Download Understanding Computers, Chapter 10

Multimedia and the Web
Chapter 10
Overview
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This chapter covers:
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What Web-based multimedia is
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Developing a multimedia site
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how it is used today
advantages and disadvantages of using multimedia
multimedia elements
Steps and principles
software used during this process
A look at the future of Web-based multimedia
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What Is (Multi) Media?
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Media
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Multimedia:
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a means of communication
The integration of a variety of media, such as
 Text
 Images
 Video
 Animation
 Sound
The success of a website is based on three things:
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It serves the purpose for its being
It reaches the audience it is intended for
It uses the correct multimedia
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Multimedia Elements
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Text: Used to supply basic content, and
to add text-based menus and hyperlinks
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Serif typefaces: More readable, used for
large bodies of text
Sans serif typefaces: Used for titles, headings,
Web page banners
Different typefaces can convey widely
different feelings
Important to select a typeface that matches
the style of the Web site
When a consistent text appearance is
required—such as a logo—a graphical image
is used instead
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Multimedia Elements
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Images or graphics: Digital representations of
photographs, drawings, charts, and other visual images
also called a graphic
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Clip art consists of pre-drawn electronic images
Stock photos are also available online
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Multimedia Elements
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Animation: A series of graphical images
are displayed in succession to simulate
movement
Available using:
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Java applet: A small program inserted into
a Web page that performs a specific task
Animated GIF: A group of GIF images
saved as an animated GIF file, inserted in
a Web page, which are displayed
successively to simulate movement
JavaScript or another scripting language
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Flash is in particularly wide use today
Silverlight is an alternative to Flash
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Multimedia Elements
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Audio: All types of sound including music, spoken voice,
sound effects
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Can be recorded using a microphone or MIDI instrument,
captured from CDs, or downloaded from the Internet
Often played when an event occurs on a Web page or when
the visitor clicks a link
Streaming audio is used to speed up delivery
Common audio file formats include:
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.wav
• .aiff
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.mp3
• .acc
• .midi
• .m4a
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Multimedia Elements
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Video: Begins as a continuous stream of visual
information, which is then broken into separate images
(frames) when the video is recorded
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Can require a substantial amount of storage space
Video data, like audio data, is usually compressed
Streaming video is used for large files
Common video file formats include:
 .avi
• .mp4
• .mov
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.mp2
• .wmv
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Multimedia Web Site Creation
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Web site analysis and design
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The process of planning what a Web site will look like and how
it will function
Web site development, implementation, maintenance:
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The process of creating, testing, publishing, and maintaining a
Web site
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Multimedia Web Site Design
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Web site design principles/challenges:
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Make it interesting and exciting
applications
Consider technology
Target Audience
Appropriate Navigation
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Design tools
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Site maps
Flowcharts
Page Layouts
Storyboards
Access considerations
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Multimedia Web Site Design
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Multimedia Web Site Design
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require
Federal agencies to make their electronic and information
technology accessible to people with disabilities.
ADA compliance Compatibility with assistive
Technology such as
screen readers that “read”
alternative text
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Multimedia Web Site Development
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Web site development
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Occurs after the site is designed
Can be performed in-house or outsourced
Three basic steps
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Creating the multimedia elements using design software
Creating the Web site using authoring software
Testing, publishing, and maintaining the site
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Multimedia Web Site Development
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Creating the multimedia elements
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Usually several different software programs are used, such as:
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Image editing software
Animation software
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Audio editing software
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Flash
Protools, SoundForge, Reason
Video editing software
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Premiere
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Multimedia Web Site Development
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Creating the Web site
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Authoring tools – Dreamweaver, ExpressionWeb, Notepad
Markup language - a language that uses symbols or tags to
describe what a document should look like when it is displayed
in a Web browser
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Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): The original markup language
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Uses HTML tags to indicate where effects and elements belong in the Web
page
The computer and browser being used still determines exactly how the
Web page will display
Other languages
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CSS, WML, XML, JavaScript,VBScript, PHP, Perl, AJAX, VRML,
ActionScript
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Multimedia Web Site Development
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Testing, publishing, and maintaining the site
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All hyperlinks should be clicked to ensure they take the user to
the proper location
Every possible action that could take place with an animated
element should be tested
Proofread each page or screen carefully
Consider a “stress test”
Update content and check links on a regular basis
xHTML Web pages can be checked with an xHTML validator
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