Multimedia & Animation
Multimedia is the integration of multiple forms of media. This includes text, graphics, audio, video, etc. For example, a presentation involving audio and video clips would be considered a "multimedia presentation." Educational software that involves animations, sound, and text is called "multimedia software." CDs and DVDs are often considered to be "multimedia formats" since they can store a lot of data and most forms of multimedia require a lot of disk space.
Multimedia is a concept which sees the use of text, graphic art, sound, animation, and video in different combinations. This integration of Media into one whole and that which gives the user more benefits than any one of the media used individually is Multimedia.
Multimedia is the use of a computer to present and combine text, graphics, audio, and video with links and tools that let the user navigate, interact, create, and communicate. Multimedia is a term used to describe how multiple means of media like text, audio, graphics, animation, video, and interactivity are used to communicate information Multimedia can be recorded and played, displayed, dynamic, interacted with or accessed by information processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices
Components of Multimedia
Text
Most multimedia systems use a combination of text and other media to deliver functionality. Text in multimedia systems can express specific information, or it can act as pillar for information contained in other media items. This is a common practice in applications with accessibility requirements. For example, when Web pages include image elements, they can also include a short amount of text for the user's browser to include as an alternative, in case the digital image item is not available.
Images
Digital image files appear in many multimedia applications. Digital photographs can display application content or can alternatively form part of a user interface. Interactive elements, such as buttons, often use custom images created by the designers and developers involved in an application. Digital image files use a variety of formats and file extensions. Among the most common are JPEGs and PNGs. Both of these often appear on websites, as the formats allow developers to minimize on file size while maximizing on picture quality. Graphic design software programs such as Photoshop and Paint.NET allow developers to create complex visual effects with digital images.
Audio
Audio files play a major role in some multimedia systems. Audio files appear as part of application content and also to aid interaction. When they appear within Web applications and sites, audio files sometimes need to be deployed using plug-in media players. Audio formats include MP3, WMA, Wave, MIDI and RealAudio. When developers include audio within a website, they will generally use a compressed format to minimize on download times. Web services can also stream audio, so that users can begin playback before the entire file is downloaded.
Video
Digital video appears in many multimedia applications, particularly on the Web. As with audio, websites can stream digital video to increase the speed and availability of playback. Common digital video formats include Flash, MPEG, AVI, WMV and QuickTime. Most digital video requires use of browser plug-ins to play within Web pages, but in many cases the user's browser will already have the required resources installed. A normal video file in a digital format is made up of two parts, a “codec” and a “container”. A “codec” is used to compress and decompress a video file, as there are times where video files are too large and may cause difficulty when trying to download or play the file. Some examples of “codecs” are FFMpeg, DivX, XviD, and x264. A “container” is a collection of files that stores information about the digital file. It simply means there is a combination of both audio and video data in a single file to allow for simultaneous audio-with-video playback. Some popular types of “containers” are AVI, FLV, WMV, MP4, and MOV.
- AVI (Audio Video Interleave)
- FLV (Flash Video Format)
- WMV (Windows Media Video)
- MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie)
- MP4 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 4)
AVI (Audio Video Interleave)
Developed by Microsoft and introduced to the public in November 1992 as part of its Video for Windows technology, the AVI format is one of the oldest video formats. It is so universally accepted that many people consider it the de facto standard for storing video and audio information on the computer. Due to it’s simple architecture, AVI files are able to run on a number of different systems like Windows, Macintosh, Linux; is also supported by popular web browsers. AVI files stores data that can be encoded in a number of different codec’s, although most commonly with M-JPEG or DivX codecs. This means that all AVI files, while they may look similar on the outside, differ substantially from one another on the inside.
FLV (Flash Video Format)
FLV files are videos that are encoded by Adobe Flash software, usually with codecs following the Sorenson Spark or VP6 video compression formats. They can be played via the Adobe Flash Player, web browser plugins or one of several third party programs. Since virtually everyone has the player installed on their browsers, it has become the most common online video viewing platform used on the Web today. As almost all video sharing sites such as Youtube stream videos in Flash, practically all browsers support and are compatible with the Flash Video format and can play the video with ease. In addition to being an online video viewing format, the Flash Video format is also what many video-sharing sites convert videos to, from formats that were uploaded by their users in something other than Flash. This is because videos in the FLV format remain in high quality even after compression to a smaller file size, which means that the videos on the Web load quickly and won’t spend a lot of time using up bandwidth. Some notable users of the Flash Video are Youtube, Yahoo! Video, VEVO, Hulu and Myspace among many others.
WMV (Windows Media Video)
Developed by Microsoft, WMV was originally designed for web streaming applications, as a competitor to RealVideo, but it can now help to more specialized content. WMV files are the very small video files over the Web, as their file size decreases significantly after compression, which results in poor video quality. However, one advantage of this small file size is that it is probably the only video file format that allows users to upload and share their videos through the e-mail system. Being a Microsoft software, the Windows Media Player is the main application that is used to play WMV files on all Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, but there are also WMV players available for free for the Macintosh operating system.
MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie)
Developed by Apple. The QuickTime file format is a popular type of video sharing and viewing format amongst Macintosh users, and is often used on the Web, and for saving movie and video files. In recent years, Apple came up with a newer version called QuickTime X, currently available on Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Lion and Mountain Lion. MOV files are most commonly opened via the Apple QuickTime Player for the Macintosh Operating System. However, MOV files are not just limited to being played on Apple computers, as there is a free version of the QuickTime Player available for the Windows Operating System among many other players. Considered one of the best looking file formats, MOV files are of high quality and are usually big in file size.
MP4 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 4)
MP4 is an abbreviated term for MPEG-4 Part 14, a standard developed by the Motion Pictures Expert Group who was responsible for setting industry standards regarding digital audio and video, and is commonly used for sharing video files on the Web. First introduced in 1998, the MPEG-4 video format uses separate compression for audio and video tracks; video is compressed with MPEG-4 or H.264 video encoding; and audio is compressed using AAC compression. The MP4 file format is also another great file sharing format for the Web, MP4 file sizes are relatively small but the quality remains high even after compression. MP4 standard is also becoming more popular than FLV for online video sharing, as it compatible with both online and mobile browsers and also supported by the new HTML5.
Animation
A way of making a movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects (such as puppets or models) that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement. Animators are the ones who bring ideas to life so that others may enjoy stories and characters not possible in real life.
Animations can also include interactive effects, allowing users to engage with the animation action using their mouse and keyboard. The most common tool for creating animations on the Web is Adobe Flash, which also facilitates desktop applications. Using Flash, developers can author FLV files, exporting them as SWF movies for deployment to users. Flash also uses ActionScript code to achieve animated and interactive effects.
Different Types of Animation
2D Animation Styles
2D animation is when scenes and characters are animated in a 2D space instead of a 3D environment. Today, artists use computer software to create everything in a 2D animation, including environments, characters, visual effects, and more. These programs often have a huge toolbox of features that help the artists manipulate the animation in a number of ways, including making it look smoother by fine-tuning important elements such as timing.
Everything from cartoon series and Japanese anime to video games and full feature films are done in 2D. The fact that 2D animation is flexible enough to be done on a wide range of platforms it what makes it such a popular form for anything from entertainment and multimedia to broadcast video.
3D Animation Styles
3D animation is the manipulation of three dimensional objects and virtual environments with the use of a computer program. A computer and 3D software program is required to create 3D animations, which usually comes with a ton of features that let you do anything from modeling and simulation to rendering. Tools for adding lighting, visual effects, physics, and other elements are also normally included. The reason 3D animation has become popular is because it can be used to create realistic objects and scenes.
Live-action films like Transformers, Avatar, and The Avengers would not be as impressive if you removed all the 3D elements, which often include entire characters and settings. 3D has also become the standard visual style for video games because it lets players do much more than a 2D game.
Today, 3D animation is used in more industries as like :
Games
Movies
Television shows
Interior designing
Business
Architecture
Medicine
Many other multimedia fields