Production Tools
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Production Tools |
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| Collection | ||
| Considerations | ||
| Digitization | ||
| Publication | ||
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Production Tools |
| The tools used to create your production for the most part will be Editors. Editors are designed to create, alter, enhance, and even publish different elements. No one editor can handle all the elements of your project, so several may be used. |
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Text editors: | |
| Text editors are used to write stories and edit them. The formatting features are for selecting the font style, size and color. Text editors are also Publication Tools. | ||
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Microsoft Word included in Standard Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) $479 |
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AppleWorks $79 |
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Graphic editors: | |
| If you want to improve pictures (still images), use a graphic editor. You can resize, correct contrast, brightness, color hue and saturation, and remove unwanted scratches from your pictures. | ||
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Note: A little bit about the common graphic file types. |
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| .jpg or .jpeg | (Joint Photographic Experts Group). The preferred format for savings pictures because of universal support on most computers and programs. A compressed file (uses less disk space) that is a standard for web based images and digital cameras. | |
| .gif | (Graphics Interchange Format). Used for web pages but limited to 256 colors. GIF file support transparent elements within the image. | |
| .pic or .pict | A standard format for the Macintosh. | |
| .bmp | (Bit Mapped Picture). A standard format for Windows. | |
| .eps and .tiff | (Encapsulated Post Script and Tagged Image File Format). Very large uncompressed files used for desktop publishing where high resolution is required. | |
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Resolution, expressed as Dots per Inch (DPI), determines picture quality. The higher the DPI, the sharper and clearer the picture will be. Computer monitors usually display at 72DPI, so 80DPI is sufficient for images displayed on computers only. Most household and small office printers print at 300 DPI, so a higher resolution picture will not improve pictures no matter how much "high quality" glossy photo paper is used. Actually the brightness of the paper can improve the printed image. |
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Graphic Converter Free |
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Apple iPhoto included with OS X |
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Adobe Photoshop Elements $99 |
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Adobe Photoshop $609 |
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Macromedia Fireworks $299 |
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Macromedia Freehand $399 |
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Movie editors: | |
| There are several editors for digital video processing. They all capture from tape, edit in digital video, and export to multiple formats for distribution. | ||
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If you have never done digital video editing, start with Windows Movie Maker which comes bundled with Windows XP. Exports only to Windows Movie Video format (.wmv). Player is a free download. |
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Apple iMovie now comes bundled with OS X. Exports only to QuickTime Player format (.mov). Player is a free download. QuickTime Player Pro will convert .mov files to other formats. |
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For Windows, the next level includes Pinnacle Studio and Ulead VideoStudio. These editors add more features, require some movie editing experience and must be purchased ($100-$300). |
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Adobe Premiere is considered to be at the semi-professional level offering many more features but costing a lot more ($550). |
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For those that want to test their creative abilities at the highest levels try Apple Final Cut. |
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Audio editors: | |
| Audio editors capture and edit sound files. Sound is captured through the Microphone or Line-In jack on the computer's sound card. | ||
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Microsoft Sound Recorder free with Windows |
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Voyetra AudioSurgeon $30.00 |
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Next Generation Wave $30.00 |
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Felt Tip Software Sound Studio $50.00 |
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Web Page editors: | |
| Web Page editors are used to compose web pages for publication to the internet. Reserving a Domain Name and selecting a Web Hosting Service will get your page on the internet. | ||
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Microsoft FrontPage $169 |
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Netscape Composer free with Netscape browser |
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Macromedia Dreamweaver $399 |
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Adobe GoLive $399 |
Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved Last update: May 22, 2004
