Page 74 - DCAP303_MULTIMEDIA_SYSTEMS

Multimedia Systems

notes When you prepare a graphic or a document that you will distribute to others, how much thought do
you give to the file format? Do you know which file format is best for a particular application?

Just a few years ago, you probably created and printed a project using only one application.
Now, it is common to create an illustration in one program, add to it in another, and then print
it in a third. Therefore, in order to freely exchange information between applications, you must
know which file formats work in each application. This is especially true when you are working
with graphic files.
Two or three years ago, a Mac user would never have heard of a PCX or BMP file, and a PC user
would not know a MacPaint file from a PICT file. But now that more applications are becoming
cross-platform. Desktop publishers need to familiarize themselves with graphic file formats that
were previously platform-specific.

Keeping current on all the graphic file formats available for one platform is difficult enough-for
two or more platforms, it is close to impossible. But technology marches on, and in that spirit we
are presenting some of the most commonly used graphic file formats on the Mac and Windows
platforms. In this, we will first review the basics behind image file format, and then we will outline
each of the most popular image file types.
XnView is a cross-platform image viewer used for viewing, converting, organising and editing
graphical and video files. It is free of charge for private, educational and non-profit organisations.
For commercial use and distribution, the user must register the program.

XnView is highly customizable and multi-lingual, supporting 44 languages in the Windows
version. The language can be changed via the options menu. The toolbar buttons can be modified
to a certain extent, or be replaced by altering skins.
Also, XnView has been able to support an increasing number of file formats (mainly image file
formats). It can read more than 400 image file formats, some audio and video file formats, and
write 50 image file formats. XnView also supports ICC profiles in JPEG, PNG and TIFF files.

XnView can show IPTC, Exif and XMP metadata, and write IPTC metadata (but cannot do batch
writing of IPTC metadata, and some users are longing for the batch IPTC editing function). A
further limitation is that it currently does not allow sorting thumbnails within a folder by a user-
defined order.

picture Library for Multimedia

picture Library for Multimedia

An online product enjoys great success due to its excellent content, ease of use, and established
market presence. A large global publisher wishes to enhance the presentation of its articles
by adding a large number of high quality photographs and illustrations.
Traditionally, publishers would have contracts with many photo agencies that would present
what they had available in the various categories, then editors would select the most promising
candidates. Photos would go through a process of review until the winners were selected.

This process was time consuming and expensive. Along with the per photo charges, there are
costs to the organization of personnel, researchers, editorial, etc.
The client engaged Value Chain International (VCIL) to source and manages a sizeable number
of photos and illustrations in a short timeframe. VCIL was selected due to its knowledge of
Contd...

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