Chapter 4 : Specialized Application Software

-Specialized applications make it possible to perform advanced tasks at home.

-Home users can create Webs sites, work with graphic images, and create music or art.

-Robots now provide security and assistance in homes

-Competent end users need to be aware of specialized applications

1. Graphics Programs

2. Audio and Video Software

3. Multimedia Programs

4. Web Authoring Programs

5. Artificial Intelligence

1. Graphics Programs

a. Desktop publishing is a program that allows you to mix text and graphics to create publications of professional quality. Popular desktop publishing programs is Adobe InDesign , Microsoft Publisher, and QuarkXPress

b. Image editors (photo editors)are specialize graphics programs for editing or modifying digital photographs. Popular image editor programs include Paint.NET, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro.

c. Illustration programs are programs used to create & edit vector images. Popular programs include Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, CorelDRAW

d. Image galleries are libraries of electronic images. These images are used for a wide variety of application from illustrating textbook to providing visual interest to presentation. Two basic types of image gallery are stock photographs and clip art

e. Graphic suites are a group of graphic program that have been combined or bundled by some companies. The advantage of the graphic suite is that you can buy a large variety of graphics programs at a lower cost. Two most popular suite are CorelDRAW Graphics Suite (include five individual graphic program plus a large library of clip art, media art, and font) and Adobe Creative Suite.

2. Audio and Video Software

a) Audio editing Software

This software is a type of computer program that allows a user to creates, access, edit, save, and otherwise manipulate audio files. It is because this program useful when dealing with multiple audio clips that needs to be combined.

Example are Apple GarageBand and Sony ACID.

b) Video editing software

Video editing software is application software which handles the editing of video sequences on a computer. This software allows you to enhance digital video footage, reorganize, and add effects etc. Some example of video editing software programs are Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker.

3. Multimedia Programs

Multimedia is the integration of a variety of media into one presentation. It’s including video, music, voice, graphics and text. It is also Include user interactivity.

i) Links and Buttons

An interactive multimedia presentation is usually organized as a series of related pages.

Link can be to video, sound, graphics and text files and to other pages and resources.

Buttons are links and provide the ability to navigate through a presentation.

ii) Multimedia Authoring Programs

It is special programs used to create multimedia presentation. In these programs they bring together all the video, audio, graphics and text elements into an interactive framework.

Example: Adobe Director and Toolbook

4. Web Authoring

Many individuals create their own personal sites, called Web logs or blogs, to keep in touch with friends and family while corporations use the Web to reach new customers.

-Web Site Design

-Web Authoring Programs

Web Site Design

Web design is used as a general term to describe any of the various tasks involved in creating a web page. It is an interactive multimedia form of communication that creates a graphical map of overall content; also add multimedia elements like animation by using Macromedia's Flash

Web Authoring Programs

It is known as Web page editors or HTML editors; it is more specialized and powerful programs, called Web authoring programs. Web page editors and HTML editors are specifically designed to create Web site. It does provide support for Web site design and HTML coding for the layout of the Web pages based on what the user designs.

Widely used Web authoring programs include Adobe Dreamweaver, NetObjects Fusion, and Microsoft Expression