File Formats for Multimedia:
                      The following is an outline of current file formats used for the production and delivery of multimedia data.
(1) Text Formats:
   RTF:
   Rich Text Format is the primary file format introduced in 1987 by Microsoft with the specification of their published products and for cross-platform documents interchange.



Plain text:
(i) Plain text files can be opened, read, and edited with most text editors.
(ii) The commonly used text editors are Notepad (Windows), Gedit or nano (Unix, Linux), TextEdit (Mac OS X) and so on.
(2) Image Formats:
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format):
(i) This format is common in desktop publishing world (high quality output), and is supported by almost all software packages.
(ii) Recent versions of TIFF allows image compression, and the format is comfortable for moving large files between computers.
DIB (Device Independent Bitmap):
A device independent bitmap contains a colour table. The colour describes how pixel values corresponds to RGB colour values, which describes colors that are produced by emitting light.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format):
(i) GIF is a compressed image format. Most of the computer color images and backgrounds are GIF files.
(ii) This file format is best suitable for graphics that uses only limited colors, and it is the most popular format used for online color photos.
TGA (Tagra):
It is the first popular format for high-resolution images. TGA files are common in animation video industry.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics):
(i) PNG is an extensible file format for the less loss, portable and well compressed storage of raster images.
(ii) PNG acts as replacement for GIF and also replaces multiple common uses of TIFE
(3) Digital Audio File Formats:
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format)
(i) WAV is the most popular audio file format in windows for storing uncompressed sound files.
(ii) In order to attain the reduced hile size it can also be converted to other file formats like MP3.
MP3 (MPEG Layer-3 Format):
(i) MPEG Layer-3 format is the most popular format for storing and downloading music.
(ii) The MP3 files are roughly compressed to one-tenth the size of an equivalent WAV file.
(4) Digital Video File Formats:
AVI (Audio/Video Interleave):
AVI is the video file format for Windows Here sound and picture elements are stored in alternate interleaved chunks in the file.
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group):
(i) MPEG is a standard for generating digital video and audio compression under the International Standards Organization (ISO) by the group of people.
(ii) Simply MPEG is the standards for digital video and audio compression.

1. Production Manager:
(i) In a multimedia production, the role of production manager is to define, and coordinate, the production of the multimedia project in time and with full quality.
(ii) The production manager should be an expertise in the technology, good at proposal writing,good communication skills and budget management skills.
2. Content Specialist:
(i) Content specialist is responsible for performing all research activities concerned with the proposed application's content.
(ii) Program content refers to projects information, graphics, data or facts presented through the multimedia production.
3. Script Writer:
(i) Video and film scripts represents a linear sequence of events.
(ii) The script writer visualizes the concepts in three dimensional environment and if needed uses the virtual reality integration into the program.
4. Text Editor:
(i) The content of a multimedia production always must flow logically and the text should always be structured and correct grammatically.
(ii) Text and narration is an integrated part of the application.
5. Multimedia Architect:
The multimedia architect integrates all the multimedia building blocks like graphics, text, audio, music, video, photos and animation by using an authoring software.
6. Audio and Video Specialist:
(i) The roles of these specialists are needed for dealing with narration and digitized videos to be added in a multimedia presentation.
(ii) They are responsible for recording, editing sound effects and digitizing

1. Some of the opportunities are available in animation and gaming are as Graphic Designer, Web Designer, 2D/3D Animator, 2D/3D Designer, AV Editor, Technicial Trainer, 3D Modeler, etc.
2. Video on demand or movies on demand is a service that provides movies to television sets on an individual basis at homes.
3. Movies are stored in a central server and transmitted through a communication network.

1. Animation is the process of displaying images with continuous movement.
2. In animation, the screen object is a vector image in animation.
3. Using numerical transformations the movement of that image along its path is calculated for their defining coordinates.
4. The least frame rate of atleast 16 frame/sec gives the impression of smoothness and for natural looking it should be atleast 25 frame/sec.
5.  Animations may be in two or three dimensional.
6. The two dimensional animation, bring an image alive, that occur on the flat X and Y axis of the screen, while in three dimensional animation it occurs along the three axis X, Y and Z.
7. The two basic types of animations are (1) Path animation and (2) Frame animation.
(1) Path Animation
It involves moving an object on a screen that has a constant background.
E.g. A cartoon character may move across the screen regardless of any change in the background or the character.
(2) Frame Animation
In frame animations, multiple objects are allowed to travel simultaneously and the background also changes.

Multimedia is the presentation of computer controlled and interactive information using the combination of video, sound, text, pictures and animations.
Steps in Multimedia Production :
i) Conceptual Analysis and Planning
ii) Project Design
iii) Pre Production
iv) Budgeting
v) Multimedia Production Team
vi) Hardware/Software Selection
vii) Defining the Content
viii) Preparing the Structure.
ix) Production
x) Testing
xi) Documentation
xii) Delivering the Multimedia Product
(i) Conceptual analysis identifies a appropriate theme, budget and content availability on that selected projects.
(ii) Project design phase contribute the series of actions performed to implement an objective.
(iii) Based on the planning and design, Budgeting, Hardware / Software selection and the content are necessary to develop the project.
(iv) Production team responsible for script writing, editing, graphics, etc.
(v) Complete the testing of the pilot product before the mass production.
(vi) User documentation is a mandatory feature for all multimedia projects.
(vii) Finally, multimedia application is delivered in more effective way by the integration of two mediams CD-ROM/DVD and Internet.