Multimedia is content that uses a combination of different content forms such as text,

audio, images, animations, video and interactive content. Multimedia contrasts with media
that use only rudimentary computer displays such as text-only or traditional forms of printed
or hand-produced material.
Multimedia can be recorded and played, displayed, interacted with or accessed
by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices,
but can also be part of a live performance. Multimedia devices are electronic media devices
used to store and experience multimedia content. Multimedia is distinguished from mixed
media in fine art; by including audio, for example, it has a broader scope. The term "rich
media" is synonymous for interactive multimedia. Hypermedia scales up the amount of
media content in multimedia application.
Multimedia presentations may be viewed by person on stage, projected, transmitted, or
played locally with a media player. A broadcast may be a live or recorded multimedia
presentation. Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital electronic media
technology. Digital online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed. Streaming
multimedia may be live or on-demand.
Multimedia games and simulations may be used in a physical environment with special
effects, with multiple users in an online network, or locally with an offline computer, game
system, or simulator.
The various formats of technological or digital multimedia may be intended to enhance the
users' experience, for example to make it easier and faster to convey information. Or in
entertainment or art, to transcend everyday experience.

A lasershow is a live multimedia performance.

Enhanced levels of interactivity are made possible by combining multiple forms of media
content. Online multimedia is increasingly becoming object-oriented and data-driven,
enabling applications with collaborative end-user innovation and personalization on multiple
forms of content over time. Examples of these range from multiple forms of content on Web
sites like photo galleries with both images (pictures) and title (text) user-updated, to
simulations whose co-efficients, events, illustrations, animations or videos are modifiable,
allowing the multimedia "experience" to be altered without reprogramming. In addition to
seeing and hearing, haptic technology enables virtual objects to be felt. Emerging
technology involving illusions of taste and smell may also enhance the multimedia
experience.

Describe the fundamental steps

of digital image processing with
a neat block diagram
Fundamental Steps of Digital Image Processing :
There are some fundamental steps but as they are fundamental, all these
steps may have sub-steps. The fundamental steps are described below with a
neat diagram.

1. Image Acquisition :
This is the first step or process of the fundamental steps of digital
image processing. Image acquisition could be as simple as being given
an image that is already in digital form. Generally, the image acquisition
stage involves preprocessing, such as scaling etc.

2. Image Enhancement : Image enhancement is among the simplest and

most appealing areas of digital image processing. Basically, the idea
behind enhancement techniques is to bring out detail that is obscured,
or simply to highlight certain features of interest in an image. Such as,
changing brightness & contrast etc.
3. Image Restoration : Image restoration is an area that also deals with
improving the appearance of an image. However, unlike enhancement,
which is subjective, image restoration is objective, in the sense that
restoration techniques tend to be based on mathematical or probabilistic
models of image degradation.
4. Color Image Processing : Color image processing is an area that has
been gaining its importance because of the significant increase in the
use of digital images over the Internet. This may include color modeling
and processing in a digital domain etc.
5. Wavelets and Multiresolution Processing : Wavelets are the
foundation for representing images in various degrees of resolution.
Images subdivision successively into smaller regions for data
compression and for pyramidal representation.
6. Morphological Processing :
Morphological processing deals with tools for extracting image
components that are useful in the representation and description of
shape.
7. Segmentation : Segmentation procedures partition an image into its
constituent parts or objects. In general, autonomous segmentation is
one of the most difficult tasks in digital image processing. A rugged
segmentation procedure brings the process a long way toward
successful solution of imaging problems that require objects to be
identified individually.
8. Representation and Description : Representation and
description almost always follow the output of a segmentation stage,
which usually is raw pixel data, constituting either the boundary of a
region or all the points in the region itself. Choosing a representation is
only part of the solution for transforming raw data into a form suitable for
subsequent computer processing. Description deals with extracting

attributes that result in some quantitative information of interest or are

basic for differentiating one class of objects from another.
9. Object recognition : Recognition is the process that assigns a label,
such as, vehicle to an object based on its descriptors.
10.
Knowledge Base : Knowledge may be as simple as detailing
regions of an image where the information of interest is known to be
located, thus limiting the search that has to be conducted in seeking that
information. The knowledge base also can be quite complex, such as an
interrelated list of all major possible defects in a materials inspection
problem or an image database containing high-resolution satellite
images of a region in connection with change-detection applications

7 Essential multimedia
tools and their free
alternatives
PHOTO EDITING: Photoshop
Free: Splashup
Photoshop may be the industry leader when it comes to photo editing and graphic design,
but Splashup, a free online tool, has many of the same capabilities at a much cheaper price.
Splashup has lots of the tools youd expect to find in Photoshop and has a similar layout,
which is a bonus for those looking to get started right away. Splashup isnt the only free
online photo editing program, check out this list of 20 more.

WEB DESIGN: Dreamweaver

Free: KompoZer
Looking to create your next web site without paying big money for programs like
Dreamweaver? KompoZer, a free web design program available for immediate download, is
great for both novice web designers and professional webheads who need more advanced
editing features.

VIDEO: Final Cut, Adobe Premiere

Free: iMovie, JayCut
Many video editors, both novice and professional, use iMovie to create professional-looking
videos and an amateur price. The program is included on modern Macs as part of the iLife
package and has the basic features editors need as well as few advanced extras such as
detachable audio and image stabilization. JayCut is an online video editor that lets
registered users upload and edit their video for free. You can even add photos, audio and
effects to your project. The final edited video can be shared on the web or downloaded
directly to a computer.

AUDIO: ProTools, Adobe Audition

Free: Audacity, GarageBand
Audacity is a comprehensive audio editor with many of the capabilities of its costly
competitors. The program, which is available for a free download lets users record and edit
everything from simple audio tracks to complex professional work. GarageBand, which is
included on modern Macs along with iMovie and iPhoto, takes a simple approach to audio
editing and has the added capability of creating enhanced podcasts with photos, chapter
markers and more. Find even more free audio editing programs here.

SLIDESHOWS: Soundslides
Free: PhotoPeach

Until recently there was no other slideshow tool that could compete upload Soundslides
flexibility and easy-to-use interfaceuntil now. PhotoPeach lets users upload and order
photos using a drag and drop interface, upload an MP3 audio file from a computer, add
captions for individual photos and embed the final slideshow anywhere on the net. All this is
familiar to anyone who has ever used Soundslides, but PhotoPeach offers all this and more
for free, making it a strong substitute for Soundslides.

INTERACTIVE MEDIA: Flash

Free: Effect Generator
Effect Generator, a free online tool, lets anyone create common Flash elements such as
slideshows, graphics, and embedded videos. Once youve created your effect the generator
emails a link where you can access the Flash file you created. The layout differs from Flash
and takes some getting used to but is a great alternative, especially for those just starting to
learn Flash.

WORD PROCESSING: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel,

PowerPoint)
Free: Google Docs
Many of the programs and tools on this list are substitutions for existing program. With
Google Docs, youll never want to touch Microsoft Office again. The free online tool lets
anyone with a Google account create documents, spreadsheets and presentations as well as
share the document for collaborative editing or viewing. Google Docs is accessible from any
computer with an internet connection or you can work offline or download your finished
work directly to your computer. You can even upload your existing documents into Google
Docs.

What is Multimedia. what are different stages for developing

any MultiMedia project.
What is multimedia?

Multimedia is the presentation of computer controlled,interactive and intractive information

using the combination of text, sound, pictures, animations and video. The term Multimedia can
be define as Medium with multiple content forms.

The basic elements of multimedia on computer are:

Movies

Animation

Sound

Text

Still Images

Special Effects

What are different stages for developing any MultiMedia

project.
Multimedia and web projects must be undertaken in stages. Some stages should be completed
before other stages begin, and some stages may be skipped or combined.
There are the four basic stages in any multimedia projects developing:-

1. Planning and costing:

A project always begins with an idea or a need that you then refine by outlining its messages and
objectives. Identify how you will make each message and objective work within your authoring
system. Before you being developing, plan out the writing skills, graphic art, music, video, and
other multimedia expertise that you will require.
Develop a creative graphic look and feel, as well as a structure and a navigational system that
will allow the viewer to visit the messages and content. Estimate the time you'll need to do all the
elements and then prepare a budget.Work up a shot prototype or proof of concept, a simple
working example to demonstrate whether or not your ide is feasible.
The ease with which you can create materials with today's production and authoring tools tempts

new developers to immediately move into production-jumping in before planning.This often

results in false starts and wasted time and, in the long run, higher development cost.
The more time you spend getting a handle on your project by defining its content and structure in
the beginning the faster you can later build it, and the less reworking and rearranging will be
required midstream.
Think it through before you start! Your creative ideas and trails will grow into screens and
buttons and your proof of concept will help you test whether your ideas will work.You may
discover that by breaking the rules, you can invent something terrific!

2. Designing and producing:

Perform each of the palnned tasks to create a finished product. During this stage, there may be
many feedback cycles with a client until the client is happy.

3. Testing:
Test your programs to make sure that they meet the objectives of your project, work properly on
the intended delivery platforms, and meet the needs of your client or end user.

4. Delivering:
Package and deliver the project to the end user.

Six Stages of Production in Multimedia

Multimedia projects are complex; they often involve the skills and efforts of multiple
teams or people. During the development process, a project moves through the
specialized parts of the team, from story creation to technical editing, with regular
collective review sessions Each stage is designed to refine the project with attention
to the client's needs, technical requirements and audience preferences.

Planning Meeting
A planning meeting is a crucial part of the multimedia development process; it
creates a shared vision for everyone working on the project. The meeting usually
kicks off a project, bringing together the team. During the meeting, the project
manager communicates the major goals and lays out the milestones. The meeting
may include a discussion of the target audience and how each division can help
support the overarching goal.

Script Writing
Most multimedia projects have a story behind them. After the initial meeting, the
people in charge of the background story write a script, creative brief or outline. The
text hits the main points of the project and uses language that appeals to the
audience in jargon, tone and style.

Story Boarding
A multimedia project usually includes multiple pieces: audio, video, imagery, text
for voiceovers and on-screen titles. Story boarding ties everything together; a story
board panel for a scene includes a sketch of the visual elements, the voiceover or
title text, and any production notes. It guides the process, keeps everyone in check
and gives structure to the project.

Designing
During the design stage, designers take over the visual aspects of the project to
determine how it looks and feels. Using the notes from the storyboard, they create
graphics, design the navigation and give direction to photographers and
videographers regarding the correct shots. Depending on the project, the design
stage might include graphic design, web design, information design, photography or
image collection. Design is always done with an eye toward the audience

Editing
Editing is one of the most involved and complex stages of the multimedia
development process. The people responsible for editing the project turn the
various pieces into a cohesive product, taking into consideration the time
constraints, story line and creative specifications. Depending on the scope of the
project, pieces of the project may be edited separately. For projects with a large

amount of video, editing is often the longest stage of the process; a minute of final
video can take hours of editing. The editing stage usually involves internal review
iterations and may also include rounds of client review and editing.

Production
The production stage is when all the parts of a multimedia project come together.
The production staff gathers all of the edited assets in one place and puts them
together in a logical sequence, using the story board as a guide. The rough draft is
then put through rounds of review and final edits, both internally and with the client.
To ensure that a project has the desired impact on the target audience, a company
may engage in user testing as part of production. During this stage, test members
of the audience use the multimedia piece while team members observe. Depending
on the goals of the project, the staff might observe users' reactions or have them
answer questions to see if the project hits the right marks. After user testing, there
are usually further adjustments to the project. Once the team and clients are
satisfied, the project goes out for distribution.