Multimedia Presented by Frank H. Osborne, Ph. D. © 2005 Bio 2900 Computer Applications in Biology

Definition of Multimedia Multimedia implies the use of various technologies combined together. The would include, among other things, –text (generally found on all Websites) –images (digital photography, drawings, graphics) –audio (sound) –video (DVD, digital camera, video footage, animated gif)

Definition of Multimedia Multimedia is used to enhance educational websites to provide illustrations or to make a website more entertaining. Nearly every conceivable item that is part of multimedia is considered an object and can be incorporated into an HTML document.

Text Text expresses ideas in words. It is used to convey information to readers. Text is generally placed in a document using HTML. Text can also appear in graphics, such as signs and banners.

Images Images can be digital photographs, drawings, or other related objects. In HTML, an image is placed in a document using the tag. Images come in a variety of formats. The most commonly used are: –gif - graphics interface format –jpeg - joint photographic experts group format

Images There are other formats that may be used for images including:.png,.tiff,.bmp,.pcx or.pict. Sometimes these do not work on older browsers so it is best to stick with.gif and.jpeg..gif is used for most graphics.jpeg is best for digital photographs where you want to retain the original colors.

Audio Audio refers to sound and the incorporation of sound in a document. In HTML, an audio file is inserted using the anchor tag Many audio recordings are in micro-law (mu-law) format and end in.au. Others include.aiff,.aif (Mac) and.mp3 (Windows)

Video Video refers to moving pictures incorporated into a Web Page. Videos are generally in one of three formats: –.avi (audio video interlaced) –.mpeg (moving pictures experts group) –.mov (Quicktime) Video clips can be transferred from a video camera with a firewire connection.

Video HTML tags for video – works only with Internet Explorer – being phased out in favor of: – a universal tag for embedding objects of any kind.

Animated.gif Animated.gif files are used to draw attention to graphics and banners on a Web Page. In most cases this is done using a program known as a gif Compiler. Another way is to use the WebFX graphics effects generator at

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