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Terms and Tools used in The Big Picture
Note: Audio/video editing programs are shown in red italics. CD PlayerCD Player can be found on the Media Tools page of your Icon Catalog. CD Player has two primary functions for systems with CD-ROM drives:
CD Player diplays each track on a CD as an individual AIFF file, which you can copy to your system disk by dragging to a new location on your desktop. You can also select any range of audio on the CD and save the selection as a new file. compression schemeCompression is the coding of data to save storage space or transmission time. Although data is already coded in digital form for computer processing, it can often be coded more efficiently (using fewer bits). Compression schemes are standardized compression formats. filtersFilters are effects that, after you create them, can be applied to entire or partial audio or video clips. An example of a video filter is a spinning logo in the corner of a screen. A fade out is an example of an audio filter. flicker filterYou can apply a flicker filter to your movie by using Media Convert. Flicker filter eliminates the TV monitor flicker that may occur when a movie includes computer-generated graphics, such as those created by including a 3D filter in your movie. frame rateVideo is made up of a series of frames, like a filmstrip. The frame rate is the number of frames displayed per second in a movie. A lower frame rate produces a less fluid motion and saves disk space. A higher setting results in a more fluid image and a larger movie file. A movie's frame rate is described in fps (frames per second). Different types of output typically use different frame rates. For example, NTSC television plays at 29.97 fps, and motion-picture film plays at 24 fps. To find out the frame rate of a movie:
FX Builder (Plug-in)FX Builder is plug-in tool that you can use to edit and build 3D filters and transitions for desktop movie production. The effects you create or edit can be saved as your own custom transitions, or filters or applied to the movie you are currently working on. To create these filters or transitions, you can animate 3D objects, and also texture them with movies or images. When using Movie Maker, you can access this tool from the Effects menu. Choose Effects > Custom 3D Effect... . When the dialog appears, click the New button to open FX Builder. Icon CatalogAccess the icon catalog from your main desktop Toolchest menu. For example, to go to the Media Tools page, select Find > Media Tools to bring up the Media Tools page in the Icon Catalog. The icon catalog is the place to find most of the software programs that are bundled with your workstation. ImgViewImgView can be found on the Media Tools page of your Icon Catalog. ImgView is what launches when you double-click an image icon. It allows you to view an image file, and when you select File > Save you can choose a new format for the image. Media ConvertMedia Convert can be found on the Media Tools page of your Icon Catalog. Media Convert offers many conversion possibilities. For example, you can use it convert a movie or audio file from one format and/or compression scheme to another, or to convert a movie file into a numbered sequence of images. You can also specify video or audio parameters, such as the frame rate or sample rate. Media Recorder
Movie Maker
sample rateThe speed at which audio samples are recorded and played back. This is analogous to video and film frame rates. Higher sample rates give higher audio quality at the expense of larger audio file size. Lower sample rates save disk space but result in poorer audio quality. Typically, 8 kHz is fine for human voice recording. Audio CDs are recorded at 44.1 kHz, and audio DATs are recorded at 32, 44.1, or 48 kHz. To read the sample rate of a movie:
sample widthThe number of bits used to represent a single sample of audio data, typically expressed in multiples of 8-bits (8, 16 or 24). Larger widths allow for greater dynamic range and precision, both of which influence audio quality. To read the sample width of a movie:
ShowcaseShowcase is a drawing and presentation program you can find on the Applications page of your Icon Catalog. Sound Track
title palette
WebMagic
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