http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Video A listing of the most recently indexed works about Video in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Video http://tc.eserver.org/35641.html http://tc.eserver.org/35641.html We look at the symptoms of this scourge of professional communicators—and offer help on how you can cope with its virulent manifestations. http://tc.eserver.org/35611.html http://tc.eserver.org/35611.html When it comes to video tutorials, long narrations quickly tire the audience. Why is that? The same reason my kids prefer the beach over Disneyworld: most videos are not user-led. http://tc.eserver.org/35612.html http://tc.eserver.org/35612.html Screencasting has a problem–it hasn’t evolved all that much over the 10 years or so since its inception. We still record the computer screen from a stationary position (dead centered) and we still present this flat, banal presentation to users sitting at their computers, which in and of itself presents problems (you’re looking at a computer screen on a computer screen–where does one end and the other begin). http://tc.eserver.org/35613.html http://tc.eserver.org/35613.html If you watch screencasts, you probably have seen some that are just worthless. How long did you stay to watch? Not long, I am sure. Why am I being so critical? Because it is true. http://tc.eserver.org/35614.html http://tc.eserver.org/35614.html For about Five years I worked for AT&T as a full time Instructional Designer and my worked involved the creation of training videos for the employees at AT&T. I loved it. It was creative, challenging and not stressful at all. http://tc.eserver.org/35615.html http://tc.eserver.org/35615.html Have you noticed? There is currently a significant increase in the number of participants attending virtual events such as webinars, tele-events, live podcasts and web TV shows. http://tc.eserver.org/35511.html http://tc.eserver.org/35511.html With so much training being done on computers (along with other tasks being done while training is taking place on that same computer), it’s important to know some best practices for developing training and other modules with screencasts. Amy Tehan demonstrates tips and tricks for making an effective screencast that will hold the viewer’s attention and get the message across. http://tc.eserver.org/35485.html http://tc.eserver.org/35485.html In most designs typography is used to present information in a rather static way — after all, it has to be read by users. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. What effects can be achieved if typography is set in motion? What happens if letters are suddenly floating, jumping and dancing around while sentences are actually interacting with the readers? Where motion is involved, video is necessary. Below we present some excellent examples of typography embedded into movies and videos — be prepared, “dynamic” typography can be breathtaking. http://tc.eserver.org/35346.html http://tc.eserver.org/35346.html Checkliste der wichtigsten Kriterien für die Auswahl eines Tools zum Erstellen interaktiver Software-Demos (engl. Screencasts). Verwendet werden Software-Demos oder Screencasts nicht nur auf Webseiten, sondern häufig auch als Ergänzung zur Technischen Dokumentation für Software: z.B. als eigenständiges Tutorial oder auch als integrativer Bestandteil einer Online-Hilfe oder sonstiger Software-Dokumentation. http://tc.eserver.org/35334.html http://tc.eserver.org/35334.html In the US today, there are 82.5 Million Content Creators 13.9% create content in virtual worlds 18.1% create video content 23.9% create blog content 79.7% create content on a social network. All we need is a standard that will support the topic- based nature of “how to” video content XML, and by extension, DITA, seemed to be a perfect fit. http://tc.eserver.org/35201.html http://tc.eserver.org/35201.html The HTML 5 video element has the potential to liberate streaming Internet video from plugin prison, but a debate over which codec to define in the standard is threatening to derail the effort. Ars takes a close look at the HTML 5 codec controversy and examines the relative strengths and weaknesses of H.264 and Ogg Theora. http://tc.eserver.org/35202.html http://tc.eserver.org/35202.html DailyMotion and Google are both experimenting with the HTML 5 video element and have strongly endorsed standards-based solutions for deploying video on the Web. Ars takes a close look at the state of open video and explores both the benefits and challenges of liberating rich media from the proprietary plugin prison. http://tc.eserver.org/34878.html http://tc.eserver.org/34878.html Can animation bring life to the computer? Can the computer take animation to a new horizon extending from cinema and visual art? This article starts with a scrutiny of the conventional definition of animation and its connection to the continuum of liveliness, followed by an examination of the two furthest points on that scale: lively movement, which is spiritual; and inorganic movement, which is functional. The author shows that, in the digital age, movement of various degrees of liveliness can be significant and meaningful through a wide array of motor—sensory functions. This brings about a new notion of materiality, which constructs an innovative meaning of animation. The author then argues that, when combined with the unique functions of the computer, animation can find a shortcut between the two extremes of liveliness: spirituality and functionality. Therefore, the field of animation could benefit from an expansion of its digital attributes. Finally, the author discusses a corpus of artefacts created in different historical periods and different media that exemplify the spiritual—functional loop. http://tc.eserver.org/34879.html http://tc.eserver.org/34879.html The development of 3D animation systems has been driven primarily by a hyper-realist ethos, and 3D computer graphic (CG) features have broadly complied with this agenda. As a counterpoint to this trend, some researchers, technologists and animation artists have explored the possibility of creating more expressive narrative output from 3D animation environments. This article explores 3D animation aesthetics, technology and culture in this context. http://tc.eserver.org/34795.html http://tc.eserver.org/34795.html Advice on how to get started giving screencasts, why you might want to do it and how to establish your recording studio. Then we move into planning the capture of your screencast and a few tips on using some presentation tools. http://tc.eserver.org/34796.html http://tc.eserver.org/34796.html Covers how to begin and conclude your cast and a bit about postprocessing. Then we cover your behavior during your talk and how to get your screencast distributed to others. http://tc.eserver.org/34671.html http://tc.eserver.org/34671.html The inclusion of audio in online learning courses not only greatly enhances learners' experiences, it also ensures that your courses are accessible to a wide audience. In this article I explore the various ways you can add audio to your Captivate projects. I also provide a number of tips on adding a narration to product demonstrations and presentations. http://tc.eserver.org/34652.html http://tc.eserver.org/34652.html Screencasting, or sharing your virtual desktop via video presentation, has exploded in popularity with the advent of podcasting, and gives you the ability to bring the classroom feel to a media presentation that can be delivered over the Internet. The medium of screencasting is readily available to everyone and with a few tools of the trade you can be ready to produce your own. http://tc.eserver.org/34653.html http://tc.eserver.org/34653.html If you provide end-user technical support, people likely ask you about the same software tasks over and over again. What's more, you've probably discovered that not everyone responds well to text or verbal instructions. What if you could send those people a brief video showing the procedure, accompanied by your voice walking through the important concepts? http://tc.eserver.org/34654.html http://tc.eserver.org/34654.html This primer is an introduction to screencasting. It covers the what, why, and how to get started. You will also find examples of screencasts and additional how-to resources. http://tc.eserver.org/34655.html http://tc.eserver.org/34655.html A screencast is a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a computer screen, and in which audio narration describes the on-screen action. It's not a new idea. The screencaster's tools—for video capture, editing, and production of compressed files—have long been used to market software products, and to train people in the use of those products. What's new is the emergence of a genre of documentary filmmaking that tells stories about software-based cultures like Wikipedia, del.icio.us, and content remixing. These uses of the medium, along with a new breed of lightweight software demonstrations, inspired the collaborative coining of a new term, screencast. http://tc.eserver.org/34656.html http://tc.eserver.org/34656.html In general, screencasting is a three-step process: capture of audio and video, editing, and production of a compressed deliverable. Camtasia combines all three functions in a single, integrated application, but in principle they're separable. I can imagine using Camtasia (or an equivalent) for capture, Premiere (or an equivalent) for editing, and Camtasia (or an equivalent) to produce a compressed .SWF file. http://tc.eserver.org/34657.html http://tc.eserver.org/34657.html This is our renewed screencast resource. We discuss software, techniques and technologies and offer suggestions and tutorials to create the best onscreen demonstrations. We also have a useful resource directory that hopefully may direct you towards the best screencast stuff online. http://tc.eserver.org/34658.html http://tc.eserver.org/34658.html While putting together a good tutorial movie for your blog or for an article you’re writing requires some thought and preparation, and would benefit from extra time spent on post-processing, the good news is that capturing screen shots and screen movies can be done inexpensively on a Mac. Although I take a glance at the wider context of preparing an entire tutorial and give you some tips along the way, my focus here is on the low-cost software you can use. http://tc.eserver.org/34631.html http://tc.eserver.org/34631.html Video has the potential for enhancing documentation. But is video the be all, end all? Is it really the next stage in the evolution of documentation? Will it supplant text and static images? This post looks at the pros and cons. http://tc.eserver.org/34621.html http://tc.eserver.org/34621.html This basic guide will show you the steps how to convert any video to high quality flash video, MP4 with H264 and AAC audio, and put it on your website with a Flash video player using free software only. http://tc.eserver.org/34551.html http://tc.eserver.org/34551.html A discussion of how to plan for the use of time in video documentation projects. http://tc.eserver.org/34435.html http://tc.eserver.org/34435.html The videos have been collected by the Inclusive Digital Economy Network. They present many of the challenges that older users often face when interacting with new technologies. The purpose of these videos is to highlight the issues in an insightful and thought-provoking way. http://tc.eserver.org/34448.html http://tc.eserver.org/34448.html Whether you are a new caption viewer or someone who has been using captions for many years, as you watch captioning, the thought may cross your mind that the captioner either (a) is from a foreign country and has little facility in spelling or (b) is a lazy typist who doesn't want to check their spelling some of the time. Nothing could be further from the truth. http://tc.eserver.org/34254.html http://tc.eserver.org/34254.html When I talk to most technical writers, video is a format they haven’t done much with. This surprises me, because I find that, as a user, video tutorials are often the most helpful type of material for me to learn software. Video most closely simulates the universal desire we have for a friend to show us how to do something in an application. Perhaps I’m a visual learner, but the majority of us (some say 60 to 65 percent) are visual learners. But video doesn’t appeal only to end users. Video can be an appealing format for technical writers as well. Creating videos can turn your career around, especially if you find technical writing a little dull. http://tc.eserver.org/34218.html http://tc.eserver.org/34218.html A video's Engagement Curve is a visual representation of the audience's cumulative interactions with the video. An Engagement Curve quickly reveals which parts of the video clip the audience finds compelling -- in the example above, viewers are clearly rewinding to re-watch a segment in the middle -- and which parts do not hold the viewers' attenion -- in this case, the end. An Engagement Curve is read from left-to-right, with the left edge representing the beginning of the video and the right edge representing the end of the video. The dashed grey line shows the view-count, while the blue line shows many times that particular segment of the video was watched http://tc.eserver.org/34219.html http://tc.eserver.org/34219.html In support of their Hyperdunk basketball shoe, Nike recently launched a viral video featuring basketball superstar Kobe Bryant recklessly leaping over a speeding Aston Martin. The video's low-end production quality makes the clip appear to be user-generated. As our analysis uncovered, this video was spread far and wide as the online viewing audience tried to figure out if one of the world's biggest sports stars would actually attempt such a stunt. Watch the clip below and read on to see just how effectively this campaign drove audience reach. http://tc.eserver.org/34203.html http://tc.eserver.org/34203.html The first and most common mistake made when producing for streaming is shooting in an interlaced mode. All streaming video is progressive. And if you shoot interlaced, you start with two fields that may not combine into one clean frame (even if you check the deinterlace box before rendering), especially when motion or sharp diagonal lines are involved. This can result in simple jaggies or bizarre artifacts, such as a table edge that looks like twisted wrought iron in a video produced by one of the largest retail chains in the world. Second, if you do shoot interlaced, remember to deinterlace the video. Streaming producers make this mistake all the time and end up with horizontal slices, almost like Venetian blinds in higher-motion sequences. http://tc.eserver.org/34204.html http://tc.eserver.org/34204.html One issue with AVCHD is that (like HDV) it’s based on a codec that is not really built for editing in the way that DV is. DV is an intraframe codec, which means that each frame of video is compressed using redundancies within the frame itself, and thus can be reconstructed and interpreted by your computer’s processor without having to refer to other frames in the video stream to gather the necessary image information. HDV, being MPEG-2-based, and AVCHD, being H.264-based, use both intraframe and interframe compression, which means most of the frames in your video stream need to be referred to other frames to gather all the image information that constitutes the frame. Because all this cross-referencing is so processor- and memory-intensive, it can really slow down your editing. http://tc.eserver.org/34137.html http://tc.eserver.org/34137.html When people talk about video formats, they're referring to something called a container format. The container format is a detailed description of what's inside a video file. It describes the structure of the file, as well as the kind of data that the file contains. http://tc.eserver.org/34072.html http://tc.eserver.org/34072.html Our JW Player Controls is an attempt to get around the limitations for access that Flash presents, to provide a richer user interface to the JW FLV Player, and to enhance the contrast and readability of captions by providing an alternate viewing area for caption content. http://tc.eserver.org/34040.html http://tc.eserver.org/34040.html An explanation of the logic behind the new FrameMaker interface and a tour of how it works. http://tc.eserver.org/34012.html http://tc.eserver.org/34012.html An introduction to Usability: What's The Use? by Shaun Fensom from Manchester Digital, followed by a short primer to usability by Paul Rouke, User Experience Director at PRWD. http://tc.eserver.org/34013.html http://tc.eserver.org/34013.html Talks about the importance of usability for internal business systems, specifically around staff productivity and process efficiency. The presentation touches on common barriers to staff productivity, some of the main reasons for these barriers, plus a short video of a manufacturing company who are embracing user-centered design as a way of combating the traditional software development issues on a companies productivity. The presentation also asks business owners a few key questions, such as do you listen to your staff, do you staff waste valuable company time doing repetitive tasks, and do you know what is the on-going cost to your business if you use un-usable software systems. http://tc.eserver.org/34014.html http://tc.eserver.org/34014.html Talks about the importance of usability for businesses communicating with both new and potential customers. Featuring a case study of how a company improved their revenue-per-employee by 95% over a 2 year period, along with some attendee participation, this 17 minute presentation touches on a wide variety of websites and activities, such as lead generation sites, information portals and search engine marketing campaigns. Most significantly conversion rates for e-commerce websites are discussed, where usability can have a remarkable affect on a companies bottom line, if the right decisions are made in making improvements. http://tc.eserver.org/33931.html http://tc.eserver.org/33931.html We've produced a handful of bloggingheads video posts the past few months, sometimes resulting in polite golf claps. Afterward, a common question has been: how do you do them? Here's a 9-step tutorial. On a Mac, the technology is pretty simple. If you're on a PC, sorry, we can't help. http://tc.eserver.org/33866.html http://tc.eserver.org/33866.html In this first-ever video podcast, I start the conversion process of an Adobe Photoshop mockup of a website, into a real live CSS based website. http://tc.eserver.org/33705.html http://tc.eserver.org/33705.html This webcast is for those publishers who have made the decision to pursue digital channels for their content. What tools are out there? What do all those acronyms mean? How can publishers implement new strategies without disrupting current workflows? Here we explore the alphabet soup of digital publishing, sort out the tools that are most useful, and help publishers find some solid ground. http://tc.eserver.org/33534.html http://tc.eserver.org/33534.html In this installment of Cut Lines, we’ll look at cropping and rotating several images at once and how nesting your composition can make it easier to manipulate your images together. http://tc.eserver.org/33535.html http://tc.eserver.org/33535.html We’ll begin this series by discussing one of the most important features in any pro nonlinear editor: color correction. The first thing you need to do before beginning any type of color correction work is to determine what "correct" color looks like. Rarely does your computer screen display colors correctly. http://tc.eserver.org/33538.html http://tc.eserver.org/33538.html When I teach Time Remapping in the Apple classes I lead, we all work on the same clip. But I often find that giving this overview of the tools right off the bat helps my students grasp how to control Variable-Speed Remapping faster and easier. http://tc.eserver.org/33539.html http://tc.eserver.org/33539.html This installment of Cut Lines is Part 1 of a two-part tutorial about Time Remapping in Final Cut Pro (FCP). We’ll take a quick look at Constant Speed Remapping and the mechanics that go into FCP creating it so that you more fully understand why your results look the way they do. My hope is that this understanding will enable you to visualize what the effect will look like before you even apply it, making your workflow faster and your creativity more enhanced. http://tc.eserver.org/33541.html http://tc.eserver.org/33541.html When I was asked to write about the process in which I show demos of my company’s work, I initially thought of what I used several years ago to show clients my samples—a time when DVDs didn't even exist and my home office setup was not such that I could do demos effectively there. Those were days when I had to travel to a meeting with a VCR deck, a tube-style TV, a bunch of cables, a cart to carry everything on, and, of course, VHS tapes, all properly rewound to the correct starting points. http://tc.eserver.org/33542.html http://tc.eserver.org/33542.html In this article, I’ll discuss four design-related areas: how to create a simple set for in-house use; how to choose the best background for location shoots like case studies and testimonials; current trends in set design for internet-only media sites; how to dress your subjects for optimum compression. The importance of many of the set design principles discussed in this chapter relate to your distribution data rate. If the bitrate of the video you’re delivering is very high, say in the 400Kbps range for 320x240 video or 650Kbps or higher for 640x480, you have a lot more flexibility, since the compressed quality of your video will remain quite high. Once you sink below these rates, quality degrades. Choosing a poor background or set will only make the problem worse. http://tc.eserver.org/33543.html http://tc.eserver.org/33543.html Website videos are a natural for event videographers. We use them to demonstrate our work to prospective clients, and they have proven to be a vital marketing medium to showcase our range of products. We might even post short video testimonials from happy clients or put our own talking heads on our sites. http://tc.eserver.org/33544.html http://tc.eserver.org/33544.html Words go so well with video. They can give an emotional punch to a scene or simply announce what is going to happen next. I love using romantic quotes, Bible passages, and other forms of text in my work. The best part is that you can be just as creative with how those words are presented as you are in picking out the text in the first place. http://tc.eserver.org/33546.html http://tc.eserver.org/33546.html Not every tale of striking out on your own and following your bliss ends happily. In our industry, plenty of event videographers who’ve enthusiastically "taken the plunge" and quit the 9-to-5 grind to become video entrepreneurs have found themselves back in the work force within a few years, after their businesses failed. Sometimes the problem is ability, other times it’s lack of business sense or strategy; just as often, especially in trying economic times, it’s simply that a given market won’t bear another videographer who is unable to distinguish him- or herself from the existing competition. http://tc.eserver.org/33547.html http://tc.eserver.org/33547.html When working with HDV footage in post, your computer is constantly trying to compile editable frames from frames that include only a portion of their own frame information, and thus needs to work a lot harder to process HDV natively than DV. Which raises the question: How powerful a system do you need to make HDV postproduction as smooth as DV editing is today? http://tc.eserver.org/33510.html http://tc.eserver.org/33510.html What roles does writing play in larger communications also involving physically discrete but related texts of other media? How may the properties of what we normally consider writing be modified in such communications? The intermedial context of much workplace writing has been largely overlooked. This study of an insurance company's communication department describes how (a) three written products served as parts of larger messages in multiple media campaigns, (b) an attempt to combine composing processes for print and video failed, and (c) conflicting generic and stylistic properties of other media caused an intermedial graft to fail. The author's study shows that in the right circumstances, a multiple media "overtext" can override some of the rules that govern what and how one communicates in an individual medium. When a written text is involved, its nature may change as it forms symbiotic relationships with texts of other media. http://tc.eserver.org/33289.html http://tc.eserver.org/33289.html A voice over is a voice narration from a performer whom you can’t see, who reads a script in an engaging way according to the context of the script. For example, many commercials employ voice overs from professionals. The difference between voice-over performers and announcers, Scott says, is that voice-over performers get outside of themselves, whereas announcers merely read a script. http://tc.eserver.org/32712.html http://tc.eserver.org/32712.html While almost completely invisible for years, Apple’s progress in media has resulted in overturning Microsoft’s domination of the entertainment industry, established a resistance to unchecked DRM, and has extinguished Microsoft’s efforts to establish new proprietary technologies as de facto industry standards. http://tc.eserver.org/32713.html http://tc.eserver.org/32713.html Apple's work to aggressively build upon QuickTime and compete in the market against Microsoft--rather than just handing its technology over and “partnering” with the company--launched Apple ahead and established major new markets for the Mac platform. Final Cut Pro initially established the Mac as an essential tool among editors. http://tc.eserver.org/32649.html http://tc.eserver.org/32649.html They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this day and age of digital media, video on your web site can be priceless. Whether you have a corporate, social networking, or video streaming site, video instantly captures your visitor’s attention and describes your product and services quickly and effectively. Due to its large install base, Flash video is now the de-facto standard in internet video delivery. With recent updates to Flash 9, Flash Player adds the capability of playing H264 encoded video in full screen mode, making the delivery of Flash videos on the internet not only practical, but efficient as well. In this article, I will examine a few different techniques for delivering Flash videos over the internet and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. http://tc.eserver.org/32619.html http://tc.eserver.org/32619.html Nowadays, broadband connections are widespread amongst the internet. Finally, video can be effectively added to website. But which player and video codec to go for? And how to get your video out there? This article features some tips and tricks for compressing and delivering video to the web. http://tc.eserver.org/32620.html http://tc.eserver.org/32620.html Nobody really expected the stranglehold that Apple, Microsoft and Real had on the web streaming market in 2003 to be broken. Yet by Spring 2005, just 18 months after that presentation, that is exactly what had happened. Those three web video delivery technologies practically vanished, replaced almost entirely by Flash Video. This is not to say QuickTime and Windows Media are dead technologies. They aren’t by a long shot, but when it comes to putting video on the web, the Flash Player has rapidly become the only game in town. http://tc.eserver.org/32621.html http://tc.eserver.org/32621.html After the sad demise of Stage6.com I was looking for the best format for publishing high definition videos (specifically 960x540) using free tools or those I already own such as Sony Vegas Pro or On2 Flix Pro.I tried a few options and below are 5 contenders for comparison. http://tc.eserver.org/32622.html http://tc.eserver.org/32622.html Do you want to present your media in Real, QuickTime, or Windows Media format? Each format has its own strengths and weaknesses. We use QuickTime at the J-School because of its high quality, wide compatibility, and low cost (free). Because all Macs support QuickTime creation and playback natively, and because iMovie and Final Cut Pro generate QuickTime by default, QuickTime is an especially convenient choice if most of your media is generated on Macintosh computers, as it is in many media production environments. The choice of format you use for a given project will probably be determined by the publication you're working for. Be sure to find out in what format media is expected before you enter the final phases of production. http://tc.eserver.org/32537.html http://tc.eserver.org/32537.html CamStudio is a free and open-source software package for Microsoft Windows that is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs). http://tc.eserver.org/32487.html http://tc.eserver.org/32487.html Talks about the history of screen reading software and how they analyse what is displayed on the screen in order to speak it to the user. http://tc.eserver.org/32461.html http://tc.eserver.org/32461.html A collection of videos that show how people with various disabilities use assistive technology with their computers, which may help developers understand the diverse accessibility needs that should be met by their projects. http://tc.eserver.org/32370.html http://tc.eserver.org/32370.html Lecture capture has been gaining momentum in recent years, but that momentum is being outpaced by student demand. According to new research released this week by the University of Wisconsin-Madison involving about 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students, an overwhelming 82 percent of students said they would prefer courses that offer online lectures over traditional classes that do not include an online lecture component. The researchers also pointed out the implications for these findings extend well beyond the classroom. http://tc.eserver.org/32351.html http://tc.eserver.org/32351.html Creating video tutorials is no trivial task. When you sit down to create 20+ video tutorials for a project, you’re faced with dozens of questions. What screen size should the videos be, what recording tool should you use, what microphone is best, how long should the videos be, what file size is acceptable? Should you use voice or captions? Where will you create the recording? You can create video tutorials using dozens of different methods. There are no official steps to create videos, because situations and audiences vary so widely. http://tc.eserver.org/32262.html http://tc.eserver.org/32262.html In a continuation of a previous introductory article about screencasting, Archee continues the discussion by delving deeper into the history, benefits, usefulness, and future of this powerful technical communication tool. http://tc.eserver.org/32138.html http://tc.eserver.org/32138.html A guide to using online video on your site to offer more enticing content and provide a more compelling user experience. http://tc.eserver.org/32045.html http://tc.eserver.org/32045.html I have spent the last two weeks switching between Captivate and Camtasia Studio. Talk about schizophrenic. I spent a lot of time trying to remember which command I had to use in which program, but overall it’s been an interesting experience. http://tc.eserver.org/31963.html http://tc.eserver.org/31963.html Advancing technology allows us to use the new technologies of podcasts (audio recordings delivered as .mp3 files) and vidcasts, or more properly, broadcast video to convey technical information. Effective audience analysis will determine whether multimedia is right for our users. We use the same correct rhetorical principles to communicate information aurally and visually as we do when creating text. http://tc.eserver.org/31943.html http://tc.eserver.org/31943.html A YouTube video of a terrible (!) presenter discussing the technical intricacies of a product, using the worst possible language. http://tc.eserver.org/31473.html http://tc.eserver.org/31473.html New conferencing and collaboration solutions are being announced at the pace of one or more tools per week. New versions and upgrades are promoted even more frequently, and in this avalanche of "this is the best, don't look anywhere else" claims, it is hard to distinguish the good from the average. How should you select your web conferencing tool? Which companies are more reliable and how do you find out? How can you be sure you will not be disappointed? These are tough questions to answer, as there are a million vendors out there and an army of supposed experts all claiming to have the best solution while offering different ones. http://tc.eserver.org/31474.html http://tc.eserver.org/31474.html Despite the Internet's emergence as a mainstream business tool, web conferencing can still be a daunting experience for first-timers and even seasoned presenters. For today's business professionals, it's not the technology that makes them apprehensive, but the knowledge that familiar ways of presenting are inadequate to execute an effective web conference. Provide someone with useful information and a little preparation, however, and that person can host an effective, efficient web conference. http://tc.eserver.org/31206.html http://tc.eserver.org/31206.html The InDesigner video podcast showcases the power of InDesign to automate repetitive tasks, improve productivity and build unprecedented flexibility into the design process. The InDesigner is dedicated to empowering designers to understand and embrace concepts and features that will transform how they work and allow them to both meet their deadlines and satisfy their creative passion. http://tc.eserver.org/31138.html http://tc.eserver.org/31138.html Once you have successfully captured your video clips, you will want to edit and arrange them to create you movie. It is very rare to flawlessly capture exactly what you need, with the exact in and out points that you want. You will need to trim unwanted frames and footage from your clips. http://tc.eserver.org/31139.html http://tc.eserver.org/31139.html You have this great project that you've just finished, and you need to bring it into another program, display it on your web site, or turn it in on CD or DVD. To do this, you will need to export your movie. iMovie has several 'built-in' configurations that take much of the guesswork out of compressing your video for optimal playback on one of those media types. I often find, however, that the standard choices are not quite what I want or need. This is when the Expert options come into play. http://tc.eserver.org/31137.html http://tc.eserver.org/31137.html This is one in a series which will take you through the act of capturing, editing, and exporting a video using Apple iMovie. http://tc.eserver.org/31131.html http://tc.eserver.org/31131.html What does the internet mean for Traditional Publishing? It means death. Not one to pull punches, Mike Scantlebury expounds his theory in a humorous and direct way. http://tc.eserver.org/31082.html http://tc.eserver.org/31082.html Screencasting has numerous advantages for software training: the added realism of the screen versus paper-based or static online screens, ease of use, and low cost. Archee reviews two popular programs. http://tc.eserver.org/31053.html http://tc.eserver.org/31053.html Current developments in high-definition technological systems for home viewing link definitively with early Home Cinema, as practised from the late 1890s, as an alternative to public spectatorship. The traditions of Home Cinema, in encompassing degrees of informality, interaction and control within domestic exhibition, served to lay foundations for a televisual experience which, today, having come full-circle, is defining itself once more as `Home Cinema'. http://tc.eserver.org/31051.html http://tc.eserver.org/31051.html This article highlights the role that aesthetics play in television's current convergence with mobile telephones and portable media players like the iPod. I contend that contemporary television style does not just constitute a response to the demands of technological convergence -- it is rather an integral component of that which allows television to merge with new devices in the first place. When we engage with style as a precursor to these developments, important continuities emerge between the aesthetics of the small screen and those of the new smaller screens. These continuities underscore that convergence is at once a technical and aesthetic process that entails the hybridization of hardware and cultural forms. http://tc.eserver.org/31029.html http://tc.eserver.org/31029.html Here is a breakdown of how we might handle the typical 'low budget' television demo or competition, such as a local cooking show, sporting event, or how-to-do-it. http://tc.eserver.org/31026.html http://tc.eserver.org/31026.html Digital video production in composition courses is both new and exciting. However, this newness comes with challenges and obstacles as well as more questions than answers. What exactly is so fun, attractive, liberating, and transgressive about digital video work? Is it the time invested in editing minutes or hours of footage into seconds of film clips? Is it the sheer thrill of having the power to overlay images, words, and sounds to produce an effect impossible in the real world and highly effective in the multimodal, rhetorical one? Is it that the composition teacher is finally asking for a product where grammar (understood as punctuation and sentence structure) is mostly invisible? Is it the crisis moments when the software, the hard drive, and/or the accompanying hardware crashes and we are still left with a classroom full of students to teach? Or, is it the mesmerizing effect of the screen that promises sustained attention to a composition assignment? The answer, we think, in all cases is 'yes'--yet sometimes that yes is a hesitant one. http://tc.eserver.org/30603.html http://tc.eserver.org/30603.html Use of online video has grown faster than the use of accessibility in online video. Though bandwidth costs for video files can still be high compared to ordinary text-and-graphics Web pages, it is nonetheless easy to digitize video and post it online. It's easier to broadcast your video to the world via the Internet than it is to get the same video on television. Online multimedia are a useful and valid new medium of communication - for most people. http://tc.eserver.org/30588.html http://tc.eserver.org/30588.html A video camera is an excellent tool for preparing technical illustrations and procedures. A video tape of a procedure provides chronological information. It provides visual images that can be used as the basis for technical illustrations. Visual images and details are recorded permenantly so that they are not forgotten. The research information can be passed on to another author. A case study illustrates how a video tape can be used to document a procedure and produce electronic illustrations. http://tc.eserver.org/30404.html http://tc.eserver.org/30404.html You can use the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Video Workshop to start learning about any application you're interested in, whether you own it or not. The Video Workshop shares expertise from across Adobe and the Adobe community--you'll learn tasks, tips, and tricks from leading designers, developers, and Adobe experts. There are introductory videos for new users, and more experienced users can find videos on new features and key techniques. http://tc.eserver.org/30243.html http://tc.eserver.org/30243.html Interactive media for distance training require special presentational strategies. Compressed video, an interactive medium using fiber optics, has unique characteristics which users must know. The video creates a lack of direct eye contact and a sense of separation. The compression creates flattened images and extremes of colors. Effective presenters in this medium must plan concise, horizontal graphics. They must schedule short, varied activities with limited use of uninterrupted lecture. And they must plan frequent interactive activities--such as questions, group work, and demonstrations--for an effective session. http://tc.eserver.org/30118.html http://tc.eserver.org/30118.html Information clarity, ease of use, and modern computing speeds are reasons to consider animation in Help files. Sharp's article presents three common types of animation and how to make them work for you. http://tc.eserver.org/30088.html http://tc.eserver.org/30088.html Digital video (DV) is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce and has an expanding role in technical communication. It is a powerful media for communication and can be included in favorite online formats such as WinHelp, HTML help, Acrobat (PDF), and web pages, as well as training presentations produced with tools such as Asymmetrix Toolbook and Macromedia Authorware. Delivery of DV spans a range of electronic media including CD, DVD, and the Internet. New technology offers the potential to synchronize the presentation of video, audio, and other multimedia forms. This paper introduces DV concepts. It gives practical tips for investing in DV equipment and producing video and audio. http://tc.eserver.org/30049.html http://tc.eserver.org/30049.html Animated characters have been a popular research theme, but the respective desktop applications have not been well-received by end-users. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of an animated character for presenting information and navigating music videos within an interactive television (ITV) application. Information was displayed over music video clips with two alternative user interfaces: 1) semi-transparent information overlays, 2) an animated character. For this purpose, the differences between ITV and desktop computing motivated the adaptation of the traditional usability evaluation techniques. The evaluation revealed that users reported higher affective quality with the animated character user interface. Although the success of animated characters in desktop productivity applications has been limited, there is growing evidence that animated characters might be viable in a domestic environment for leisure activities, such as interactive TV. http://tc.eserver.org/30003.html http://tc.eserver.org/30003.html The need for TCs with traditional writing skills will remain fairly stable, but the need for TCs in total will grow. The new technical communicators will come from the world of game design, where they know all about 3D-vector animation, and they will come from the world of TV and video production. http://tc.eserver.org/29776.html http://tc.eserver.org/29776.html This paper discusses tips and techniques that you may want to use in your multimedia tasks. Initially, it discusses the technical aspects of the skill and then discusses key areas of the process. Last, it concludes with a brief discussion of resources. http://tc.eserver.org/29679.html http://tc.eserver.org/29679.html This article helps technical communicators become better informed producers of interactive, cinema-like new media objects (help systems, public information and ordering kiosks, promotional technical presentations on the web, and so on) by providing a summary of how cinema works, and then by proposing a few ways that some basic cinema editing and display techniques can be integrated into on-screen technical communications practice. The author makes the claim that if we are to begin thinking and working like film makers, the fundamental poetics and information designs we use in our new media design and development work must also change. http://tc.eserver.org/29547.html http://tc.eserver.org/29547.html Video conferencing is the technique of meeting in a group over a network employing video and audio transmission technology and equipment. Armed with information about video conferencing businessmen, technologists, scientists and government heads started to explore ways to bring the world closer together and enable meetings of many people located in different parts of the globe. Video conferencing is the process of being able to see and interact with a group of people located at any point of the world at the same time. http://tc.eserver.org/29545.html http://tc.eserver.org/29545.html Video is a Latin word that means 'I see'. This technology includes, capturing, transmitting and replaying visual media. Video is actually the technique of turning a series of still images into moving images and the technology to do this varies through time. Video has come a long way from the black and white images that used to move much like a fast slide show just a couple of decades ago. Live video was made possible with the invention of the 'Vidicon', which was the heart of the video camera. This was first used in television cameras in the large television studios. Today, video cameras come in various shapes and sizes to match the work they are required to do. Small video cameras that fit into the palm of your hand are the most common and inexpensive cameras that produce very high quality images that can be stored on discs or video tape. http://tc.eserver.org/29094.html http://tc.eserver.org/29094.html While debates continue over the effectiveness of innovative communication technologies to bring information and services to populations that have been underserved by such new technologies, a federally-funded program at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care (FAHC), Burlington, Vermont, has enabled trauma specialists to link with rural emergency room health care providers through a synchronous videoconferencing (telemedicine) network. Analysis of patient histories and surveys completed by the participating physicians after each use of the computer conferencing system as well as interviews and observations indicate that the FAHC consulting trauma specialists and the remotely located physicians felt the linkups do not interfere with standard ER procedures, that communication was at least adequate for all consultations, and that the consults improved the quality of care, for over half of the cases. Furthermore, interviews with rural ER physicians indicated that they saw the program operating as the first stage of FAHC's management of a patient to be transferred to that facility. http://tc.eserver.org/28787.html http://tc.eserver.org/28787.html Bryant talks about videoblogging as a tool for promoting yourself or for communicating with others. She explains the equipment she uses and the process for producing videoblogs. Her book, Videoblogging for Dummies, is available from her website: www.mortaine.com. Bryant also discusses interesting ways lawyers can use videoblogging to educate their clients. http://tc.eserver.org/28051.html http://tc.eserver.org/28051.html Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing. http://tc.eserver.org/27645.html http://tc.eserver.org/27645.html The availability of powerful yet easy-to-use multimedia tools enables technical writers to consider a powerful new form of embedded user assistance: show-me help. This paper provides an overview of who is currently using show-me help--some current research, some history, and some definitions. It offers some guidance in choosing tools, designing show-me help, and deciding when to include then, concentrating on consideration of your users, potential topics, subsequent releases, and translation. It also suggests how show-me helps can be reused as part of product education and single-sourced into user assistance from the Web. http://tc.eserver.org/27460.html http://tc.eserver.org/27460.html Today's information seeker wants instant enlightenment--at the push of a button. And, thanks to TV-conditioning, s/he wants it packaged with action, sound, and pizzazz—like an episode of 'Nova.' The national information superhighway will provide the delivery vehicle for information in video format. You and I will provide the material—if we know how to produce it. Our demonstration will include television programs produced by Dallas STC members and explain how you can learn videography at your local public access facility. http://tc.eserver.org/27424.html http://tc.eserver.org/27424.html A guide to using MiniDV digital camcorders to record student presentations, then to review them on a computer and copy them to DVD for later review. http://tc.eserver.org/27111.html http://tc.eserver.org/27111.html e-Video is divided into four major sections: Opportunity, Production, Compression, and Delivery. Although these can (and must) get a bit technical to be useful, I found Alesso's style understandable. http://tc.eserver.org/26991.html http://tc.eserver.org/26991.html Information about how to use the Canon Elura 50 camcorders for technical communication multimedia. http://tc.eserver.org/26993.html http://tc.eserver.org/26993.html Introduces producing video special effects, using ChromaKey technologies and Apple's Final Cut Pro. http://tc.eserver.org/26994.html http://tc.eserver.org/26994.html An introduction to using Final Cut Professional 4.0 for multimedia video production. http://tc.eserver.org/26980.html http://tc.eserver.org/26980.html Introduces developing multimedia using the 'prosumer' Canon GL2 digital camcorder. http://tc.eserver.org/26979.html http://tc.eserver.org/26979.html Introduces how to use iMovie 5's 'Magic iMovie' feature to capture video from camcorder and record to DVD. http://tc.eserver.org/26976.html http://tc.eserver.org/26976.html Introduces the high-definition Sony HDV-HC1 digital camcorder for technical/professional communication practice. http://tc.eserver.org/26646.html http://tc.eserver.org/26646.html Although Google has been grabbing headlines with the announcement of its forthcoming Google Video Store, many other services let you search for and view many types of video online. http://tc.eserver.org/26625.html http://tc.eserver.org/26625.html Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing. http://tc.eserver.org/26205.html http://tc.eserver.org/26205.html This presentation focuses on creating video demonstrations of software for online tutorials, using AVI files, and Inserting these files into Windows Help or HTML. http://tc.eserver.org/26009.html http://tc.eserver.org/26009.html Because of the size of the pictures not being close to a T.V. 4:3 aspect ratio the pictures have black side bars when viewing them. I was wondering if anyone knows a way to resize the background wider to match the 4:3 ratio? http://tc.eserver.org/25962.html http://tc.eserver.org/25962.html Want to integrate video in your Flash movie? You have two choices. You can embed the video in your Flash document, or keep progressively download it into a SWF file using from a FLV (Flash Video) file. In this tutorial you’ll learn to use the Media Playback Component to display a FLV file in a Flash movie. http://tc.eserver.org/25910.html http://tc.eserver.org/25910.html TV and video are full of text screens used to fill space where there's no footage. It's something we're all stuck with, and we have an obligation to keep them well designed. http://tc.eserver.org/25911.html http://tc.eserver.org/25911.html The effect where titles spread out and then blur away to nothing has become a popular way to make 'plain old text' look more interesting. It's really not that complex: What we do is 'expand' the text by animating the tracking (the space between the letters). http://tc.eserver.org/25908.html http://tc.eserver.org/25908.html CGM DVE Vol. 3+ contains a tool which changes interlaced video into progressive video, making your footage look more like 35mm film. http://tc.eserver.org/25912.html http://tc.eserver.org/25912.html Creating an interesting title sequence can involve many different techniques. But here's one simple trick that can be used for almost any type of project--Offset. Used in conjunction with the Displacement Map fi lter, it can also add much reality to a shot. http://tc.eserver.org/25909.html http://tc.eserver.org/25909.html You'll probably recognize this color effect used by a certain department store that plays on the colors in its logo. The effect essentially reduces the image to three colors--a white background, red image content, and a darker red for some depth; but you can choose any color combination or mix any number of colors for a solarized or false color effect. http://tc.eserver.org/25914.html http://tc.eserver.org/25914.html The Wiggler is great when you need random keyframes applied to a layer's property. Scale, opacity, movement, even a plug-in's values can be 'wigglered.'This feature will save you from having to create dozens if not hundreds of keyframes if you're trying, for instance, to make a layer move randomly or flicker. http://tc.eserver.org/25913.html http://tc.eserver.org/25913.html Creating visual depth in a project can really catapult an animation from boring to captivating. After Effects does 3D very well, but there's more to it than simply moving layers or objects around in 3D space. http://tc.eserver.org/25816.html http://tc.eserver.org/25816.html The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the great power of film translation. This aim is accomplished by presenting the major modes of film translation, their world distribution and history, which are then followed by an analysis of dubbing and subtitling from the perspective of domestication and foreignisation. http://tc.eserver.org/25746.html http://tc.eserver.org/25746.html Despite the proliferation of books and articles dealing with usability testing as a sub-field of technical communication, there remains one artifact that is underdefined: the usability highlights video. Several sources suggest that usability testers should deliver a video to their clients, but there is no common description of the contents of this video or the rhetorical purpose it fulfills. In this article, we examine the use of the highlights video as described in the literature, but we go further to discover some ways practicing usability professionals understand the role of the highlights video. Through the use of generic conventions, rhetorical theory, and industrial practices, we attempt to draw conclusions that point to some common uses of the highlights video that can instruct both teachers in the usability classroom and practicing usability experts as they create videos for client projects. http://tc.eserver.org/25667.html http://tc.eserver.org/25667.html As the amount of video data in digital libraries increases, support for fast and easy access to this information has become necessary. Our approach is to empower users with direct control of video surrogates and provide interaction flexibility. A video browsing interface prototype using a slide show-style presentation of video key frames was built and tested for user performance and subjective satisfaction. The interface allows display rates to be adjusted interactively. Subjects in this preliminary study performed two browsing-related tasks, object identification and gist determination, at display rates of 1, 4, 8, 12, and 16 key frames per second (kfps). A possible functional limit in accuracy for object identification (OI) was detected between 8 to 12 kfps. Performance for gist determination (GD) tended to degrad with increased display rates. However, no significant performance differences were detected. Furthermore, it was observed that lower rates were required for object identification than for gist determination. Suggestions for designing fast video browsing interfaces are provided. http://tc.eserver.org/25230.html http://tc.eserver.org/25230.html Freelance writers, bloggers and independent journalists yearning to use video on the Internet, grab your PDAs. Use these tips to help you begin shooting and editing your own Web video stories. http://tc.eserver.org/24880.html http://tc.eserver.org/24880.html Considers the current state of webcam technology. http://tc.eserver.org/24609.html http://tc.eserver.org/24609.html Interactive compressed video (ICV), also called videoconferencing, is increasingly popular for distance education. While ICV shares many features with satellite technology, its two-way audio and video make it more interactive and versatile, at a lower cost. The interactivity can help meet the instructor’s concern about appropriate methods for teaching writing. The lower costs, and the versatiliy to send as well as receive courses, can help meet the administrator’s concerns about maximizing the return on investment. http://tc.eserver.org/24226.html http://tc.eserver.org/24226.html Distance education comes in all shapes and sizes. Videotaping led to satellite and videoconferencing. Today, web-based videostreaming is gaining popularity in many areas. Back in 1995, a team from Rensselaer and IBM met to discuss opportunities to deliver leading edge user interface design education via distance delivery methods. Join our panel discussion to hear how this program has progressed, and how Rensselaer’s Professional and Distance Education Program continues to work directly with its customers to deliver leading edge distance education.