MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING
TOOLS AND THEIR USE IN
INDUSTRY
Definition
• Multimedia authoring is a process of
assembling different types of media contents
like text, audio, image, animations and video
as a single stream of information with the
help of various software tools available in the
market.
• Multimedia authoring tools give an integrated
environment for joining together the different
elements of a multimedia production.
Definition
• It gives the framework for organizing and
editing the components of a multimedia
project.
• It enables the developer to create
interactive presentation by combining text,
audio, video, graphics and animation.
Authoring System In Multimedia
• In multimedia authoring systems,
multimedia elements and events are often
regarded as objects.
• Objects exist in a hierarchical order of
parent and child relationships.
• On receiving messages, objects perform
tasks depending on the properties and
modifiers properties and modifiers.
Authoring Tools Capability
• Authoring tools should possess the following
capabilities:
• Interactivity
• Playback
• Editing
• Programming / Scripting
• Cross Platform
• Delivery/Distribution
Features Of Authoring Tools
• Editing and organizing features.
• Programming features.
• Interactivity features.
• Performance tuning and playback
features.
• Delivery, cross‐platform, and Internet
playability features.
Types of Authoring Tools
• Card‐ and page‐based tools.
• Icon‐based, event‐driven tools.
• Time‐based tools.
Card Or Page Based Authoring
Tools
• In these authoring systems, elements are
organized as pages of a book or a stack of
cards.
• In the book or stack there are thousand of
pages or cards available.
• It contains media objects such as buttons,
text fields, and graphic objects .
Card Or Page Based Authoring
Tools
• These tools are best used when the bulk
of your content consists of elements that
can be viewed individually, for example
the pages of a book or file cards in card
file.
• It provides a facility for linking objects to
pages or cards.
Examples
• Some examples of card or page tools are:
• HyperCard (Mac)
• Tool book (Windows)
• Tool book (Windows)
• SuperCard (Mac)
Advantages & Disadvantages
• Advantages:
• Easy to understand.
• Some run only on one platform.
• One screen is equal to 1card or 1page.
• Disadvantages:
• Tools not as powerful as equivalent stand
alones.
• Short development time.
Icon Based Or Event Driven
Authoring Tools
• Icon-based tools give a visual
programming approach to organizing and
presenting multimedia.
• Multimedia elements and interaction cues
are organized as objects in a flowchart.
• The flowchart graphically displays the
project's logic.
Icon Based Or Event Driven
Authoring Tools
• When the structure is built you can add
your content text, graphics, animation,
video movies and sounds.
• Flowchart can be built by dragging
appropriate icons from a library, and then
adding the content.
Examples
• Some examples of icon based tools are:
• Authorware Professional (Mac/Windows)
• Icon Author (Windows)
Advantages & Disadvantages
• Advantages:
• Clear Structure.
• Easy editing and updating.
• Disadvantages:
• Expensive.
• Difficult to learn.
Time Based Authoring Tools
• Time‐based tools are best suited for
messages with a beginning and an end.
• Some time‐based tools facilitate
navigation and interactive control.
• Macromedia’s Director and Flash are time‐
based development environments.
Examples
• Some examples of time based tools are:
• Macromedia's Director
• Macromedia Flash
Advantages & Disadvantages
• Advantages:
• Good for creating animation.
• Branching, user control, interactivity
facilities.
• Disadvantages:
• Large file size.
• Expensive.
