Naming the homepage index.html tells the
Web browser that this is the first page it should open when someone visits your
site.
2. After your homepage index.html is created, you can use this page as a
template layout for all the other pages in your site. Simply hit Save As and
name the file whatever you wish, but be sure to keep the name as simple, for
example history.html, resume.html, etc. Remember not to use capital letters or
spaces when naming files, this will make it easier for web browsers to find your
files.
3. To save the pages of your site simply click File > Save for each page. Make
sure your homepage is named index.html, and save all of your files in the folder
you chose when you defined your site, i.e. in your local root folder.

NOTE: This process will save your files to your local site. You can transfer
each file separately to the remote site or transfer the entire site once you have
finished working on it.
9.7 Design and Layout
Even if you are creating only a simple Website, you should begin by sketching
out the layout of your site. Decide where you want titles, images, navigation
buttons, and text to appear on the screen. Most web sites have the same design
characteristics on every page. For example, Website titles are usually in the top
left or top center, while navigation buttons usually appear vertically on the left
or horizontally below the title. In addition to sketching out a layout for each
page, you should determine how many pages you will need for the Website.
Thorough planning is essential to good web design. In order to get your text,
navigation buttons, and images to appear where you want them on the Web
page; you need to use tables to format content of each page. Everything on each
page of your Website should it within one large table. Using your layout
sketches, you can determine what your table needs to look like. Figure 9.6
shows a simple layout sketch. Figure 9.7 shows the same layout, with table
borders drawn in. Figure 9.8 shows how the table can be implemented in
Dreamweaver. Now, simply create a table in Dreamweaver that has the same
characteristics as the borders drawn on the page. The next chapter will teach
you how to insert your table.

Figure 9.6: Simple layout sketch Figure 9.7: Simple layout sketch with borders

9.8 Inserting and Using Tables

Tables help you divide the space on your page. They are similar to tables in
Word or Excel but can be used in much more flexible ways. Tables give you the
option of making your page a fixed size or making it fit to the user’s window
the best it can. Tables also guarantee that the location of your text and images
does not change when seen on screen with different resolutions or in different
Web browsers.

How to insert a Table

1. To insert a table, follow these steps:
2. In the main menu, click Insert > Table.
3. Insert the amount of Table Rows and Columns (Figure 9.8).
4. Set Table Width to between 600 and 800 pixels.
5. Set Border Thickness. To have a visible border type in 1 or higher, to have no
border type in 0.
6. Cell Padding adds room inside of a cell. Enter 0 for no space or a number to
Increase the space.
7. Cell Spacing adds space between cells. Enter 0 for no space or a number to
Increase the space.
8. Click Ok.

Figure 9.8: Table window

Properties of Tables
If you click on one of the table borders, you can view your table properties in
the Properties window.

Figure 9.9: Table Properties Window

In the top section of this window (Figure 9.9) you can:

• Name your table
• Change the number of rows and columns in the table
• Change the width and height of the table
• Using percent: this will make the table expand and contract as the user
changes the size of the window
• Using pixels: this will make the table a set number of pixels no matter what
size the user’s window is (there are 72 pixels/inch)
• Change the Cell Pad: this is the number of pixels that come between the
border of cells and the content of cells
• Change the Cell Space: this is the number of pixels that come between the
borders of each cell
• Change the alignment: this is the position of the table on the left or right edge,
or in the center of the page
• Change the border: this is the number of pixels that make up the thickness of
cell borders

In the bottom section of this window (Figure 9.9) you can:

• Clear and convert table widths and heights
• Change the background colour of the whole table
• Insert a background image for the whole table
• Change the border colour

Properties of Cells inside Table

Once the properties of the table have been set, you can also adjust the properties
of individual cells within the table by clicking inside the cell (Figure 9.10). In
the top section of this window you can format the text inside the table cell. In
the bottom section of this window you can:
• Merge and split cells (this will be explained in the layout section).
• Change the alignment of the content horizontally and vertically.
• Change the width and the height of the cell (numbers alone represent pixels,
add a percent sign to make the cell a certain percentage of the whole table).
• Use Wrap.
• Insert Header;
• Insert a background image for the single cell.
• Change the background colour for the single cell.
• Change the border colour for the single cell.

Figure 9.10: Table Format window

Here is an example of a page with a background colour selected for the page,
for each table, and for some specific cells in each table (Figure 9.11).

Figure 9.11: Background colour, table colour, cell colour

9.9 Adding Design Elements

The following are some of the design elements that may be required to be added
to our web page:
Adding Text
To insert text simply click inside a cell and type in your content. When you
click Enter, Dreamweaver automatically adds paragraph spacing. To add a line
space, click Shift + Enter.

Inserting Images
To insert an image, follow these steps:
1. Click in the cell where you want the image to appear.
2. Click Insert > Image.
3. Locate the image you want to insert
NOTE: All of your images should be saved in the “images” folder that you
established when you started.
4. Click Choose to insert the image.
Click on the image to view its properties in the Image Properties Inspector
window (Figure 9.12).

Figure 9.12: Image Properties Inspector Window

Formatting Page Properties

To change the background colour of your pages or other overall properties of
your website, go to Modify > Page Properties. Here, in the Page Properties
window, you can set the default font, text size, text colour, and background for
all of your pages (Figure 9.13).
 Figure 9.14: Page Properties Window

9.10 Previewing in Browser

You can preview your Web pages in a browser in many ways:
1. Choose File > Preview in Browser.
2. Hit F12.
3. Click on the world icon located on the toolbar at the top of your page (Figure
9.15)

Figure 9.15: Preview in Browser Menu

9.11 Creating Hyperlinks

A hyperlink or link, is an object or text that, when clicked, takes the users to
another webpage or opens a file. The various types of hyperlinks are explained
below.
Internal Links
Internal links are used to connect users to other pages within the same website.
Before linking to other pages, you must make sure that the other pages are
saved in your local root folder and contain the file extension .htm or .html.

To create an internal link, follow these steps:

1. Select the text or image you would like to make a hyperlink.
2. Click on the small folder next to the Link field in the Properties Inspector
(Figure 9.16).
3. Browse through the files, and select the page you would like to link.
4. Click Choose.

Figure 9.16: Link field in the Properties Inspector

External Links
External links are used to connect the users to pages from other websites. To
create an external link, do the following:
1. Select a text or an image you want to make a hyperlink.
2. Click the cursor inside of the link text field in the Properties Inspector.
3. Type the complete URL (web address) of the website you want to link
(e.g. https://www.portal.abiastatepolytechnic.edu.ng).
4. Select the Target type as -blank.

NOTE: If you select the Target type as _blank, it will open the link in a new
window while keeping your website open in another window.

Links to Files
Sometimes you may need to link a file such as a PDF, a Word document, or a
PowerPoint presentation. When the user clicks the hyperlink, the files will
either automatically open up in its original program or the browser will prompt
the user to save the file on their hard drive.
To create a link to a file, follow these steps:
1. Make sure that the file you want to link is saved in your root folder.
2. Select a text or an image you would like to make a hyperlink.
3. Click on the small folder next to the Link field in the Properties Inspector.
4. Browse through the files, and select the file you would like to link.
5. Click Choose.
6. Select the Target type as -blank.

Basic Email Link

E-mail links are links that will automatically open the user’s default email
program with a blank e-mail addressed to the specified e-mail link.
There are two ways to create an email link you can:

1. Click on the Insert menu at the top of the screen and select Email Link.
2. Type in text for the hyperlink name or label, for example: My Email or Click
here to email me (Figure 9.17).
3. Type in your email address, i.e. where the email is to be sent.
4. Click OK.

Figure 9.17: E-mail Link window

Or, you can:

1. Select the text you want to be your email link.
2. In the Properties window in the Links field, type in mail to: yourusername@
abiastatepolytechnic.edu.ng, or any other email address you want to use as your
contact.
9.12 Inserting Special Media
Rollover Images
Rollover images allow you to have a graphic change to a different graphic when
the mouse rolls over it. To insert a rollover image, do the following:
1. Click on Insert > Image Objects > Rollover Images.
2. In the Insert Rollover Image dialog box under Original Image, browse for the
image that is to be seen before the mouse rolls over it (Figure 9.18).
3. Under Rollover Image browse for the image to be seen when the mouse rolls
over it.
4. In the When clicked. Go to URL field, you can enter a link by typing in the
web address or browsing to a file.
5. Click OK.

Figure 9.18: Inserting rollover image

Quicktime Movie
To insert a movie, follow these simple steps:
1. Click on Insert > Media > Plug-in.
2. Navigate to the desired file.
3. Click Choose.

NOTE: By default the QuickTime is viewed in a very small window; to make

the window larger, click on it once and drag one of the corners to the desired
size. Make sure the movie file is located in your local root folder.
Embedding a PowerPoint Presentation
To insert a Power Point Presentation, do the following:
1. Open a project in PowerPoint.
2. Click Save as Web Page.
3. Put both the .html and the folder of files created in PowerPoint into your
local root folder.

NOTE: The file .html is now your PowerPoint embedded into a Web page; you
can double-click on it to open it in a browser.

4. Insert a link to your PowerPoint .html file. Now if the user clicks on the link,
your presentation will open.

9.13 Uploading Your Site

To upload your files to the Web, complete this process:
1. Make sure your Files panel is open. If not, go to Window > Files.
2. Click the Connect button. This button connects Dreamweaver to your server
space (see Figure 9.19).
3. Make sure your toolbar displays Local View and your files can be seen in the
panel. The LocalView shows everything in the Files panel that is on the
computer in your local root folder.
4. Select your local root folder and click on the Put button (See Figure 9.19).

Figure 9.19: uploading your site

NOTE: If you make changes, be sure to upload your entire folder and replace
the old version to keep all files linked properly.
1. In the toolbar, switch your view from Local to RemoteView. You should
now see your files under Remote as well. The RemoteView shows you all of the
files uploaded on your server space.
2. Check your site in a browser by typing in your Web site address

NOTE: We recommend that you save a backup of your local root folder on
something semi permanent such as a CD, a zip disk, or a flash drive in order to
save you time and energy when you need to update the site.
Self Assessment
Q1. Explain what is Dreamweaver?
Q2. Explain what is the difference between WordPress and Dreamweaver?
Q3. Explain which graphic format you cannot insert into your web page?
Q4. Explain how you can make a template in Dreamweaver?
Q5. Explain what are Dreamweaver layers?
Q6. Explain how you can make your site live in Dreamweaver?
Q7. Explain how to use Dreamweaver behaviours to play sound?
Q8. Explain how you can add an image to your web page in Dreamweaver?
Q9. Explain how validator work in DreamWeaver?
Q10. Mention which panel is used to change the event that triggers an image
swap?
 CHAPTER TEN
MULTIMEDIA NETWORKING SYSTEM
10.1 Introduction
A multimedia networking system allows for the data exchange of discrete and
continuous media among computers. This communication requires proper
services and protocols for data transmission. Multimedia networking enables
distribution of media to different workstation.

10.2 Layers, Protocols and Services

A service provides a set of operations to the requesting application. Logically
related services are grouped into layers according to the OSI reference model.
OSI stands for Open System Interconnection is a reference model that describes
how information from a software application in one computer moves through a
physical medium to the software application in another computer. OSI consists
of seven layers, and each layer performs a particular network function. OSI
model was developed by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) in 1984, and it is now considered as an architectural model for the inter-
computer communications. OSI model divides the whole task into seven smaller
and manageable tasks. Each layer is assigned a particular task. Each layer is
self-contained, so that task assigned to each layer can be performed
independently. Therefore, each layer is a service provider to the layer lying
above. The services describe the behaviour of the layer and its service elements
(Service Data Units = SDUs). A proper service specification contains no
information concerning any aspects of the implementation.
A list of seven layers is given below:
 Physical Layer
 Data-Link Layer
 Network Layer
 Transport Layer
 Session Layer
 Presentation Layer
 Application Layer
Figure 10.1: OSI Layers

A protocol consists of a set of rules which must be followed by peer layer

instances during any communication between these two peers. It is comprised of
the formal (syntax) and the meaning (semantics) of the exchanged data units
(Protocol Data Units = PDUs). The peer instances of different computers
cooperate together to provide a service.
Multimedia communication puts several requirements on services and
protocols, which are independent from the layer in the network architecture. In
general, this set of requirements depends to a large extent on the respective
application. However, without defining a precise value for individual
parameters, the following requirements must be taken into account:
 Audio and video data process need to be bounded by deadlines or even
defined by a time interval. The data transmission-both between
applications and transport layer interfaces of the involved components-
must follow within the demands concerning the time domains.
 End –to-end jitter must be bounded. This is especially important for
interactive applications such as the telephone. Large jitter values would
mean large buffers and higher end-to-end delays.
  All guarantees necessary for achieving the data transfer within the
required time span must be met. This includes the required processor
performance, as well as the data transfer over a bus and the available
storage for protocol processing.
 Cooperative work scenarios using multimedia conference systems are the
main application areas of multimedia communication systems. These
systems should support multicast connections to save resources. The
sender instance may often change during a single session. Further, a user
should be able to join or leave a multicast group without having to
request a new connection setup, which needs to be handled by all other
members of this group.
 The services should provide mechanisms for synchronizing different data
streams, or alternatively perform the synchronization using available
primitives implemented in another system component.
 The multimedia communication must be compatible with the most widely
used communication protocols and must make use of existing, as well as
future networks. Communication compatibility means that different
protocols at least coexist and run on the same machine simultaneously.
The relevance of envisaged protocols can only be achieved if the same
protocols are widely used. Many of the current multimedia
communication systems are, unfortunately, proprietary experimental
systems.
 The communication of discrete data should not starve because of
preferred or guaranteed video/audio transmission. Discrete data must be
transmitted without any penalty.
 The fairness principle among different applications, users and
workstations must be enforced.
 The actual audio/video data rate varies strongly. This leads to fluctuations
of the data rate, which needs to be handled by the services.

10.2.1 Physical Layer

The physical layer defines the transmission method of individual bits over the
physical medium, such as Fiber optics. For example, the type of modulation and
bit-synchronization are important issues. With respect to the particular
modulation, delays during the data transmission arise due to the propagation
speed of the transmission medium and the electrical circuits used. They
determine the maximal possible bandwidth of this communication channel. For
audio/video data in general, the delays must be minimized and a relatively high
bandwidth should be achieved.

10.2.2 Data Link Layer

The data link layer provides the transmission of information blocks known as
data frames. Further, this layer is responsible for access protocols to the
physical medium, error recognition and correction, flow control and block
synchronization. Access protocols are very much dependent on the network.
Networks can be divided into two categories: those using point-to-point
connections and those using broadcast channels, sometimes called multi-access
channels or random access channels. In a broadcast network, the key issue is
how to determine, in the case of competition, who gets access to the channel. To
solve this problem, the Medium Access Control (MAC) sublayer was
introduced and MAC protocols, such as the Timed Token Rotation Protocol and
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD), were
developed. The continuous data streams require reservation and throughput
guarantees over a line. To avoid larger delays, the error control for multimedia
transmission needs a different mechanism than retransmission because a late
frame is a lost frame.

10.2.3. Network Layer

The network layer transports information blocks, called packets, from one
station to another. The transport may involve several networks. Therefore, this
layer provides services such as addressing, internetworking, error handling,
network management with congestion control and sequencing of packets.
Again, continuous media require resource reservation and guarantees for
transmission at this layer. A request for reservation for later resource guarantees
is defined through Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, which correspond to
the requirements for continuous data stream transmission. The reservation must
be done along the path between the communicating stations.

10.2.4. Transport Layer

The transport layer provides a process-to-process connection. At this layer, the
QoS, which is provided by the network layer, is enhanced, meaning that if the
network service is poor, the transport layer has to bridge the gap between what
the transport users want and what the network layer provides. Large packets are
segmented at this layer and reassembled into their original size at the receiver.
Error handling is based on process-to-process communication.

10.2.5 Session Layer

In the case of continuous media, multimedia sessions which reside over one or
more transport connections, must be established. This introduces a more
complex view on connection reconstruction in the case of transport problems.

10.2.6 Presentation Layer

The presentation layer abstracts from different formats ( the local syntax) and
provides common formats ( transfer syntax). Therefore, this layer must provide
services for transformation between the application-specific formats and the
agreed upon format. An example is the different representation of a number for
Intel or Motorola processors. The multitude of audio and video formats also
requires conversion between formats. This problem also comes up outside of the
communication components during exchange between data carriers, such as
CD-ROMs, which store continuous data. Thus, format conversion is often
discussed in other contexts.

10.2.7 Application Layer

The application layer considers all application-specific services, such as file
transfer service embedded in the file transfer protocol (FTP) and the electronic
mail service. With respect to audio and video, special services for support of
real-time access and transmission must be provided.

10.3 Multimedia on Networks

The main goal of distributed multimedia communication systems is to transmit
all their media over the same network. Depending mainly on the distance
between end-points (station/computers), networks are divided into three
categories: Local Area Networks (LANs), Metropolitan Area Networks
(MANs), and Wide Area Networks (WANs).

Local Area Networks (LANs)

A LAN is characterized by (1) its extension over a few kilometers at most, (2) a
total data rate of at least several Mbps, and (3) its complete ownership by a
single organization. Further, the number of stations connected to a LAN is
typically limited to 100. However, the interconnection of several LANs allows
the number of connected stations to be increased. The basis of LAN
communication is broadcasting using broadcast channel (multi-access channel).
Therefore, the MAC sublayer is of crucial importance in these networks.

High-speed Ethernet
Ethernet is the most widely used LAN. Currently available Ethernet offers
bandwidth of at least 10 Mbps, but new fast LAN technologies for Ethernet with
bandwidths in the range of 100Mbps, 1,000Mbps and 10Gbps are already
available in the market. This bus-based network uses the CSMA/CD protocol
for resolution of multiple access to the broadcast channel in the MAC sublayer-
before data transmission begins, the network state is checked by the sender
station. Each station may try to send its data only if, at that moment, no other
station transmits data. Therefore, each station can simultaneously listen and
send.

Dedicated Ethernet
Another possibility for the transmission of audio/video data is to dedicate a
separate Ethernet LAN to the transmission of continuous data. This solution
requires compliance with a proper additional protocol. Further, end-users need
at least two separate networks for their communications: one for continuous
data and another for discrete data. This approach makes sense for experimental
systems, but means additional expense in the end-systems and cabling.

Hub
A very pragmatic solution can be achieved by exploiting an installed network
configuration. Most of the Ethernet cables are not installed in the form of a bus
system. They make up a star (i.e., cables radiate from the central room to each
station). In this central room, each cable is attached to its own Ethernet
interface. Instead of configuring bus, each station is connected via its own
Ethernet to a hub. Hence, each station has the full Ethernet bandwidth available,
and a new network for multimedia transmission is not necessary.

Fast Ethernet
Fast Ethernet, known as 100Base-T offers throughput speed of up to 100
Mbits/s, and it permits users to move gradually into the world of high-speed
LANs. The Fast Ethernet Alliance, an industry group with more than 60
member companies began work on the 100-Mbits/s 100 Base-TX specification
in the early 1990s. The alliance submitted the proposed standard to the IEEE
and it was approved. During the standardization process, the alliance and the
IEEE also defined a Media-Independent Interface (MII) for fast Ethernet, which
enables it to support various cabling types on the same Ethernet network.
Therefore, fast Ethernet offers three media options: 100 Base-T4 for half-duplex
operation on four pairs of UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair cable), 100 Base-TX
for half-or full-0duplex operation on two pairs of UTP or STP (Shielded
Twisted Pair cable), and 100 Base-FX for half-and full-duplex transmission
over fiber optic cable.

Token Ring
The Token Ring is a LAN with 4 or 16 Mbits/s throughput. All stations are
connected to a logical ring. In a Token Ring, a special bit pattern (3-byte),
called a token, circulates around the ring whenever all stations are idle. When a
station wants to transmit a frame, it must get the token and remove it from the
ring before transmitting. Ring interfaces have two operating modes: listen and
transmit. In the listen mode, input bits are simply copied to the output. In the
transmit mode, which is entered only after the token has been seized, the
interface breaks the connection between the input and the output, entering its
own data onto the ring. As the bits that were inserted and subsequently
propagated around the ring come back, they are removed from the ring by the
sender.
After a station has finished transmitting the last bit of its last frame, it must
regenerate the token. When the last bit of the frame has gone around and
returned, it must be removed, and the interface must immediately switch back
into the listen mode to avoid a duplicate transmission of the data. Each station
receives, reads and sends frames circulating in the ring according to the Token
Ring MAC Sublayer Protocol (IEEE standard 8020.5). Each frame includes a
Sender Address (SA) and a Destination Address (DA). When the sending
station drains the frame from the ring, a Frame Status field is update, i.e., the A
and C bits of the field are examined. Three combinations are allowed:
 A=0, C=0 : destination not present or not powered up.
 A=1, C=0 : destination present but frame not accepted.
 A=1, C=1 : destination present and frame copied.

FDDI
The Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is a high-performance fiber optic
LAN, which is configured as a ring. It is often seen as the successor of the
Token Ring IEEE 802.5 protocol. The standardization began in the American
Standards Institute (ANSI in the group X3T9.5 in 1982. Early implementations
appeared in 1988. Compared to the Token Ring, FDDI is more a backbone than
a LAN only because it runs at 100 Mbps over distances up to 100 km with up to
500 stations. The Token Ring supports typically between 50-2050 stations. The
distance of neighbouring stations is less than 20 km in FDDI.

The FDDI design specification calls for no more than one error in 20.5*10^10
bits. Many implementations will do much better. The FDDI cabling consists of
two fiber rings, one transmitting clockwise and the other transmitting counter-
clockwise. If either one breaks, the other can be used as backup. FDDI supports
different transmission modes which are important for the communication of
multimedia data. The synchronous mode allows a bandwidth reservation; the
asynchronous mode behaves similar to the Token Ring protocol. Many current
implementations support only the asynchronous mode. Before diving into a
discussion of the different mode, we will briefly describe the topologies and
FDDI system components.

Figure 10.2: An overview of data transmission in FDDI

Topology of FDDI
The main topology features of FDDI are the two fiber rings, which operate in
opposite directions (dual ring topology). The primary ring provides the data
transmission; the secondary ring improves the fault tolerance. Individual
stations can be –but do not have to be – connected to both rings. FDDI defines
two classes of stations, A and B:
 Any class A station (Dual Attachment Station) connects to both rings. It
is connected either directly to a primary ring and secondary ring or via a
concentrator to a primary and secondary ring.

 The class B station (Single Attachment Station) only connects to one of

the rings. It is connected via a concentrator to the primary ring.

FDDI Architecture
FDDI includes the following components which are shown in the following
Figure:
 PHYsical Layer Protocol (PHY)
Is defined in the standard ISO 9314-1 Information processing Systems:
Fiber Distributed Data Interface-Part 1: Token Ring Physical Protocol.
 Physical Layer Medium-Dependent (PMD)
Is defined in the standard ISO 9314-1 Information Processing Systems:
Fiber Distributed Data Interface-Part 1: Token Ring Physical Layer,
Medium Dependent.
 Station Management (SMT)
Defines the management functions of the ring according to ANSI
Preliminary Draft Proposal American National Standard Z3T9.5/84-49
Revision 6.20, FDDI Station Management.
 Media Access Control (MAC)
Defines the network access according to ISO 9314-20 Information
Processing Systems: Fiber Distributed Data Interface-Part 20: Token
Ring Media Access Control.
Figure 10.3: FDDI Reference model

Further properties of FDDI

Multicasting : The multicasting service became one of the most important
aspects of networking. FDDI supports group addressing, which enables
multicasting.
Synchronisation : Synchronisation among different data streams is not part of
the network, therefore it must be solved separately
Packet Size : The size of the packets can directly influence the data delay
inapplications.
Implementations: Many FDDI implementations do not support the synchronous
mode, which is very useful for the transmission of continuous media. In
asynchronous mode additionally, the same methods can be used as described by
the token ring.
Restricted tokens : If only two stations interact by transmitting continuous
media data, then one can also use the asynchronous mode with Restricted token
Several new protocols at the network/transport layers in Internet and higher
layers in BISDN are currently centers of research to support more efficient
transmission of multimedia and multiple types of service.
Self Assessment
Q1. List the layers of OSI
Q2. Which layers of OSI are network support layers?
Q3. Which layers are user support layers?
Q4. Which layer links the network support layers and user support layers?
Q5. What are the concerns of the Physical Layer?
Q6. What are the responsibilities of Data Link Layer?
Q7. What are the responsibilities of Network Layer?
Q8. What are the responsibilities of Transport Layer?
Q9. What are the responsibilities of Session Layer?
Q10. What are the responsibilities of Presentation Layer?
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
MULTIMEDIA DATABASES
11.1 Introduction
Multimedia database systems are database systems where, besides text and
other discrete data, audio and video information will also be stored, manipulated
and retrieved. To provide this functionality, multimedia database systems
require a proper storage technology and five systems. Current storage
technology allows for the possibility of reading, storing and writing audio and
video information in real-time. This can happen either through dedicated
external devices, which have long been available, or through system integrated
secondary storage. The external devices were developed for studio and
electronic entertainment applications; they were not developed for storage of
discrete media. An example is a video recorder controlled through a digital
interface.

11.2 Multimedia Database systems

Multimedia applications often address file management interfaces at different
levels of abstraction. Consider the following three applications: a hypertext
application can manipulate nodes and edges; an audio editor can read, write and
manipulate audio data (sentences); an audio-video distribution service can
distribute stored video information. At first, it appears that these three
applications do not have much in common, but in all three their functions can
uniformly be performed using a Multimedia Database Management System
(MDBMS). The reason is that in general, the main task of a Database
Management System (DBMS) is to abstract from the details of the storage access
and its management. MDBMS is embedded in the multimedia system domain,
located between the application domain (applications, documents) and the
device domain (storage, compression and computer technology). The MDBMS
is integrated into the system domain through the operating system and
communication components.

Therefore, all three applications can be put on the same abstraction level with
respect to DBMS. Further, a DBMS provides other properties in addition to
storage abstraction:
 Persistence of Data
The data may outlive processing programs, technologies, etc. For example,
insurance companies must keep data in database for several decades. This
implies that a DBMS should be able to manipulate data even after the changes
of the surrounding programs.
 Consistent View of Data
In multi-user systems it is important to provide a consistent view of data during
processing database requests at certain points. This property is achieved using
time synchronization protocols.
 Security of Data
Security of data and integrity protection in database in case of system failure is
one of the most important requirements DBMS. This property is provided using
the transaction concept.
 Query and Retrieval of Data
Different information (entries) is stored in databases, which later can be
retrieved through database queries. Database queries are formulated with query
languages such as SQL.

11.3 Characteristics of an MDBMS

An MDBMS can be characterized by its objectives when handling multimedia
data:
1. Corresponding Storage Media
Multimedia data must be stored and managed according to the specific
characteristics of the available storage media. Here, the storage media can be
both computer integrated components and external devices. Additionally, read
only (such as a CD-ROM), write-once and write-many storage media can be
used.
2. Descriptive Search Methods
During a search in a database, an entry, given in the form of text or a graphical
image, is found using different queries and the corresponding search methods.
A query of multimedia data should be based on a descriptive, content oriented
search in the form, for example, of “The picture of the woman with a red scarf”.
This kind search of relates to all media, including video and audio.
3. Device-independent Interface
The interface to a database application should be device-independent. For
example, a parameter could specify that the following audio and video data will
not change in the future.
4. Format-independent Interface
Database queries should be independent from the underlying media format,
meaning that the interfaces should be format-independent. The programming
itself should also be format-independent, although in some cases, it should be
possible to access details of the concrete formats.
5. View-specific and Simultaneous Data Access
The same multimedia data can be accessed (even simultaneously) through
different queries by several applications. Hence, consistent access to shared data
(e.g., shared editing of a multimedia document among several users) can be
implemented.
6. Management of Large Amounts of Data
The DBMS must be capable of handling and managing large amounts of data
and satisfying queries for individual relations among data or attributes of
relations.
7. Relational Consistency of Data Management
Relations among data of one or different media must stay consistent
corresponding to their specification. The MDBMS manages these relations and
can use them for queries and data output. Therefore, for example, navigation
through a document is supported by managing relations among individual parts
of a document.
8. Real-time Data Transfer
The read and write operations of continuous data must be done in real-time. The
data transfer of continuous data has a higher priority than other database
management actions. Hence, the primitives of a multimedia operating system
should be used to support the real-time transfer of continuous data.
9. Long Transactions
The performance of a transaction in a MDBMS means that transfer of a large
amount of data will take a long time and must be done in a reliable fashion. An
example of a long transaction is the retrieval of a movie.

In the architecture model, the system components around MDBMS and

MDBMS itself have the following functions:
 The operating system provides the management interface for MDBMS to
all local devices.
 The MDBMS provides an abstraction of the stored data and their
equivalent devices, as is the case in DBMS without multimedia.
 The communication system provides for MDBMS abstractions for
communication with entities at remote computers. These communication
 abstractions are specified through interfaces according to, for example, the
Open System Interconnection (OSI) architecture.
 A layer above the DBMS, operating system and communication system
can unify all these different abstractions and offer them, for example, in
an object-oriented environment such as a toolkit. Thus, an application
should have access to each abstraction at different levels.

11.4 Data Analysis

Meyer-Wegener performed a details analysis of multimedia data storage and
manipulation in a multimedia database system. This section describes the
analysis of compressed data and other media. In the analysis, two questions are
addressed:
1. How are these data structured?
It is important to specify what kind of information is needed in the entry
structure to process the multimedia entry in a MDBMS.
2. How can these data be accessed?
That is to say, how are the proper defined to access multimedia entries. One can
define media-dependent, as well as media-independent operations. In a next
step, a class hierarchy with respect to object-oriented programming may be
implemented.

11.5 Advantages of Multimedia Database

Following are advantages to store multimedia objects in the database:
 Better security: Multimedia objects are secured in the databases and can
be invoked any time when required. For example, a doctor can see M.R.I.
report of patient whenever he wants and can be preserved as long as the
patient takes the treatment of doctor.
 Greater control (resizing, manipulating): Multimedia objects can be
resized when required and certain changes can be made when required.
 Easy deletion: Images can be deleted without deleting the corresponding
data from the database. One can search for multimedia content in the
same fashion as they search for traditional relational data. For instance,
customers can search for images by a unique image name or key, by
photographer, or by category. In addition, customers can use Oracle
interMedia’s powerful image content based retrieval capability to search
for ‘similar’ images recursively through the database. And once a
 customer has found an image of interest, they can simply click on it and
see the full resolution image.
 Easy to extract statistics on usage Oracle interMedia enables Oracle9i
to manage multimedia content (image, audio, and video) in an integrated
fashion with other enterprise information. It extends Oracle9i reliability,
availability, and data management to multimedia content in media-rich
Internet applications. As an integral part of the Oracle9i database server,
Oracle interMedia data benefits from all Oracle9i capabilities, including
its speed, efficiency, scalability, security, and power.

11.6 Data Structure for Multimedia Databases

In general, data can be stored in databases either in unformatted (unstructured)
form or in formatted (structured) form.
 Unformatted or unstructured data are presented in a unit where the
content cannot retrieve by accessing any structural detail.
 Formatted or structured data are stored in variables, fields or attributes
with corresponding values.
Examples of Multimedia Structures
We present examples of raw, registered, and descriptive data for different media
such as text, image, video and audio.
 In the case of text, the individual forms are:
1. Characters represent raw data.
2. The registering data describe the coding (e.g., ASCII). Additionally, a length
entry must follow or an end symbol must be defined.
3. The descriptive data may include information for layout and logical
structuring of the text or keywords.
 Images can be stored in databases using the following forms:
1. Pixels (pixel matrix) represent raw data. A compressed image may also
consist of a transformed pixel set.
2. The registering data include the height and width of the picture. Additionally,
the details of coding are stored here.

11.7 Relational Database Model

The simplest possibility to implement a multimedia database is to use the
relational database model because the attributes of different media in relational
databases are defined in advance. Hence, the attributes can specify not only text
(as is done in current database systems), but also, for example, audio or video
data types. The main advantage of this approach is its compatibility with current
database applications.
In the following paragraphs, we will analyze different types of the relational
model using an example. In this example, a relation “student” is given for the
admission of a sport institute’s students into the obligatory athletics course. A
relation’s attributes (e.g., picture, exercise devices) can be specified through
different media types (e.g., image, motion video). Further, our example database
includes other entries such as:
“athletics”, “swimming”, and “analysis”.

Table 11.1: Database Entries

 Type 1 Relational Model

In the type 1 Relational Model, the value of a certain attribute can be fixed over
the particular set of the corresponding attribute types, e.g., the frame rate of
motion video can be fixed.
 Type 2 Relational Model
A variable number of entries can be defined through the type 2 relational model.
 Type 3 Relational Model
In addition to the fixed values of attributes per relation and the variable number
of entries, an entry can simultaneously belong to several relations. This property
is called the type 3 relational model.
11.8 Multimedia Objects Storage Model
The multimedia have a common multimedia storage model. The multimedia
component of these objects can be stored in the database, as a BLOB under
transaction control. The multimedia component can also be stored outside the
database, without transaction control. In this case, a pointer, under transaction
control, is stored in the database, while the multimedia component is stored in
an external BFILE (operating system flat file), at an HTTP server-based URL,
on a specialized media server, or at a user-defined source on other servers.
Multimedia content stored outside the database can provide a convenient
mechanism for managing large, or new multimedia repositories that reside as
flat files on erasable or read-only devices. This data can be imported and
exported between BLOBs and the external BFILE source at any time.

Object metadata and methods are always stored in the database. Whether
multimedia content is stored inside or outside the database, Database manages
metadata for all the multimedia object types, and automatically extracts that
metadata for each type. This metadata includes the following:
 Data storage information including the source types, location, and name.
 Data update time and format.
 MIME media type (used in Web and mail applications).
 Image height and width, and image content length, format, and
compression type.
 Audio encoding type, number of channels, sampling rate, sample size,
compression type, play time (duration), and description.
 Video frame widths and heights, frame resolution and rate, play
time(duration), number of frames, compression type, number of colours,
bit rate, and description .
 Select application metadata (for example, singer or studio names).

11.9 Different Architectures for Multimedia Databases

There are various architectures for multimedia databases. Following are three
architectures that we will discuss:
11.9.1 I2RP Architecture [Intelligent Information Retrieval and
Presentation with Multimedia Databases]
This architecture is question-answer system. The result of query given by user is
multimedia presentation containing the answer. The following figure illustrates
this architecture:
Figure 11.1: I2RP Architecture

11.9.2 SQL+D Architecture

SQL+D an extension to SQL, which allows users to dynamically specify how to
display answers to queries posed to multimedia databases. It provides tools to
display multimedia data plus other traditional GUI elements such as boxed text,
checkbox, list, and button. The version of SQL+D, includes:
 The full implementation of the Database Interface, allowing users to
connect local and remote ODBC (or JDBC) compliant database, such as
ORACLE or Microsoft Access.
 Simplified display specifications syntax and instantiation of display
elements.
SQL+D differs from other efforts in that it is specifically designed for querying
multimedia databases. It emphasizes in the query, by-the-user specification of
the display of the output data. In contrast, others have focused on specification
of the query, data visualization, or data browsing. SQL+D allows all of these,
and we have one browsers and visual querying applications as a proof of
concept. By proposing SQL+D as a language extension to SQL, we intend to
maintain the flexibility that allowed SQL to be adopted as the query language of
choice by a great number of database management systems and browsers, as
well as by many programming languages that allow embedded SQL queries.
11.9.3 Entity-Multimedia-Relationship model (EMRM)
The EMRM model can be designed with traditional entities and their
relationship set along with the additional set called multimedia set. Multimedia
sets are shown in this model as entities and can be connected to the normal
entities using relationship. For example, one can design the EMRM with
description of the entities and relationships as given below:
The entity “Document” is very important in the system. As a new media it
contains multimedia objects. The cardinality between “Document” and “Media
Object” is one to many, which means a Document has at least one media object
and there is no blank Document.
The “media object” can exist without “Technique Report” so the cardinality
between “Media Object” and ‘Document” is 0 to many.
A “media object” can belong to multiple Documents. Different media entities
“Text”, “Picture”, “Audio” and “Video” have the (t, d) classification hierarchy
with the “Media Object”. Each media is a subclass of “Media Object” and they
are disjoint with each other.
In the system two kinds of user groups are anticipated which are “Reader” and
“Author” entities. A generic entity “Person” is defined to include the common
attributes of “Reader” and “Author”. It does make sense that a person can be the
“Author” and “Reader” at the same time so the classification hierarchy is (p, o)
which means a “Person” can be either a “Reader” or an “Author” or both. The
ternary relationship between “Reader” and “Document” is defined by
connections “Read” and “Readby”.
A “Reader” can exist without any “Document” and the ‘Document” can have no
any reader at all. Also the “Reader” can read unlimited number of “Document”
and unlimited number of “Reader” can read the “Document” so the cardinalities
are from 0 to many.
Another ternary relationship is defined between the “Author” and the
“Document” as “Write” and “Writtenby” relationships. The difference is that a
“Document” must have atleast 1 “Author” while an author can write 0 to many
“Document” The last entity is “Publisher”. The ternary relationship addresses
the connection between “Publisher” and “Document”. The “Publisher” can be
an organization such as ACM, a department like or a laboratory. The
“Document” can be conjointly published by some organizations so the
cardinality is from 1 to n.
Self Assessment
Q1. What is multimedia database system?
Q2. What is a Multimedia Database Management System
Q3. What are the Requirements of Multimedia databases?
Q4. What are the Issues and challenges of Multimedia Database
Q5. State the Application areas of Multimedia Database
Q6. What are the challenges in multimedia database?
Q7. State the advantages of Multimedia Database
Q8. State the disadvantages of Multimedia Database
Q9. What are the Characteristics of an MDBMS
Q10. State the Data Structure for Multimedia Databases
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 SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISES
Multiple-choice Questions
1. A multimedia file
a) is same as any other regular file
b) must be accessed at specific rate
c) stored on remote server can not be delivered to its client
d) none of the mentioned
2. In which type of streaming multimedia file is delivered to the client, but not
shared?
a) real-time streaming
b) progressive download
c) compression
d) none of the mentioned
3. Which one of the following is the characteristic of a multimedia system?
a) high storage
b) high data rates
c) both (a) and (b)
d) none of the mentioned
4. The delay that occur during the playback of a stream is called
a) stream delay
b) playback delay
c) jitter
d) event delay
5. Which algorithm can be optimized to meet the timing deadlines and rate
requirements of continuous media?
a) Earliest-Deadline-First scheduling
b) SCAN-EDF scheduling
c) both (a) and (b)
d) none of the mentioned
6. Real time streaming protocol is used
a) to control streaming media servers
b) for establishing and controlling media sessions between endpoints
c) to provide real time control of playback of media files from the server
d) all of the mentioned
7. In teardown state of real time streaming protocol
a) the server resources for client
b) server delivers the stream to client
c) server suspends delivery of stream
d) server breaks down the connection
8. CineBlitz multimedia server supports
a) real time clients
b) non-real time clients
c) both (a) and (b)
d) none of the mentioned
9. Multimedia system require hard real time scheduling
a) to ensure critical tasks will be serviced within timing deadlines
b) to deliver the media file to the client
c) to minimize the delay
d) for security
10. Which one of the following resource is not necessarily required on a file
server?
a) secondary storage
b) processor
c) network
d) monitor

ANSWER
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. c
5. c
6. d
7. d
8. c
9. a
10. d

Fill in the Blanks

1. __________ constitutes an integration of multiple media such as text,
graphics, audio, video and animation elements.
2. __________ is the object in the text that allows jumping from one web page
to another page at the same site or to another site on the Web.
3. __________ means the removal of blank spaces from the front of the
recording.
4. JPEG uses __________ compression technique, whereas PNG uses
__________ compression technique.
5. __________ files are the Microsoft standard file format for storing waveform
audio data.
6. The process of removal of extraneous noise that inevitably creeps into a
recording is called __________.
7. __________ is extremely high-quality file format that delivers higher image
resolution, picture quality, interlaced video format, multiresolution scalability
and multichannel audio features.
8. __________ refers to the study of movement and motion of structures that
have joints.
9. __________ can be described as an artificial environment created from the
computer hardware and software, presented to the user in such a manner that it
appears and feels like a real environment.
10. The amount of data that can be transmitted from one computer to another in
a given time frame is called __________.

ANSWERS
Fill in the Blanks
1. Multimedia
2. Hypertext
3. Trimming
4. Lossy, Lossless
5. WAV
6. Splicing
7. MPEG
8. Kinematics
9. Virtual Reality
10. Bandwidth

Multimedia MCQ
Q.1) ____________ refers to any type of application or presentation that
involves more than one type of media, such as text, graphics, video, animation,
and sound.
A. An executable file
B. Desktop publishing
C. Multimedia
D. Hypertext
Q.2) One of the disadvantages of multimedia is:
A. cost
B. adaptability
C. usability
D. relativity
Q.3) The text color in a presentation should contrast with the ________ color.
A. CPU
B. frame
C. stack
D. background
Q.4) Images included in many software titles are called _________.
A. clipart
B. popups
C. .jpg files
D. .tiff files
Q.5) A smaller version of an image is called a:
A. clipart
B. bitmap
C. portable network graphic
D. thumbnail
Q.6) The process of planning your multimedia presentation is known as a:
A. design
B. storyboard
C. development
D. layout
Q.7) In slide ______ view, you see the entire presentation displayed in
miniature. This view is used to arrange the slides in your presentation, as well
as, to add animations, transitions and timing.
A. arranger
B. creator
C. shaper
D. sorter
Q.8) The slide ________ controls text characteristics, background color and
special effects, such as shadowing and bullet style.
A. presentation
B. master
C. show
D. sorter
Q.9) Designed to create a particular look, a __________ contains color
schemes, slide and title masters with custom formatting and fonts styles.
A. template
B. presentation
C. slide
D. background
Q.10) Adding _________ to objects on your slides not only controls the flow of
information, but adds interest to your presentation.
A. background
B. transition
C. animation
D. pop ups
Q.11) The ________ master controls the format and placement of the titles and
text you type on slides, as well as, background items and graphics you want to
appear on every slide.
A. slide
B. copyright
C. layout
D. design
Q.12) The first slide in a presentation is usually reserved for the _________.
A. introduction
B. author
C. master
D. title
Q.13) ______________ is the special effect used to introduce each slide in a
slide presentation.
A. Animation
B. Bulleting
C. Transition
D. Mapping
Q.14) Notes that include the slide as well as key comments and points you may
want to emphasis while you present your slide show are know as:
A. speaker handouts
B. speaker notes
C. student notes
D. cheat sheet
Q.15) A ________ displays a list of commands and usually appears in the
toolbar at the top of the screen.
A. view
B. menu
C. kit
D. list
Q.16) Slide and title masters contain ___________ that reserve spaces for text
and footers such as date, time and slide number.
A. reservations
B. placeholders
C. spaces
D. documents
Q.17) Changing the appearance of your slide _________ can alter the slide’s
color, shade, pattern, or texture.
A. background
B. foreground
C. watermark
D. design
Q.18) A ____________ is a series of slides displayed in a particular sequence.
A. placeholder
B. layout
C. template
D. slide show
Q.19) Quick access to frequently used commands can be found in the
________ toolbar.
A. view
B. drawing
C. kit
D. menu
Q.20) A ____________ can be added to your presentation and then used to go
to a variety of locations ---- for example, a web address, an e-mail address, a
custom show or document, just to name a few.
A. menulink
B. hyperlink
C. toollink
D. slidelink

ANSWER
1. C 11. D
2. A 12. D
3. D 13. C
4. A 14. B
5. D 15. B
6. C 16. B
7. D 17. D
8. B 18. D
9. A 19. D
10. C 20. B

Multiple-choice Questions
1. Text element of multimedia is predominant in
a. Newspaper
b. b Movie
c. Radio
d. None of these
2. Which of the following is a lossy compression technique?
a. Variable-length coding
b. Predictive encoding
c. Run-length coding
d. None of these
3. Which of the following are the features of multimedia application?
a. Use of digital technology
b. Interaction from the user
c. Integration of text, sound and video
d. All of these
4. A flowchart is a kind of
a. One-dimensional graphics
b. Two-dimensional graphics
c. Three-dimensional graphics
d. None of these
5. The process of modifying a recording frequency content to brighter sound is
called
a. Splicing
b. Morphing
c. Trimming
d. Equalization
6. A high-quality file format that delivers better picture quality for the motion
picture is
a. QuickTime
b. AVI
c. JPEG
d. MPEG
7. A technique that involves transformation of one image into another is called
a. Kinematics
b. Compression
c. Morphing
d. Time stretching
8. The most appropriate form of graphics used for presenting facts and figure
information is
a. Flowchart
b. Background
c. Charts and graphs
d. 2D graphics
9. A device having two miniature display screens and an optical system that
channels the images from the screens into the user's eyes is called:
a. HMD
b. BOOM
c. CAVE
d. None of these
10. Which of the following can be losslessly compressed using the ZIP tool?
a. JPEG images
b. PNG images
c. Text
d. None of these

ANSWER
1. a 2. b 3. d 4. b 5. d 6. d 7. c 8. c 9. a 10. c
 CONTINOUS ASSESSMENT FOR MULTIMEDIA
NAME OF STUDENT:……………………………………………………….

MAT. NO:………………………………………………. GROUP:………….

EXERCISES
PART1: Fill in the Blanks with the correct word
1. ____________________ constitutes an integration of multiple media such as
text, graphics, audio, video and animation elements.
2. _____________________ is the object in the text that allows jumping from
one web page to another page at the same site or to another site on the Web.
3. __________________ means the removal of blank spaces from the front of
the recording.
4. JPEG uses _________________ compression technique, whereas PNG uses
_________________ compression technique.
5. ____________________ files are the Microsoft standard file format for
storing waveform audio data.
6. The process of removal of extraneous noise that inevitably creeps into a
recording is called ____________________.
7. ___________________ is extremely high-quality file format that delivers
higher image resolution, picture quality, interlaced video format,
multiresolution scalability and multichannel audio features.
8. ___________________ refers to the study of movement and motion of
structures that have joints.
9. ___________________ can be described as an artificial environment created
from the computer hardware and software, presented to the user in such a
manner that it appears and feels like a real environment.
10. The amount of data that can be transmitted from one computer to another in
a given time frame is called ______________________.
PART 2: Multiple-choice Questions [Circle the correct answer]
1. Text element of multimedia is predominant in
a. Newspaper
b. b Movie
c. Radio
d. None of these
2. Which of the following is a lossy compression technique?
a. Variable-length coding
b. Predictive encoding
c. Run-length coding
d. None of these
3. Which of the following are the features of multimedia application?
a. Use of digital technology
b. Interaction from the user
c. Integration of text, sound and video
d. All of these
4. A flowchart is a kind of
a. One-dimensional graphics
b. Two-dimensional graphics
c. Three-dimensional graphics
d. None of these
5. The process of modifying a recording frequency content to brighter sound is
called
a. Splicing
b. Morphing
c. Trimming
d. Equalization
6. A high-quality file format that delivers better picture quality for the motion
picture is
a. QuickTime
b. AVI
c. JPEG
d. MPEG
7. A technique that involves transformation of one image into another is called
a. Kinematics
b. Compression
c. Morphing
d. Time stretching
8. The most appropriate form of graphics used for presenting facts and figure
information is
a. Flowchart
b. Background
c. Charts and graphs
d. 2D graphics
9. A device having two miniature display screens and an optical system that
channels the images from the screens into the user's eyes is called:
a. HMD
b. BOOM
c. CAVE
d. None of these
10. Which of the following can be losslessly compressed using the ZIP tool?
a. JPEG images
b. PNG images
c. Text
d. None of these
 INDEX

A
Abstraction,
Access,
Address,
Addressing,
Adobe,
Advanced,
Advantage,
Advertising,
Ahrefs,
Application,
Architecture,
Area,
Argument,
Art,
Artistic,
Artwork,
ASP,
Asynchronous,
Attributes,
Audience,
Audio,
Author,
Auto,
Automatically,
AVI,

B
Backbone,
Background,
Backup,
Balance,
Bandwidth,
Bar,
Based,
Basic,
Basis,
Behaviour,
Benefits,
Bicubic,
Bits,
Blank,
Blemish,
Blend,
Blending,
Block,
Blog,
Blue,
Blur,
BMP,
BNC,
Board,
Boarding,
Border,
Bottom,
Bounded,
Box,
Brainstorming,
Branding,
Bridge,
Broadcast,
Broadcasting,
Brochure,
Broken,
Browse,
Browser,
Brush,
Bucket,
Buffers,
Build,
Builder,
Building,
Bunch,
Bus,
Business,
Button,
Buzzsumo,
byte,

C
Cables,
Cabling,
Camera,
Capacity,
Capture,
Cards,
Carrier,
Cascading,
Categories,
CBS,
CD,
Cell,
Center,
CFML,
Channels,
Characteristics,
Chart,
Check,
Circuits,
Click,
Client,
Clone,
CMYK,
Coaxial,
Code,
Codecs,
ColdFusion,
Colour,
Columns,
Communicate,
Communication,
Competitors,
Complex,
Complexity,
Compliance,
Components,
Compression,
Computer,
Concept,
Configuration,
Connect,
Consistency,
Contrast,
Control,
Corners,
Create,
Creative,
Crop,
Cropping,
CSMA,
CSS,

D
DAC,
Darken,
Data,
Database,
DBMS,
Decompression,
Default,
Delay,
Delivery,
Dependent,
Depth,
Design,
Designer,
Desktop,
Destination,
Develop,
Device,
Diagram,
Dialog,
Digital,
Digitized,
Dimensions,
Dimensions,
Direct,
Directed,
Directions,
Discrete,
Disk,
Display,
Distributed,
Dodge,
Domain,
Drag,
Dragging,
Drawing,
Dreamweaver,
Dropdown,
Dropping,
Dual,
Duplex,
Duplicate,
DVD,
Dynamic,
Dynamically,

E
Edge,
Edit,
Editors,
Electrical,
Electronic,
Element,
Ellipse,
Elliptical,
Email,
Embedded,
Embedding,
Emotion,
Emphasis,
Encryption,
Encyclopaedias,
Entries,
Erase
Eraser,
Error,
Ethernet,
Even,
Excel,
Exchange,
Eyedropper,
Eyes,

F
Facebook,
FDDI,
Feedback,
Fiber,
Field,
File
Fill,
Film,
Filter,
Firewire,
Fireworks,
Flash,
FLV,
Folder,
Foreground,
Form,
Formal,
Format,
Frame,
Freehand,
FreshBooks,
FTP,
Function,
Functional,
Functionality,
G
Games,
Gaussian,
GIF,
Google,
Gradient,
Graphic,
grayscale,
Group,
Guidelines,
H
Hardware,
HD,
HDMI,
HTML,
Hub,
Hyperlink,
Hypertext,
I
Icon,
Identifiers,
IEEE, 3–4
Illuminate,
Illusion,
Illustration,
Illustrator,
Image,
ImageReady,
InDesign,
Inspector,
Interactive,
Interface,
Internet,
Interval,
ISO,

J
JavaScript,
JavaServer,
Jotform,
JPEG,
JSP,
L
LAN,
Landscape,
Layer, 1
Layout,
Levels,
Library,
Line,
Link,
List,
Local,
LocalView,
Locator,
Logical,
Logo,
Logotype,
Lossless,
Lossy,
M
MAC,
Macromedia,
Made,
Magazines,
Magic,
Magnetic,
Magnifies,
Mail,
Markup,
Marquee,
Mask,
MDBMS,
Media,
Menu,
Message,
Metafile,
Methods,
Microphones,
Microsoft,
MIDI,
Midtones,
Modulation,
Movie,
MPEG,
Multicasting,
Multimedia,
N
Network,
Noise,
Nonlinear,
Object,
Offline,
Online,
Opacity,
OSI,
P
Packet,
Padding,
Paint,
Pair,
Palettes,
Panel,
Path,
Pattern,
PDF,
PDF,
PDUs,
Pencil,
Pens,
Photo,
Photoshop,
PHP,
Physical,
Picture,
Pixels,
Planning,
Platform,
Play,
Playback,
Player,
Plug,
PMD,
PNG,
Portrait,
Posters,
PowerPoint,
Preliminary,
Presentation,
Preset,
Preview,
Primary,
Primitives,
Principles,
Print,
Process,
Processing,
Production,
Professionals,
Program,
Project,
Properties,
Protocol,
PSB,
PSD,

Q
Quality,
Query,
QuickBooks,
Quicktime,

R
RCA,
RealMedia,
RealServer,
Relational,
Remote,
RemoteView,
Resolution,
RGB,
Rollover,
ROM,
S
SECAM,
Server,
Session,
Shape,
Sharpen,
Sharpening,
Site,
SMT,
Snapshot,
Softening,
Software,
Static,
Storage,
STP, 3
Streaming,
Studio,
Style,
Sublayer,
Swatches,
Switch,
Symbols,
Synchronization,
Synchronous,
System,
T
Table,
Tasks,
Technique,
Technology,
Templates,
Text,
Texture,
Thickness,
TIFF,
Token,
Tolerance,
Tool,
Toolbar,
Toolbox,
Tools,
Trimming,
U
Underexposed,
Unlocked,
Unmasked,
Unsharp,
Unshielded,
Uploading,
URL,
UTP,
V
Validator,
Video,
Videodisc,
Viewfinder,
Virtual Reality,
Visibility, 10
Visual,
W
WANs,
Wavelengths,
Web,
Webmail,
Webpage,
Website,
Window,
WMV,
WordPress,
Workflow,
Workplace,
Workstation,
Wrap,
www,
X
Xero,
Xing,
Y
YouTube,
Z
Zip,
Zoom,

ABOUT THE BOOK

This textbook is designed for the introductory courses on multimedia which will
be very helpful for the Undergraduate students of various technical institutions.
Each chapter begins with an introduction and gradually progressed so that an
average student can easily understand the subject matter. Each chapter ends
with an exercise.