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Contents
Media Factor

Help Contents

Welcome to Andromeda Interactive's Media Factor Series. If you have any queries that are not dealt with by this Help file, then please contact our Technical Support department on

tel:	01235 529595 (UK)

fax:	01235 559122 (UK)

Each Media Factor title consists of two sections. The first is an Encyclopedia where you can view over 1000 space pictures, 50 video clips, and 50 sound effects. The second is an Edit Suite section where you can put together multimedia presentations using the information contained on the disc.

As the disc loads, you will watch a Media Factor animation. Click Escape to cut through the animation. You will then see a title screen. Click the mouse to cut through to the Main Menu of the Encyclopedia.

See also...

Encyclopedia Main Menu

Edit Suite


Menu (Control Panel)
Menu

Click on Menu to return to the Encyclopedia Main Menu. If you have a sequence in the filmstrip, a dialog box will appear asking you if you want to save the sequence. Click Yes if you want to save the sequence, or No if you do not.

If you click Yes, the Save dialog box will appear.

1. The Save direcory will automatically be set a directory which has been created during set-up. If you wish to change this, select the directory you wish to save the sequence to.

2. Name the sequence.

3. Click on OK. The sequence will be saved as a .seq file in your directory.


Chapter Screens

Each of the twelve Chapters has a Chapter screen. To scroll though all the images in a Chapter, picture by picture, click on the green forwards arrow on the Control Panel. You will go from the Chapter Screen to the first image in the Chapter.

Most of the Chapter Screens also have subsections. Click on a subsection to access a particular section of the chapter. The numbers to the right of the subsection bands are the picture numbers in the chapter.

The Control Panel will appear to the right of each Chapter Screen.

See also...

Control Panel (Encyclopedia)


Control Panel (Encyclopedia)

The Control Panel contains most of the functions of the Media Factor title, both in the Encyclopedia and in Edit Suite. It is present on all screens in the Encyclopedia except the Browsers.

The Control Panel can be moved in order to view a picture more clearly. Click anywhere other than on a button and drag the Control Panel across the screen. Release the mouse when the Control Panel is in the position you want.

Click on Edit Suite to access the Edit Suite section.

Click on Menu to return to the Main Menu.

Click on Exit to exit the Media Factor title.

See also...

Forward

Backward

Video

Sound

Browse

Search

Text

Edit Suite

Menu

Print

Save

Help

Exit

Minimize/Maximize


Control Panel (Edit Suite)

There are three different types of functions on the Edit Suite control panel.

1. Information Functions - Forward, Backward, Content, Browse, Search, Text, Show

See also...

Information Functions

2. Edit Functions - Copy, Swap, Add, Delete, FX, Run

See also...

Edit Functions

3. Navigation Functions - Back, File, Help, Menu

See also...

Navigation Functions


Copy

The copy function allows you copy one frame from the Film Strip into another frame of the Film Strip.

1. On the Film Strip, click on the frame you wish to copy.

2. Click on the copy button.

3. A dialog box will appear asking you to highlight the frame you wish to copy to. Click OK to cancel the dialog box, then click on the second frame.

4. If the second frame already contains an item, a dialog box will appear asking you to confirm that you wish to overwrite the original frame. Click Yes to copy the new frame. Click No to stop the new frame being copied.

See also...

Swap


Browse Pictures

The Browse Pictures section allows you to browse through thumbnails of all pictures in the Media Factor title.

Thumbnails

Up to fifteen thumbnails can be viewed at one time. Use the Forward and Backward arrows to scroll through thumbnails. If the forward or backward arrows are not highlighted (dark grey), no further frames are available.

Full-screen Images

To view an image at full-screen size, highlight the thumbnail and click on Show. Alternatively, double click on the thumbnail. Click again to return to the Pictures Browser.

Eject

Click on Eject to return to your place in the Encyclopedia.

Help

Click on Help to access the Help file.

Text

To view a caption, highlight the thumbnail and click on Text.

See also...

Text


Browse Videos

The Browse Videos section allows you to browse through thumbnails of all videos in the Media Factor title.

Thumbnails

Up to fifteen thumbnails can be viewed at one time. Use the Forward and Backward arrows to scroll through thumbnails. If the forward or backward arrows are not highlighted (dark grey), no further frames are available.

Playing Videos

To play a video, highlight the thumbnail and click on Play. Alternatively, double click on the thumbnail. Click again to interrupt the video and return to the Pictures Browser.

Eject

Click on Eject to return to your place in the Encyclopedia.

Help

Click on Help to access the Help file.

Text

To view a caption, highlight the thumbnail and click on Text.

See also...

Text


Browse Sounds

The Browse Sounds section allows you to browse through thumbnails of all sounds in the Media Factor title.

Thumbnails

Up to fifteen thumbnails can be viewed at one time. Use the Forward and Backward arrows to scroll through thumbnails. If the forward or backward arrows are not highlighted (dark grey), no further frames are available.

Playing Sounds

To play a sound, highlight the thumbnail and click on Play. Alternatively, double click on the thumbnail. Click on Pause to pause the sound, and click Play again to resume it. Click on Stop to stop the sound entirely.

Eject

Click on Eject to return to your place in the Encyclopedia.

Help

Click on Help to access the Help file.

Text

To view a caption, highlight the thumbnail and click on Text.

See also...

Text


Chapters

There are 12 chapters in the Encyclopedia. Click on a picture on the Main Menu to access a chapter.

See also...


Edit Suite

Click on Edit Suite to access the Edit Suite section.


Exit

Click on Exit to exit the Media Factor title.


Help

Click on Help to access the Help file.


Chapter Subsections


Forward

When the forward arrow is highlighted (green) click to access the next screen. If the arrow is not highlighted (blue) no further screens are available.

See also...

Backward


Backward

When the backward arrow is highlighted (green) click to access the previous screen. If the arrow is not highlighted (blue) no previous screens exist.

See also...

Forward


Video

The video button is an icon of a video camera.

When the video button is highlighted (pink), click to show the video. If the button is not highlighted (blue) no video is available. Click with the mouse to interrupt the video.

See also...

Sound


Sound

The sound button is an icon of a loudspeaker.

When the sound button is highlighted (pink), click to play the sound effect. If the button is not highlighted (blue) no sound effect is available. Click with the mouse to interrupt the sound.

See also...

Video


Browse (Encyclopedia)
Browse

The Browse function allows you to browse through pictures, videos or sounds.

1. Click on Browse.

2. A dialog box will appear showing four buttons: Pictures, Videos, Sounds and Cancel.

Click on Pictures to browse through the pictures.

Click on Videos to browse through the video clips.

Click on Sounds to browse through the sound effects.

Click on Cancel to cancel the dialog box.

See also...

Browse Pictures

Browse Videos

Browse Sounds


Search (Encyclopedia)
Search

The Search function allows you to search for specific pictures, videos or sounds.

1. Click on Search.

2. A dialog box will appear showing a white text field. Type the search word into the text field. You can only search for individual words.

3.The search allows you to specify which media type is searched for. Click on All to include pictures, videos and sounds in the search. Alternatively, deselect those types which you do not wish to be included in the seach.

4. Click OK to start the search. Click Cancel to cancel the search.

See also...

Search Results


Text (encyclopedia)
Text

Text displays a caption relating to the picture being displayed.

1. Click on Text.

2. A caption bar containing the caption of the current picture will appear at the top of the screen.

3. If the caption is too long to be shown in the caption bar, the triangular extender arrow will be highlighted (green). To extend the caption bar click the extender arrow. To retract the caption bar click the up arrow.

4. To cancel the caption bar, click the square green button next to the text field.


Menu


Print

Both pictures and their captions can be printed.

1. Click on Print.

2. If you have the caption bar visible on screen, a dialog box will appear asking if you want to print the picture or the text. Click on a button or click Cancel to cancel the dialog box.

3. The print dialog box will appear. Choose OK.

4. To alter the printer settings, choose Setup.


Save (encyclopedia)
Save

Both pictures and their captions can be saved. Videos and sounds may not be saved. You may save items to your hard drive or a floppy drive. You cannot save to the CD-ROM.

1. Click on Save.

2. If you have the caption bar visible on screen, a dialog box will appear asking if you want to save the picture or the text. Click on a button or click Cancel to cancel the dialog box.

3. The Save dialog box will appear. Select the directory to which you  wish to save the picture or text.

3. Name the picture or text.

4. Choose OK.


Text (General)
Text

Text displays the caption bar.

1. Click on Text.

2. The caption bar will appear at the top of the screen. It will contain the caption of the frame which is highlighted.

3. The caption bar will automatically display the caption for the frame which is highlighted.

4. If the caption is too long to be shown in the caption bar, the triangular extender arrow will be highlighted (green). To extend the caption bar click the extender arrow. To retract the caption bar click the up arrow.

5. To cancel the caption bar, click the square green button next to the text field.


Show

Shows or plays the frame which is highlighted.

1. Click on a frame (to highlight).

2. Click on Show.

3. The picture, video or sound effect associated with the frame will show or play.

4. Click on the picture or video to cancel. The sound effect can be stopped by activating another button.


Forward (Browse)
Forward


Backward (Browse)
Backward

Click on the backward arrow to access the previous screen of frames. If the backward arrow is not highlighted, no further frames are available.

See also...

Forward


Show (Browse)
Show


Eject


Play (Video)
Play

Plays the video frame which is highlighted.

1. Click on a frame (to highlight).

2. Click on Play. Alternatively, double click on the frame.

3. The video associated with the frame will play.

4. Click on the video to stop.


Play (Sounds)
Play

Plays the sound effect frame which is highlighted.

1. Click on a frame (to highlight).

2. Click on Play. Alternatively, double click on the frame.

3. The sound effect associated with the frame will play.

See also...

Pause

Stop


Pause

Click on the pause button to pause a sound effect.

See also...

Play

Stop


Stop

Click on the stop button to stop a sound effect.

See also...

Play

Pause


Content

Content allows you to search for the pictures, videos or sounds that appear within a particular chapter of the Encyclopedia.

1. Click on Content.

2. A dialog box will appear showing the Main Menu of the Encyclopedia. Click on a picture to select a chapter.

4. Content allows you to specify which media types are searched for. Deselect those types which you do not wish to be included in the seach.

5. Click OK to start the search. Click Cancel to cancel the search.

The results will come up as thumbnails in the main working area of the Edit Suite screen.

See also...

Browse

Search


Back

Click on Back to return to your place in the Encyclopedia section. If you have not saved your sequence, a dialog box will appear. Click Yes if you want to save the sequence, or No if you do not.

If you click Yes, the Save dialog box will appear.

1. From the Save dialog box, select the directory you wish to save the sequence to.

2. Name the sequence.

3. Click on OK. The sequence will be saved as a .seq file in your directory.


Encyclopedia Main Menu

When you first load up a Media Factor title, you will arrive at the Encyclopedia Main Menu. The twelve Chapters of the Encyclopedia are available from this Main Menu.

Click on one of the twelve Chapter thumbnails to access a Chapter. You will go to the relevant Chapter Screen.

Click on Edit Suite to access the Edit Suite section.

Click on Exit to exit the Media Factor title.

See also...

Chapter Screens

Edit Suite

Control Panel (Encyclopedia)


Browse Contents
Browse

Browse Pictures

Browse Videos

Browse Sounds


Edit Suite Contents
Edit Suite

The main Edit Suite working screen consists of four areas: the main working area where three rows of thumbnails appear; the Control Panel; the film strip across the bottom of the screen; and the caption bar across the top of the screen.

In the Edit Suite section you can put together multimedia presentations by dragging and dropping thumbnails. You can combine sounds, videos and pictures in your presentation.

See also...

Timing

Use the Search, Browse and Content functions on the Control Panel to call up thumbnails into the main working area. Then drop thumbnails into the film strip at the bottom of the Edit Suite screen. To do this, click on a thumbnail in the main area, hold down the mouse button, and drag the thumbnail into the film strip.

When you drop a picture or sound thumbnail into the film strip, an Edit box will appear.

See also...

Edit Boxes

You can drop any number of thumbnails into the filmstrip. Use the green forward arrow at the right hand edge of the film strip to scroll to new frames in the filmstrip. Use the green backward arrow at the left hand edge of the film strip to scroll to previous frames in the filmstrip. If the arrows are not highlighted (blue) there are no further frames available.

Once you have dropped thumbnails into the filmstrip, you can edit and modify them using the green buttons of the Edit functions on the Control Panel.

See also...

Edit Functions

You can also view four rows of film strip at one time using the View function.

See also...

View

Once you have put together your presentation in the film strip, you can run it. Click Run on the Control Panel.

See also...

Control Panel (Edit Suite)


Swap

The swap function allows you to swap two frames in the Film Strip.

1. On the Film Strip, click on the first frame you wish to swap.

2. Click on the swap button.

3. A dialog box will appear asking you to highlight the second frame to swap. Click OK to cancel the dialog box, then, on the film strip, click on the second frame.

3. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm your action. Click Yes to swap the frames. Click No to cancel the frame being swapped.

See also...

Copy


Add

The add function allows you to add a frame to the Film Strip.

1. Click on the frame you wish to add.

2. Click on the add button.

3. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm your action. Click Yes to add the frame. Click No to cancel the frame being added. The new frame will be added to the left of the highlighted frame.

See also...

Delete


Delete

The delete function allows you to delete frames from the Film Strip.

1. On the Film Strip, click on the frame you wish to delete.

2. Click on the delete button.

3. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm your action. Click Yes to delete the frame. Click No to cancel the frame being deleted.

See also...

Add


FX

The FX function allows you to specify a transition between two pictures. Transitions will not function next to videos. They will function if there is an intervening sound between two pictures.

1. On the Film Strip, highlight the picture frame after which you wish to insert a transition.

Remember, that for the transition to take effect, you must insert either another picture in the following frame, or insert a sound followed by a picture!

2. Click on FX.

3. A dialog box will appear showing the different transitions which are available. Choose the effect you require and click on the transition.

As the warning on the dialog box states, the five complex transitions (rectangular wipe in and wipe out, vertical and horizontal stripes, and blocky dissolve) may disrupt sound effects on slower machines. For optimum performance on slower machines, use only simple transitions when you are playing over sound effects.

4. Click OK to implement the transition. Click Cancel to cancel the transition.

5. The relevent FX box on the Film Strip will appear highlighted (green), to indicate that a transition is in place.

6. To change the transition you have chosen, highlight the relevant frame in the Film Strip and click FX again. The FX dialog box will appear with the existing transition highlighted.


Run

Click on Run to run the sequence in the Film Strip. To interrupt the sequence, click on Escape.

Pictures will be shown at full-screen size. Videos will be shown surrounded by a wide black border.

Remember that videos will interrupt the flow of sounds!

When the presentation is finished you will be returned to the Edit Suite main working screen. If there is a sound effect playing it will finish as you return to the Edit Suite main working screen.


File

Click on File to save, open or clear an Edit Suite sequence.

To save a sequence:

1. Click on Save.

2. The Save dialog box will automatically open to the C:\spacehis\saves directory which has been created on your hard disc. If you wish to save the sequence elsewhere, alter the directory and drive name.

3. Name the sequence. Make sure the name has the extension .seq at the end; e.g. john.seq.

4. Click on OK. The sequence will be saved to the specified directory directory.

To open a sequence:

You can either open a sequence you have saved previously, or you can open one of the test sequences in D:\demos (where D is the letter of your CD-ROM drive).

1. Click on Open.

2. From the Open dialog box, select the drive and the name of the sequence you wish to open.

3. Click on OK. The sequence will appear in the Edit Suite Film Strip.

To clear the film strip:

You can clear the film strips of any existing thumbnails.

1. Click on New.


Min/Max
Minimize/Maximize

Click on the up arrow to minimize the Control Panel. Click on the down arrow to maximize the Control Panel.

When the Control Panel is minimized, the only functions which are available are the forward and backward arrows and the down arrow (to maximize the Control Panel).


Film Strip
F


Forward Film Strip
Forward

Click on the forward arrow to access the next frame in the Film Strip. If the button is not highlighted (blue), no further frames are available.

See also...

Backward


Backward Film Strip
Backward


View

Click on View to expand the film strip from seven to twenty eight frames. To return to the main Edit Suite working screen from the View section, click on the Edit button.

Content, Browse and Search will automatically return you from the View section to the main Edit Suite working screen.


Media Icon

This shows the media type which is in place in the Film Strip frame. It is pink when the frame is highlighted.


Frames and Timing
Frames

To drop a picture, video or sound into the film strip, click on a thumbnail in the main area, hold down the mouse button, and drag the thumbnail into the film strip.

When you drop a picture thumbnail into the film strip, an edit box will appear asking for how long you want to pause the picture when the sequence is played. Type a number of seconds into the white panel, then click OK.

When you drop a sound thumbnail into the film strip, an edit box will appear asking if you want to play the sound over the following picture, or if you want to pause the picture until the sound is finished. Click on a button to choose your option, then click OK.

To call up an edit box for a frame already in the film strip, double click on

the frame.

Timing

Remember that if you choose to play the sound over the following frames, you should allow enough time for the whole sound to play!

Be careful if you drop in two sounds, and ask the first to play over the following frame! If you do not allow enough time for the first sound to finish before you ask the second sound to begin, a warning box will appear saying 'Overlapping Sounds!' If you do not alter the timing, the first sound effect you have dropped in will be interupted by the second.

If you choose to have a sound playing over a video, please be aware that the sound will be interrupted as the video loads.

To alter timing, call up the Edit boxes by double clicking on the frames in the Film Strip.


Browse (Edit Suite)
Browse

The Browse function allows you to browse through pictures, video or sound.

1) Click on Browse.

2) A dialog box will appear showing four buttons: Pictures, Videos, Sounds and Cancel.

Click on Pictures to browse through the pictures.

Click on Videos to browse through the video clips.

Click on Sounds to browse through the sound effects.

Click on Cancel to cancel the dialog box.

The results will come up as thumbnails in the main working area of the Edit Suite.

See also...

Content

Search


Search Results

After you have run a search in the Encyclopedia, a Search results screen will appear.

Search Results Bar

A search results bar will appear showing the word you searched for and the number of occurrences of that word.

Thumbnails

Search results are presented as thumbnails. Up to twenty thumbnails can be viewed at one time. Use the green forward and backward arrows to scroll through search results. If the forward or backward arrows are not highlighted (blue), no further screens are available.

Full-screen Images, Playing Video and Playing Sound

To view an image at full-screen size, to play a sound or to play a video, double click on the thumbnail. Click again to return to the Search results screen.

Back

Click on Back to return to your place in the Encyclopedia.

Saving Search Results

Search results which are pictures, and their captions, can be saved. Videos and sounds may not be saved. You may save items to your hard drive or a floppy drive. You cannot save to the CD-ROM.

1. Highlight the thumbnail by clicking on it.

2. Click on Save.

3. If you have the caption bar visible on screen, a dialog box will appear asking if you want to save the picture or the text. Click on a button or click Cancel to cancel the dialog box.

4. The Save dialog box will appear. Select the directory to which you wish to save the picture or text.

5. Name the picture or text.

6. Choose OK. The text or full-screen picture will be saved.

Printing Search Results

Search results which are pictures, and their captions, can be printed.

1. Highlight the thumbnail by clicking on it.

2. Click on Print.

3. If you have the caption bar visible on screen, a dialog box will appear asking if you want to print the picture or the text. Click on a button or click Cancel to cancel the dialog box.

4. The Print dialog box will appear. Choose OK. The text or full-screen image will be printed.

5. To alter the printer settings, choose Setup.

See also...

Search

Control Panel (Encyclopedia)


Search (Edit Suite)
Search

The Search function allows you to search for specific pictures, videos or sounds.

1. Click on Search.

2. A dialog box will appear showing a white text field. Type the search word into the text field.

3.The search allows you to specify which media type is searched for. Click on All to include pictures, videos and sounds in the search. Alternatively, deselect those types which you do not wish to be included in the seach.

4. Click OK to start the search. Click Cancel to cancel the search.

The results will come up as thumbnails in the main working area of the Edit Suite screen.

See also...

Content

Browse


Edit Boxes

When you drop a picture thumbnail into the film strip, an edit box will appear asking for how long you want to pause the picture when the sequence is played. Type a number of seconds into the white panel, then click OK.

When you drop a sound thumbnail into the film strip, an edit box will appear asking if you want to play the sound over the following picture, or if you want to pause the picture until the sound is finished. Click on a button to choose your option, then click OK.

To call up an edit box for a frame already in the film strip, double click on the frame.


Timing

1. Sounds on Slower Machines

If you have not already done so, you should adjust the MCI buffer time on your MCI Driver to get optimum results from your machine. Choose the Drivers option from the Control Panel, and then choose the MCI Sound option. Increase the number of seconds to the maximum possible, normally nine. Due to technical limitations, there may be some performance loss if you try to play sound either over pictures with complex transitions, or over pictures with a short time hold on them (four seconds or less). See below for more details.

2. Playing out Sound

Remember that if you choose to play a sound effect over the following frames, you should allow enough time on the pictures for the whole sound to play!

3. Overlapping Sounds

Be careful if you drop in two sounds side by side, and ask the first to play over the following frame! If you do not allow enough time for the first sound to finish before you ask the second sound to begin, a warning box will appear saying 'Overlapping Sounds!' If you do not alter the timing, the first sound effect you have dropped in will be interrupted by the second.

4. Sounds and Videos

If you choose to have a sound playing over a video, please be aware that the sound will be interrupted as the video plays out.

5. Sounds and Transitions

As the warning states on the FX box, the five complex transitions (blocky dissolve, rectangles zoom in and zoom out, vertical and horizontal stripes) may disrupt sound effects on slower machines. For best results on a slower machine, use only simple transitions when you are playing over sound effects.

6. Altering Timing

To alter timing, call up the Edit boxes by double clicking on the frames in the Film Strip.


Edit Functions

These are the green buttons on the Control Panel. They enable you to modify and edit the thumbnails which you have dropped into the film strip. They can be used either in the Edit Suite main working screen or in the View section.

They are...

Copy

Swap

Add

Delete

FX

Run


Navigation Functions

These are the buttons in the bottom third of the Control Panel. Click Back to return to the Encyclopedia, or Menu to return to the Main Menu.

They are...

Back

File

Help

Menu


Information Functions

These are the buttons at the top of the Control Panel. Use Content, Browse and Search to call up thumbnails in the Edit Suite main working screen. If you use Content, Browse or Search in the View section, they will return you to the Edit Suite main working screen.

See also...

Content

Browse

Search

Use the green forward and backward arrows to scroll through thumbnails in the main working area. If the arrows are not highlighted (blue), no further screens are available.

To view a caption, highlight a thumbnail and click on Text.

See also...

Text

To view an image at full-screen size or play a sound or video, highlight a thumbnail in the main working area, and click on Show. Alternatively, double click on the thumbnail. Click again to interrupt the video or sound, and return to the main working screen.