Multi media

INTRODUCTION
Multimedia computing and communications are attracting
a lot of interest these days. It is a term generally used to mean
any application or technology that is used to manipulate text,
audio, video, images and graphics. It can provide certain amount
of interactivity to users. It is used extensively in education,
business advertising, publishing, website design, entertainment
and video games. The increasing popularity of multimedia opens
up large number of career opportunities for the youth like video
editor, Visual effects designer, Animator, Cartoon Animator,
Software editor, Software mixer, Audio and Video Specialist,
Visual effects Professional, Author, Script Writer, Set Designer,
Audio Editor, 3D Animator, Character Animator, and Special
Effects Manager.
Meaning of Multimedia
The tem 'multimedia' means use of multiple media for
communicating information. The common media used include
text, graphics, animation, audio and video. Use of two or more
of these media for presenting information is, therefore, called
multimedia presentation. Multimedia software can handle
different types of data and hence it enhances the effectiveness
of communication.
In addition to different media mentioned above, the term
'media' can also be understood in terms of data representation
medium like ASCII and EBCDIC, image representation through
JPEG and MPEG formats, presentation medium like paper, screen
and speaker, data storage medium like floppy disk, hard disk
and CD-ROM. The medium may also mean transmission medium
like wired or wireless networks.
MULTIMEDIA COMPONENTS
The multimedia. components include text, graphics,
animation, audio and video. Two or more of these components
are combined into presentations or creations for desired effects
with the target audience.
Text
Text contains d.ata in alphanumeric form. Hardware
required for text precessing requires keyboard, optical scanners,
display screens and printers. The software required for text
processing includes word processors for editing and formatting
text with different fonts, hypertext features etc.
Animation
Computer animation is the use of graphic tools to create
visual effects. The visual effects can be in the form of changes
in shape, colour, lighting, position etc. Computer animation gives
movement to objects. Graphic software is used to create such
objects. Computer animation is used in cartoon films, electronic
advertisements, video games and virtual reality applications.
Indian mythological characters like Hanuman, Ram and Lakshman
are being recreated in cartoon films with animation. Animation
application areas include movies, television production, product
promotions, computer based training and education, graphics
in publishing, web design, virtual reality for simulations,
engineering, advertising and fashion design.
Audio
Audio is an important component of multimedia. Audio or
sound is produced by vibration of matter. As the matter vibrates,
variations in air pressure around it is propagated in a wave like
motion. Audio techniques deal with processing of these sound
waves. Audio component deals with synthesizing, recording and
play back of audio. It is extensively used in education and
training software. Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is
another technology that helps in enhancing audio special effects.
Video

It is a sequence of moving images of a real life situation.
Properties of human eye and neuronal processing are critical
factors in video systems. With 30 frames per second, video
motion appears smooth and continuous.
Images
Image is a spatial representation of an object. Images are
represented in computer with a matrix of numeric values to
manipulate pixels. That is, digital images are stored as twodimensional
array of values. Each value represents the data
associated with a pixel.
Graphics
Computer graphics deal with the generation and
manipulation of digital objects. The objects may be drawn with
graphic software or scanned-in with digital scanners. The objects
can be animated by controlling speed, portion of the total scene
in view etc.
APPLICATIONS OF MULTIMEDIA
The flexibility of using different types of data for
communication makes multimedia especially suitable for some
applications like education, training, entertainment,
advertisement, cartoon movies, video games etc.
Multimedia in education
Multimedia is particularly suitable for developing digital
content for education and presenting it attractively. The
students can view text in a text box which can be scrawled up
and down. Simultaneously, they can listen to audio that reads
out the text. Drawings and animation are used to make objects
appear real life with movements.
Multimedia in Training
Another important use of multimedia is in training. Voice,
text, images, movies and animation are used in developing
training material. The trainees can interact with the software.
Multimedia makes the presentation visually attractive and
stimulates thinking.
Special effects in movies
Multimedia technology is used in movies for special effects.
Movies with multimedia effects are much in demand. Jurassic
park, Spiderman, Harry Potter and Titanic are examples where
multimedia helps in creating special effects.
Multimedia on the web
With multimedia, emails, instant messaging and websites
can be made much more attractive and lively. It can be used to
enrich the content and provide interactivity for the users. It
can attract more visitors to the site. The Web has become the
standard medium for global communications.
Multimedia in Printing and Publishing
Multimedia is used in printing and publishing to improve
quality of print and layouts. With a variety of font designs,
colours, graphics etc. multimedia can be used to enhance quality
of printing and publishing.
Multimedia in Designing
Computer graphics and 3-D object modeling help designing
in creating designs of objects with ease. A range of colours,
forms, textures and tones enable them to experiment with
designs. Multimedia, thus, enables designers to give shape to
their imagination virtually.
SUMMARY
Multimedia software can handle different types of data
simultaneously and this capability makes it extremely useful
for attractive presentation of information. It makes any
presentation rich with audio, video and animation. Its use is
growing very rapidly and it opens up large number of career
opportunities for creative IT professionals. the multimedia
professionals are in short supply worldwide.