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Overview of Multimedia Software Tools

Digital Audio
Music Sequencing and Notation
Image/Graphics Editing
Animation
Multimedia Authoring

1. Digital Audio
Macromedia Soundedit -- Edits a variety of different format audio files, apply a variety of
effects
CoolEdit -- Edits a variety of different format audio files
Many Public domain tools on the Web.
2. Music Sequencing and Notation
Cakewalk

Supports General MIDI

Provides several editing views (staff, piano roll, event list) and Virtual Piano
Can insert WAV files and Windows MCI commands (animation and video) into
tracks

Cubase

A better software than Cakewalk Express

Intuitive Interface to arrange and play Music
Wide Variety of editing tools including Audio
Allows printing of notation sheets

Logic Audio

Cubase Competitor, similar functionality

Marc of the Unicorn Performer

Cubase/Logic Audio Competitor, similar functionality

3. Image/Graphics Editing
Adobe Photoshop

Allows layers of images, graphics and text

Includes many graphics drawing and painting tools

Sophisticate lighting effects filter

A good graphics, image processing and manipulation tool

Adobe Premiere

Provides large number (up to 99) of video and audio tracks, superimpositions and
virtual clips
Supports various transitions, filters and motions for clips
A reasonable desktop video editing tool

Macromedia Freehand

Graphics drawing editing package

Many commercial packages available

Adobe Premier
Videoshop
Avid Cinema
SGI MovieMaker

4. Animation
Many packages available including:

Avid SoftImage
Animated Gif building packages e.g. GifBuilder

5. Multimedia Authoring
- Tools for making a complete multimedia presentation where users usually have a lot of
interactive controls.
Macromedia Director

Movie metaphor (the cast includes bitmapped sprites, scripts, music, sounds, and
palettes, etc.)
Can accept almost any bitmapped file formats
Lingo script language with own debugger allows more control including external
devices, e.g., VCRs and video disk players

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Practical Exercise No. 1 Creating Web Graphics
Learning Objective
To know how to use some graphics packages to draw simple graphic images such
as buttons, banners, for multimedia production.
Introduction
The most successful web pages use both text and graphics to enhance the users experience.
The graphic design of a web page can greatly influence the amount of time a user spends at a
site. For instance, if a companys web site contains only text, it may not produce as many
online sales. Web site graphics, such as buttons, banners or product images, define the user
experience and distinguish a companys site from its competition.
In this practical, we are going to use Adobe PhotoShop, Macromedia fireworks (or any other
graphics package) to create different title images, banners, buttons and advanced
photographic effects.
Task 1:
1. Open Photoshop Elements [The Welcome screen appears in the centre of the screen
and present several options].
2. Click New File on the Welcome screen to open the New dialog, to begin creating
image.
3. Set the necessary parameters for your new image [height, width, resolution, etc]
4. Create a vertical navigation bar (145 x 350 px) with six different-colored, identicalshaped, elliptical navigation buttons.
5. Name these buttons About Us, News, Portfolio, Programs, Events and Contact.
6. Give the buttons a simple inner level.
7. Slice the image into six different files and save each button as a transparent GIF.
Task 2:
1. This exercise uses several of the filters which PhotoShop Elements has to offer, all of
which can be found in the Filters palette well.
2. Create a title image (500 x 150 px) with a transparent background.
3. Choose white as the foreground color and a medium green as the background color.
4. Using the type selection tool, type in the title of the web page and center the selection
on the page.
5. Expand the borders of the selection by 1 pixel by choosing Expand from the Modify
submenu of the Select Menu.
6. Apply the Clouds filter. To create a texture, apply the Grain filter, with grain
intensity set to 40, the contrast set to 50, and the grain type to regular.
7. Now apply the Watercolor filter with the brush detail set to 14, the shadow intensity
set to 0 and the texture set to 1.
8. Finally, apply the Glowing Edges filter with the edge brightness set to 4 and the
smoothness set to 1.
9. Stroke the text selection with yellow, a pixel weight of 2, inside the selection.
10. Save the image as a transparent GIF.

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WorkSheet.
1. Discuss the differences between the GIF, JPEG and PNG file formats and when each
should be used.
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2. What is resolution?
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3. What is the difference between a raster image and vector image?
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4. State whether each of the following is true or false. Give reason for your answer.
a. The three main type of layers are transparent, color and
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type selection tool creates a marquee selection in the shape of
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b. Hexadecimal color notation produces different colors than the RGB color
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Raster images do not lose image quality when they are enlarged:
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