Understanding multimedia authoring

Table of Contents | Electrifier Overview

What is Electrifier Pro? | Understanding the Interface | Understanding Multimedia Authoring | Understanding Movies, Actors, and Sprite Tracks

Understanding the export options

Electrifier Pro exports to a variety of different file formats--so you can choose the method that best suits your particular project.

There are four basic export formats: QuickTime 3, QuickTime 2.x (bitmap), Animated GIF (visual), and Wave (audio). A short overview of the benefits of exporting to each of these file formats can be found below, including a description of what is required for playback on the web.

QuickTime 3: QuickTime 3 is the export format of choice for all Electrifier Pro multimedia.

With QuickTime 3, QuickTime movies are smaller and more compact than ever before. QuickTime 3 supports a new ultra-slim vector media type, and a variety of cutting-edge compression algorithms for high-quality video and audio content. QuickTime 3 also includes support for all of Electrifier Pro's effects, actions, and No-Bandwidth media such as Fire, Clouds, and Ripples.

Viewers must have the QuickTime plug-in to view QuickTime 3 movies on the Web. QuickTime 3 is distributed widely on both the Mac OS and Windows 95, 98, and NT, and can be obtained free of charge from the Apple site. Viewers who have QuickTime 3 installed can experience all media--vector and bitmap graphics, video, audio, and virtual-reality panoramas--on the web without having to download additional plug-ins. QuickTime 3 can also play back QuickTime 2.x movies.
QuickTime 2.x (bitmap): The industry standard for video play back on the web and CD-ROM, QuickTime 2.x is an extremely popular method of delivering sophisticated content to the Internet and CD-ROM. Millions of people on both platforms have QuickTime installed on their system, and the plug-in for viewing QuickTime 2.x content on the web is bundled with Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

Exporting an Electrifier movie to the QuickTime 2.x format is a reliable way to deliver sophisticated digital content to the large installed base of people who have this popular version of QuickTime. QuickTime 2.x movies can also be output to video tape or film, for use in broadcast media or presentations.

Since QuickTime 2.x does not support vector media and the newest compression algorithms, file sizes tend to be large in comparison to equivalent QuickTime 3 files.

QuickTime 2.x also does not support the advanced interactivity offered by Electrifier Pro.
Animated GIF (visual): Electrifier Pro movies can also be exported to the Animated GIF format which plays back in most browsers without a plug-in.

Because animated GIFs are bitmap-based, they tend to be high in file size and are most suitable for small-scale visual animation. Animated GIFs do not support audio content, but the audio portion of a movie can be exported separately as a Wave file.

Animated GIFs do not support the advanced interactivity offered by Electrifier Pro.
Wave (audio): The audio portion of an Electrifier Pro movie can be exported to a Wave file for use on its own, or in combination with an animated GIF for visual movie content. Wave files are currently popular for sound playback on the Internet, since they can play back in most browsers without a plug-in. However, they tend to be large in file size and so download slowly.

For more information

For information about the difference between bitmap and vector graphics, and between frame-based and time-based animations, see Understanding media types and Understanding animation in the Electrifier Overview.

To learn the basics about how to export files from Electrifier, see Working with movies in Getting Started.

For detailed information about Electrifier Pro's export options, see the File menu section of the Menu Reference.

For detailed information about delivering multimedia, see the Delivering multimedia section of the Authoring Reference.

If you are concerned with keeping multimedia file sizes small, see the Compressing video and audio section of the Authoring Reference.

What is Electrifier Pro? | Understanding the Interface | Understanding Multimedia Authoring | Understanding Movies, Actors, and Sprite Tracks