.:BEYOND:.: Chapter 4: Specialized Application Software

Introduction

Specialized applications make it possible to perform advanced tasks at home.
Home users can create Website sites, work with graphic images, and create music or art.
Robots now provide security and assistance in homes.
Competent and users need to be aware of specialized applications:

graphics programs
audip and video editing software
multimedia
web authoring
artificial intelligence

Desktop Publishing

Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a personal computer and WYSIWYG page layout software to create publication documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local multifunction peripheral output and distribution.

The term "desktop publishing" is commonly used to describe page layout skills. However, the skills and software are not limited to paper and book publishing. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for point of sale displays, promotional items, trade show exhibits, retail package designs and outdoor signs.

Graphics

are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brands, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings, or other images. Graphics often combine text, illustration, and color. Graphic design may consist of the deliberate selection, creation, or arrangement of typography alone, as in a brochure, flier, poster, web site, or book without any other element.

Clarity or effective communication may be the objective, association with other cultural elements may be sought, or merely, the creation of a distinctive style. Graphics can be functional or artistic. The latter can be a recorded version, such as a photograph, or an interpretation by a scientist to highlight essential features, or an artist, in which case the distinction with imaginary graphics may become blurred. There are types of graphics:

Desktop publishing
Image editors
Illustration programs
Image galleries
Graphic suites

Popular Programs

1. Adobe InDesign

Basic applications of Adobe InDesign.

2. Microsoft Publisher

Basic applications of Microsoft Publisher.

3. QuarkXPress

http://8.quark.com/

Basic application for Mac.

Digital Video Editing

Capture Video
Edit a Movie
Create a DVD

Multimedia

The integration of a variety of media into one presentation

~~Video~~ ~~Music~~

~~Voice~~

~~Graphics~~

~~Text~~

Include user interactivity

Links
Can Be To.....

video

Sound

Graphic

Text File

Buttons

Buttons are links and provide the ability to navigate through a presentation

Media Authoring Programs

Special programs used to create multimedia presentations

Bring together all the video, audio, graphics, and text elements

Popular programs

Web Authoring

Corporations use the Web to reach new customers.
Individuals create their own personal site called Web logs or Blogs

Website Design:

Definition: An interactive multimedia form of communication.
(graphical map).


Flora Photographs Web site

Partial graphical map for the Flora Photographs Web site

3. Multimedia elements are added to individual pages to enhance interest and interactivity.

4. One multimedia element found on many Web sites is moving graphics called animations (simple moving text or complicated interactive features).

5. One type of interactive features is Adobe Flash.

6. Flash movies can be inserted as a part of the page or encompass the entire screen. One effect available though Flash is morphing. Morphing is a special effect in which one shape seems to transform into another.

Web Authoring Programs (Web page Editors and HTML)

to create sophisticated commercial sites.
provide support for Web site design and HTML coding.

Some Web authoring programs bill themselves as WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors, to indicate that you can build a page without interacting directly with HTML code.

WYSIWYG editor preview the page describes by HTML code.

Widely used Web authoring programs: