Multimedia Authoring Tools
Lecture 13
By
Razia Nisar Noorani
Multimedia Authoring Tools
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Multimedia authoring tools provide the
important framework you need for
organizing and editing the elements of
multimedia like graphics, sounds,
animations and video clips.
Authoring tools are used for designing
interactivity and the user interface, for
presentation your project on screen and
assembling multimedia elements into a
single cohesive project.
Multimedia Authoring Tools
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Authoring software provides an
integrated environment for binding
together the content and functions of
your project.
Authoring systems typically include the
ability to create, edit and import specific
types of data; assemble raw data into a
playback sequence or cue sheet and
provide structured method or language
for responding to user input.
Types of Authoring Tools
Card or page based tools
 Icon based, event driven tools
 Time based tools
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Card or page based tools
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In these authoring systems, elements are
organized as pages of a book or a stack of cards.
These tools are best used when the bulk of your
content consists of elements that can be viewed
individually, like the pages of a book or cards in a
card file.
The authoring system lets you link these pages or
cards into organized sequences.
You can jump, on command, to any page you wish
in the structured navigation pattern.
It allows you to play sound elements and launch
animations and digital video.
Card or page based tools
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Advantages
– Easy to understand metaphore
– 1 screen= 1 card= 1 page
– Ease of use
• Provide templates
• Short development time
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Disadvantages
– Some run only on one platform
– Tools not as powerful as equiv stand alones
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Software
– Hypercard
Card or page based tools
Icon based, event driven tools
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Icon or event driven tool is the simplest and
easiest authoring system.
Simple branching is the ability to go to another
section of multimedia production.
Multimedia elements and interaction cues are
organized as objects in a flow chart.
Icon- base, event-driven tools simplify the
organization of your project and typically display
flow diagrams of activities along branching paths.
In complicate structures, this charting is
particularly useful during development.
Flowchart can be built by dragging appropriate
icons from library and then adding the contents.
Icon based, event driven tools
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Advantages
◦ Clear structure
◦ Easy editing and updating
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Disadvantages
◦ Difficult to learn
◦ Expensive
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Softwares
◦ Authorware
◦ IconAuthor
Icon based, event driven tools
Time based tools
In these authoring systems, elements and events
are organized along a timeline, with resolutions as
high or higher than 1/30 second.
• Time based tools are best to use when you have
a message with a beginning and an end.
• Sequentially organized graphic frames are played
back at a speed that you can set.
• Other elements are triggered back at a given time
or location in the sequence of events. The more
powerful time based tools let you program jumps
to any location in a sequence, thereby adding
navigation and interactive control.
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Time based tools
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Softwares
◦ Macromedia Director
◦ Flash
Macromedia Director
A multimedia database, ‘cast’, contains still
images, sound files, text , shapes, script,
movies and other director files.
 Score is a sequencer for displaying,
animating and playing Cast members.
 Lingo is an object oriented scripting
language that enables interactivety and
programmed control.
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Macromedia Director
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Advantages
◦ Good for creating animation.
◦ Branching, user control interactivity
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Disadvantages
◦ Expensive
◦ Steep learning curve for advance features.
Macromedia Flash
Flash is used for delivering rich
multimedia contents to the web.
 It allows the creation of of simples static
HTML with the flash player plug-in.
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Macromedia Flash
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Advantages
◦ Easy to put animated and interactive movies.
◦ Interactive menus
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Disadvantages
◦ Increase in file size
◦ Music and sound files embedded in flash
movies increase file size and increase the file
size.
Top seven Authoring Tools
Adobe Captivate
 Articulate Presenter
 Articulate Engage
 Adobe Connect
 TechSmith Camtasia
 Adobe Presenter
 Harbinger Raptivity
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Categories
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Best Use: Can you use the product to create
applications of a certain type; e.g. software simulations?
Interface: Do you use the product online or in
PowerPoint? Does it use wizards or a stage?
Can Insert: What media formats can you put in your
eLearning by using the tool?
Platforms: Does the application run in Windows, on a
Mac, or online?
Publish to: To which formats can you publish your
eLearning?
Cost: What are the initial and update costs of the
product?
End of Lecture 13