Business and Computing Deanery Multimedia Week 7 Text

Multimedia 2 Last week Lecture Animation Supported session Finish off activities from the lecture Creating a Timeline Animation Add animation and navigation to buttons

Multimedia 3 This week Lecture Your navigation charts Text Chapters 10 and 11, Digital Multimedia, 2nd edition Supported session Finish off activities from the lecture Tutorial Add Static, Input and Dynamic text

Multimedia 4 Text Dual nature Visual representation of language (content) Need to relate bit patterns to symbols of a written language Graphic element (appearance) Precise shapes of characters, spacing and layout (typography) Each abstract character may have many different graphic representations 314–315 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 5 Character Sets Abstract characters are grouped into alphabets Any set of distinct symbols, usually forming the basis of some written language A character set is a mapping between the characters of some alphabet (its character repertoire) and bit patterns 315–316 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 6 Fonts Visual representation of a character is called a glyph Must replace characters with glyphs for display Glyphs are arranged into collections called fonts Fonts are stored in specified locations on a computer system, may be embedded in documents If font is not embedded, document may not display properly on systems where that font is not installed 324–326 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 7 Classification of Fonts Spacing: monospaced (fixed width)/proportional Serifs: serifed/sans serif Serifs are the small strokes added to the ends of character shapes in conventional book fonts Shape: upright/italic/slanted Slant is a vertical shear effect, italic uses different glyph shapes with a slant Weight: bold/normal/light 327–330 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 8 Examples of Fonts Monospaced Multimedia Serifed Multimedia Sans serif Multimedia 327–330

Multimedia 9 Choice of Fonts Text fonts – suitable for continuous text (e.g. body of a book or article) Must be unobtrusive, easy to read Display fonts – suitable for isolated pieces of short text (e.g. headings, signs or slogans) Intention is to get a short message across, so eye-catching design that would be inappropriate for continuous text is OK 331–332 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 10 Fonts for Multimedia Text fonts may be problematical Low resolution of computer displays leads to loss of details (e.g. fine serifs) and distortion of letter shapes Use larger sizes than in print, prefer sans serif, use fonts such as Arial and Verdana designed to be readable at low resolution 332–333 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 11 Font Measurement Units Points: 1pt = 1/72" = mm Exact size is not standard; 1/72" is invariably used by computer systems Picas: 1pc = 12pt Font's body size is not necessarily the size of any particular character e.g. 10pt Times Roman 334–335 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 12 Font Terminology Baseline – the line on which the bases of characters are arranged Leading – the distance between successive baselines x-height – the distance between the baseline and the top of a lower-case letter x Ascenders/descenders – strokes that rise above the x-height/drop below the baseline 337 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 14 Spacing Kerning – adjustment of space between certain pairs of letters (e.g. AV) to make them look more uniform Kerning pairs for a font are defined by its designer, stored with the font metrics Ligatures – single composite characters used to replace pairs of letters that don't look right next to each other (e.g. fi) Ligatures are stored as extra characters in the font 337–338 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 15 Digital Fonts Glyphs are just images, so we can have bitmapped or vector (outline) fonts Bitmapped fonts don't scale well or reproduce at different resolutions 339 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 16 Text in Graphics Maximum flexibility obtained by treating text as graphics and manipulating it in graphics program Ideally suited to graphic design incorporating text Posters, packaging, letterheads, book jackets, CD and DVD covers,… Vector graphics with outline fonts or bitmapped images with bitmapped fonts Increasingly, combine the two approaches 344–345 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 17 Vector Text Text set in outline fonts can be treated as object in a vector graphics program Transform; apply colour, gradient and patterns Fill shapes with text, set text along a path Text remains editable Text in shape/along a path will accommodate transformations of the shape/path 345 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 18 Bitmapped Text Convert text to pixels Can apply usual effects and filters Usually keep text on separate layer, so effects can be applied to it independently Text can no longer be edited as text Can't change font, spell check, change wording, etc Must be retouched like any other image 345–346 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004). Is this of relevance to your assignment?

Multimedia 19 Layout Most text is laid out according to conventions Words are arranged into lines, combined into paragraphs placed on the page Special formatting (e.g. italicization) may be applied to words within a paragraph – inline/character formatting Paragraphs may be set in special ways (e.g. indentation) – block-level/paragraph formatting Leave space around your text 347 Chapman N and Chapman J (2004).

Multimedia 20 Text in Flash static text dynamic text fields Text from another/external source input text fields Allows users to enter text for forms, surveys, or other purposes Flash MX2004 Help

Multimedia 21 Device or embedded fonts Device fonts The Flash Player uses the font names to locate identical or similar fonts on the user's system Embedded fonts If using special fonts you should embed them in the move Larger file size Flash MX2004 Help

Multimedia 22 Spelling Check it!

Multimedia 23 Amount of Text How much do you want/need to say? How much will your audience read? Anything more than 10 to 12 words per line becomes awkward Readers tend to lose their place in the text On screen people scan pages looking for visual clues to the content they need. Text needs to be broken into small blocks Paragraphs are often better with headlines Bullet points work well

Multimedia 24 Colours for text Contrast is very important in any written text Consider how your text will be read On screen? With a projector? It is hard to beat black text on white for readability Use colour for headings Small areas of text

Multimedia 25 Some questions Scenario: You have been asked by Hope library to create some content with instructions on how to use the index Discuss three different methods of incorporating text, recommend one and justify your choice Discuss the criteria in choosing and laying out the text

Multimedia 26 For Next Week Directed Reading Digital Multimedia, Second Edition Chapter 5Bitmapped images Independent study Your Interface Attend the supported session to get to know Flash Help/How Do I Using imported artwork Your Interface – due week 8

Multimedia 27 References Chapman N and Chapman J (2004). Digital Multimedia, Second Edition. London. Wiley Macromedia Flash MX2004 Help files