UNIT
3 – MULTIMEDIA
3.1 Concept of
Multimedia Technology
Multimedia
The
term multimedia is made up of two words, “multi” and “media”. “Multi” means
many, while “media” refers to different forms of communication. Therefore,
multimedia refers to the use or integration of different types of media.
Definition of
Multimedia:
Multimedia
is the integration of different types of media such as text, graphics, audio,
video, and animation into a single platform to provide an interactive and
engaging experience.
Example:
An
educational app may combine animated science experiments, voice explanations,
practice quizzes, and video lectures in a single platform.
Multimedia
Technology
The
technology that uses different types of media to create multimedia content such
as movies, games, websites, and educational applications is known as multimedia
technology.
Examples of
Applications Using Multimedia Technology:
1. Duolingo: An
app that uses voice, text, sound effects, and animation to teach different
languages.
2. TikTok: Popular
for its content that mixes video, filters, text, and music to create short
videos
3. YouTube: Online
streaming platform that combines video, sound, thumbnails, and live chat for
learning and entertainment
4. Google Earth: It
combines satellite images, text labels, and even 3D maps for exploration.
Components of
Multimedia
1. Text , 2.
Graphics, 3. Audio, 4. Video, 5. Animation
Applications of
Multimedia
1. Education:
Multimedia is used in education to make teaching and learning easier and more
interesting. Teachers use text, images, audio, videos, animations, and
presentations to explain topics. It is used in online classes, e-learning,
digital textbooks, and educational software.
2. Entertainment:
Multimedia is used to provide enjoyable and interesting experiences. It is used
in movies, music, video games, animations, and online streaming. It makes
entertainment more attractive, realistic, and interactive.
3. Content
Creation:
Multimedia is used to create and share digital content. It is used for making
videos, presentations, social media posts, podcasts, websites, and digital
advertisements. It makes content more attractive, creative, informative, and
engaging.
4. Business:
Multimedia is used in business for communication, promotion, presentation, and
training. Businesses use presentations, videos, graphics, charts, and
animations to explain their products and services. It is used in marketing,
advertising, meetings, employee training, and product demonstrations.
5. Communication:
Multimedia is used to exchange information and ideas. People can communicate
using text, images, audio, video, and animations. It is commonly used in video
conferencing, social media, online meetings, messaging, and digital
communication.
3.2 Multimedia
Component Concepts (Text, Graphics, Audio, Video, Animation)
Text
Text refers to the characters
that are displayed on a screen and is also known as alphanumeric values.
A combination of these characters forms meaningful information to the readers.
Text
is a part of multimedia as it can be presented in various ways. By using
multimedia software, text can be presented in different sizes, style or colour.
There
are many types of text editors and some common ones that we use are Notepad,
WordPad and Microsoft Word.
Text File Formats
The common text
file formats are: TXT , RTF , DOCX
1. TXT
TXT
is a standard Text file format that only stores text contents.
2. RTF
RTF stands for
Rich Text Format and can store text along with formatting such as colour, font
size, line spacing, and indentation.
3. DOCX
It
is the native document format of Microsoft Word and can store text along with
text styles just like RTF file format. DOCX, introduced by Microsoft in 2007,
is now the most widely used word processing format.
Difference between
TXT, RTF and DOCX
|
Basis |
TXT |
RTF |
DOCX |
|
Meaning |
TXT is a plain
text file format. |
RTF is a
formatted text file format. |
DOCX is a
word-processing document format. |
|
Formatting |
It does not
support text formatting. |
It supports
basic formatting like bold, italic, underline, font, and font size. |
It supports
advanced formatting, styles, and page layout. |
|
Images and
Tables |
It generally
does not support images and tables. |
It supports some
formatted document elements. |
It supports
images, tables, charts, shapes, and other elements. |
|
Main Use |
It is used to
store simple text. |
It is used to
store and exchange text with basic formatting. |
It is used to
create, edit, and share complete documents. |
|
Extension |
.txt |
.rtf |
.docx |
|
Examples of
Software |
Notepad |
Microsoft Word,
LibreOffice Writer |
Microsoft Word,
LibreOffice Writer |
TXT stores plain text
without formatting.
RTF stores text with
basic formatting such as bold, italic, fonts and font sizes.
DOCX stores fully
formatted documents and supports elements such as images, tables, charts and
page layouts.
3.3 Graphics:
Concept of Raster and Vector, Graphics File Formats (PNG, GIF, JPG, SVG, PDF)
Graphics
Graphics refer to
the visual elements that we see on a screen, such as shapes, colours, images,
and pictures, which are used to present information visually. Graphics make
multimedia content more attractive and help users understand information more
easily.
There are many
types of graphics editors and some common ones that we use are Pixlr X, Adobe
Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
By using such
applications, we can edit various shapes, add effects to them and edit images
as we like.
Raster and Vector
Graphics
Computer graphics
are digital images or visual elements that are stored in digital format.
Computer graphics
are mainly divided into two types: Raster Graphics , Vector Graphics
1. Raster Graphics
Raster graphics,
also known as bitmap graphics, are computer graphics made up of small units
called pixels.
Pixel
A pixel stands for
Picture Element and it is the smallest unit or elements of a picture that is
displayed on a screen.
Pixels refer to a
collection of tiny square dots that make up an image. Each pixel has its own
colour, and many pixels together form a picture or graphic. Therefore, the more
pixels an image has, the more detailed it can be.
Common Raster
Graphics File Formats
PNG
PNG
stands for Portable Network Graphics. It is a common raster image file format.
It supports transparency, so an image can have no background. It is commonly
used for logos, icons, drawings, and other digital images.
GIF
GIF
stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It is a raster image file format
commonly used for simple animations. It creates animation by showing a series
of images.
JPG/JPEG
JPG/JPEG
stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is a common raster image file
format. It reduces file size while keeping good image quality. It is commonly
used for photographs.
Difference between
JPG, PNG and GIF
|
Basis |
PNG |
GIF |
JPG/JPEG |
|
Full Form |
Portable Network Graphics |
Graphics Interchange Format |
Joint Photographic Experts Group |
|
Main Feature |
Supports transparency |
Supports simple animation |
Provides good compression |
|
Image Quality |
Good quality |
Suitable for simple images |
Good quality for photographs |
|
Main Use |
Used for logos, icons, and images
with transparent backgrounds |
Used for simple animated images |
Used mainly for photographs |
|
File Size |
Usually larger than JPG |
Usually small for simple images |
Usually smaller than PNG |
|
Example |
Logo with transparent background |
Animated reaction image |
Mobile phone photograph |
2. Vector Graphics
Vector graphics
are a type of computer graphics made up of Bezier curves and other shapes.
These curves and shapes are represented using mathematical formulas. Therefore,
vector graphics can be enlarged or reduced without losing their quality.
Common Vector
Graphics File Formats
There are various
vector graphics file formats, and the most commonly used one is SVG.
SVG - SVG stands
for Scalable Vector Graphics and is a graphics format that is commonly
supported by most applications.
PDF File Format
PDF stands for
Portable Document Format. It is a commonly used file format for sharing
documents. A PDF can contain both raster and vector graphics. It can store
text, images, and graphics. It is commonly used to share documents online.
Difference between
SVG and PDF
|
Basis |
SVG |
PDF |
|
Full Form |
Scalable Vector
Graphics |
Portable
Document Format |
|
Meaning |
SVG is a vector
graphics file format. |
PDF is a
document file format. |
|
Main Use |
It is mainly
used for logos, icons, and web graphics. |
It is mainly
used for documents and printing. |
|
Graphics |
It mainly
contains vector graphics. |
It can contain
both raster and vector graphics. |
|
Extension |
.svg |
.pdf |
Raster Graphics vs
Vector Graphics
|
Basis |
Raster Graphics |
Vector Graphics |
|
Definition |
Raster graphics
are computer graphics made up of tiny pixels. |
Vector graphics
are computer graphics made up of lines, shapes, and curves. |
|
Basic Element |
They are made up
of pixels. |
They are made up
of lines, shapes, and Bezier curves. |
|
Representation |
Pixels store the
colour and detail of the image. |
Mathematical
formulas represent the shapes and curves. |
|
Quality |
Quality
decreases when enlarged. |
Quality remains
the same when enlarged. |
|
Used For |
Photographs and
detailed images. |
Logos, icons,
and illustrations. |
|
Examples |
JPG, PNG, GIF |
SVG |
3.4 Audio: Concept
of Audio Waveform, Audio File Formats (MP3, AAC, WAV)
Audio
Audio refers to
the sound used in multimedia, which includes different types of sounds such as
music, voice, instruments, and sound effects. These sounds are produced by
vibrations and are stored as digital files in a computer.
Audio Waveform
An audio waveform
is a graph that represents how sound changes over time. It consists of
amplitude and wavelength.
Amplitude
represents the loudness of sound and is represented by the height of the wave
in the graph, while wavelength represents the vibration of sound over time and
is represented by the width of the wave in the graph.
The shape of the
graph can be different according to the nature of the sound. To store sound
digitally, samples are collected at certain time intervals, and this digital
representation is stored as a sound file.
Common Audio File
Formats
There are many
audio files in use but the most common ones in use are MP3, AAC, and WAV.
MP3 - MP3 stands for
MPEG Audio Layer 3. It is the most commonly used format for sharing audio files
due to its effective compression capabilities.
AAC - AAC stands for
Advanced Audio Coding. This is another commonly used format for sharing audio
files, which is an improvement over MP3 as ACC uses more advanced compression
algorithms. Due to this reason it has better compression capabilities compared
to MP3 as well.
WAV - WAV stands for
Waveform Audio File Format. It is an uncompressed audio file format due to
which the file size of the WAV audio file is large. However, the audio is
stored exactly in the form as it is recorded.
Difference between
MP3, AAC and WAV
|
Basis |
MP3 |
AAC |
WAV |
|
Definition |
MP3 is a
compressed audio file format. |
AAC is a
compressed audio file format. |
WAV is an
uncompressed audio file format. |
|
Compression |
Uses lossy
compression. |
Uses lossy
compression. |
Usually does not
use compression. |
|
File Size |
Small |
Small |
Large |
|
Sound Quality |
Good sound
quality |
Good sound
quality with efficient compression |
Very high sound
quality |
|
Main Use |
Used for music
and audio files. |
Used for music,
videos, and streaming. |
Used for
recording and editing audio. |
|
Storage |
Requires less
storage space. |
Requires less
storage space. |
Requires more
storage space. |
|
Extension |
.mp3 |
.aac |
.wav |
3.5 Video: Concept
of Frame rate and Resolution (SD, HD), Video File Formats (MP4, MOV, AVI)
Video
Video
in multimedia refers to a collection of pictures called frames that are
displayed one after another over a certain period of time to create the
illusion of motion. A video may also contain an audio file that plays along
with the frames. The individual pictures that make up a video are called frames.
Frame Rate
Frame rate refers
to the number of frames displayed or played in a certain period of time. It is
usually measured in Frames Per Second (FPS)
The number of
frames per second determines whether a video is smooth or choppy.
A higher frame
rate produces smoother video, while a lower frame rate makes the video appear
choppy or less smooth.
Some common frame
rates that are in use are typically 24fps, 25fps, 50fps and 60fps.
Resolution
Pixels are the
tiny squares that make up a digital image. Each pixel has a color and all the
pixels together form the picture. The more pixels an image has, the more
details it can show.
Resolution is the
number of pixels in an image. It is usually expressed as width and height in
pixels, such as 720 × 480 or 1920x1080.
Resolution affects
the quality and size of an image. A higher resolution means a clearer and
larger image, but also a bigger file size.
Common resolutions
are standards that are used for different purposes, such as displaying images
on screens or printing them on paper. Some common resolutions are:
1. SD (Standard
Definition): 720 × 480 pixels
SD is a low resolution used in older TVs and DVDs. It can show basic
colors and shapes, but not much detail.
2. HD (High
Definition): 1280 × 720 pixels
HD is a medium resolution used used for newer TVs and online videos. It
can show more details and colors than SD, but not as much as FHD.
3. FHD (Full High
Definition): 1920 × 1080 pixels
FHD is a high resolution commonly used for newer TVs, monitors, and
laptops. It can show a lot of details and colors, and it is the most common
resolution for HD videos and games.
Difference between
SD, HD and FHD
|
Basis |
SD |
HD |
FHD |
|
Full Form |
Standard
Definition |
High Definition |
Full High
Definition |
|
Definition |
SD is a
low-resolution video format. |
HD is a
high-resolution video format. |
FHD is a
higher-resolution video format than HD. |
|
Resolution |
720 × 480 pixels |
1280 × 720
pixels |
1920 × 1080
pixels |
|
Image Quality |
It provides less
detail and clarity. |
It provides
better detail and clarity than SD. |
It provides
better detail and clarity than SD and HD. |
|
Common Use |
Used in older
TVs and DVDs. |
Used in TVs and
online videos. |
Used in TVs,
monitors, laptops, and high-quality videos. |
Video File Formats
There are many
video file formats, but MP4, MOV, and AVI are commonly used.
1. MP4:
MP4 stands for
MPEG-4 Part 14. This is the most commonly used video format due to its high
level of compression capabilities.
MP4 is the most
widely used video format because it balances high-quality visuals with
efficient compression, making it ideal for streaming platforms like YouTube and
Netflix!
2. MOV:
MOV is the file
extension of the QuickTime Movie format. It is commonly used to store videos
which may be compressed or uncompressed as per the requirement
3. AVI:
AVI stands for
Audio Video Interleave. It is a video file format used to store videos that can
be compressed or uncompressed.
Difference between
MP4, MOV and AVI
|
Basis |
MP4 |
MOV |
AVI |
|
Full Form |
MPEG-4 Part 14 |
QuickTime Movie |
Audio Video
Interleave |
|
Definition |
MP4 is a
commonly used compressed video file format. |
MOV is a video
file format developed for QuickTime. |
AVI is a video
file format developed by Microsoft. |
|
Compression |
Mainly used with
compression to reduce file size. |
Can be
compressed or uncompressed. |
Can be
compressed or uncompressed. |
|
File Size |
Usually smaller. |
Can be larger
depending on compression. |
Can be larger
depending on compression. |
|
Main Use |
Used for online
videos, streaming, and sharing videos. |
Commonly used
for videos on Apple/QuickTime systems. |
Commonly used to
store and play videos on computers. |
|
Extension |
.mp4 |
.mov |
.avi |
3.6 Animation
Concept: 2D and 3D animation
Animation
Animation
refers to the computer-generated movement of pictures, drawings, or graphics to
create the appearance of motion. It is created by displaying a series of images
or graphics in sequence. Animation is commonly used to create cartoons,
advertisements, movies, and video games.
Psychology in
Animation
Psychology plays
an important role in animation by using ideas about how people think, feel, and
respond to visual elements. Animators use psychological principles to make
animations interesting, attractive, and engaging for viewers. By understanding
what attracts people's attention and creates emotions, animators can design
animations that are fun, exciting, and easy to understand.
Examples of
Psychology in Animation
- Bright
colours can attract the viewer's attention.
- Moving
objects can quickly attract attention.
- Funny
or emotional facial expressions help viewers connect with characters.
- Smooth
and well-timed movements make animations more enjoyable.
Types of Animation
Animation is
mainly divided into two types:
- 2D
Animation
- 3D
Animation
1. 2D Animation
2D animation is a
type of animation that is flat in nature and is created using two dimensions:
width and height. It is usually created by drawing or arranging images frame by
frame using animation software. Since it does not have depth, objects appear
flat.
2. 3D Animation
3D
animation is a type of animation that has depth and perspective and is created
using three dimensions: width, height, and depth. Objects are usually modelled,
rigged, and given movement using animation software. It creates a more
realistic appearance because objects can be viewed from different angles.
Difference between
2D and 3D Animation
|
Basis |
2D Animation |
3D Animation |
|
Definition |
2D animation
creates movement in two dimensions: height and width. |
3D animation
creates movement in three dimensions: height, width, and depth. |
|
Appearance |
It appears flat. |
It appears more
realistic and three-dimensional. |
|
Objects |
Objects are
created as flat drawings or images. |
Objects are
created as 3D models. |
|
Depth |
It does not have
real depth. |
It has depth,
making objects look more realistic. |
|
Common Use |
Used in
cartoons, drawings, and simple animations. |
Used in movies,
video games, simulations, and realistic animations. |
|
Example |
A traditional
cartoon. |
A 3D animated
movie or game character. |
Text:
RTF → Rich Text Format
Graphics:
PNG → Portable Network Graphics
GIF → Graphics Interchange Format
JPG/JPEG → Joint Photographic Experts Group
SVG → Scalable Vector Graphics
PDF → Portable Document Format
Audio:
MP3 → MPEG Audio Layer 3
AAC → Advanced Audio Coding
Video:
MP4 → MPEG-4 Part 14
AVI → Audio Video Interleave
Video/Display:
FPS → Frames Per Second
SD → Standard Definition
HD → High Definition
FHD → Full High Definition
IMPORTANT MCQs –
MULTIMEDIA
1. What does the
term “Multimedia” refer to?
a. Single type of media b. Many types of media c. A specific type of
technology d. Media manipulation
Answer: b. Many types of media
2. Which of the
following is a standard text file format that stores only text contents?
a. RTF b. TXT c. DOCX d. PDF
Answer: b. TXT
3. Which type of
computer graphics is made up of Bezier curves and maintains its quality
regardless of size?
a. Raster Graphics b. Vector Graphics c. PDF d. GIF
Answer: b. Vector Graphics
4. What does
amplitude represent in an audio waveform?
a. Sound wavelength b. Sound compression c. Sound loudness d. Sound file
format
Answer: c. Sound loudness
5. Which audio
format is commonly used because of its effective compression?
a. WAV b. AAC c. MP3 d. PDF
Answer: c. MP3
6. What does
resolution refer to?
a. Number of frames per second b. Audio compression c. Number of pixels
expressed as width × height d. Series of frames
Answer: c. Number of pixels expressed as width × height
7. Which video
format is commonly used because of its high compression capability?
a. AVI b. MP4 c. MOV d. GIF
Answer: b. MP4
8. Which of the
following image formats supports transparency?
a. GIF b. JPG c. PNG d. AVI
9. Which of the
following formats commonly supports animation?
a. JPG b. TXT c. GIF d. DOCX
10. What are the
three dimensions used in 3D animation?
a. Width, height, and depth b. Width, length, and size c. Height, ruler, and
breadth d. Length and width
Answer: a. Width, height, and depth
11. What is a
primary characteristic of 2D animation?
a. It is modelled and rigged. b. It has three dimensions. c. It has width,
height, and depth. d. It is usually drawn frame by frame.
Answer: d. It is usually drawn frame by frame
12. Which of the
following is a drawback of multimedia?
a. Costly and inaccessible hardware/software b. Capturing audience attention c.
Enhancing communication d. Creating immersive experiences
Answer: a. Costly and inaccessible hardware/software
