what are multimedia tools??

Question

I can't seem to find enough information on multimedia tools, their uses and purpose, strengths and weaknesses, and a website that utilizes this tool. thanks, hons...

Answer 1

Ok, first you have to determine what "multimedia" is.

Multimedia is media that uses multiple forms of information content and information processing (e.g. text, audio, graphics, animation, video, interactivity) to inform or entertain the (user) audience. Multimedia also refers to the use of (but not limited to) electronic media to store and experience multimedia content. In fine art it is a synonym for traditional mixed media as well as technological new media (ArtLex, NWD). Rich media is also a synonym for multimedia.(1)

To translate that into something easier to digest: Multimedia is a form of communication that combines several individual mediums. A webpage with text and animation is multimedia (most Flash pages fall in this category.) Television is multimedia because it affects audio and visual.

So really, multimedia tools are used to develop and edit existing multimedia sources. DVD authoring tools, Macromedia Flash, and game designing programs are all multimedia tools. Their purpose is pretty much the same as their use, and that's to facilitate multimedia production through an easy to use interface.

You'll have to pick a specific multimedia toolset to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the programs. I'd recommend going to http://www.adobe.com and http://www.macromedia.com and check out their websites. They have lots of authoring tools available. Potential points to analyze their strengths and weaknesses on include:

Cost
Initial Learning Curve
Ease of Use
System Requirements
How Hard the Final Product is to Access

Hope this helps!