Images, audio & video.
Content is much more than text. Presenting information in a range of ways using images, audio and video engages an audience different and interesting ways.
To start, let’s sort the terminology:
- Image is the term used for all the static visual elements, including photographs, graphics (charts, maps, drawings) and icons (buttons, shapes).
- Audio is the term used for all sounds; music, interviews, sound effects.
- Video is the term used for all moving pictures, including films and presentations.
Sourcing.
So where do images, audio and video come from? To some, sourcing may seem fairly straightforward, but to others without the knowhow or equipment it may not appear quite so easy. Either way, it’s not just a case of using what’s available, there’s a little more substance to sourcing the right content.
Cameras & recorders
Obviously you can capture the content yourself. Digital cameras and recorders are everywhere, including in most mobile phones as standard these days. Mostly the quality is sufficient to use. Online content can be optimized to low-resolution so it's not always necessary to have a high-quality material if you're not able to capture it.
Style
Just as your writing style reflects your content's personality, so too does the style of images, audio and video you use. They help enforce and the impression you want to give. For example, if you're a law firm, it wouldn't necessarily be appropriate to use cartoon clip art drawings - they don't give a professional tone.
Agencies
The web is awash with agencies who provide stock content you can purchase. From a few pence to a few pounds, you can buy images, audio and video to use . As this generic content hasn't been created especially for you, it needs to be adjusted - but it's a cheap way to expand your content for a relatively low cost. However, the licensing agreement often restricts how you use the content, so be careful not to breach this!
Copyright
The use of generic content is tightly controlled. You may be able to use search engines especially to find images, audio and video but reusing these without the owner's permission will most certainly breach copyright. Broadly speaking, the person who created the content owns the rights to its use. Some content is made available copyright free, or shared under a creative commons license. Less restrictions surround these, but again it doesn't always mean you can use it as you like.
Editing.
All content needs to be edited before it’s published. Images, audio and video are more weighty (file size) than text so will take a longer to download. This can be helped along by optimising correctly in the editing process.
Tools
To edit, you're going to require software. And as with most things in life, (generally speaking) the more money you spend, the better the tools and the more you're able to do. There are a few industry recognised standards like Adobe Photoshop for images, Apple's Final Cut Pro for video and Adobe Audition for audio. However, there are many others available which may well be suitable for your needs.Sizing
Digital images are measured in pixels (height and width) rather than centimeters, inches or points, as in print. This is because it reflects a device's screen resolution settings. An image may appear larger or smaller depending upon the local preferences.Cropping
Most images - including video - need to be cropped to size before being used. Original images, especially those taken directly from cameras, are usually way too big. While it is possible to display a large image smaller on a page using settings, this isn't recommended. Instead, reduce to the size needed using editing software.Quality
Quality for images is determined by the number of dots per inch (dpi). High-quality images (lots of dots) are used for print, but online content uses low-resolution images. This reduces the file size while retaining the overall quality. Audio is measured in bytes per second. The higher the number, the better the quality.
Publication.
Unlike text, which is usually embedded into pages, images, audio and video needs to be saved separately. The files are then referred to whenever and wherever they are needed directly from the server.
File formats
For images, a general rule of thumb is to use .jpg for photographs or images with lots of detail and ranges of colour. Use .png files for graphics and icons where colour is limited or a transparent background is needed.For audio, mp3 is standard as it reduces files to a manageable size and can be played on a range of devices. Others like .wav are larger files and AAC is only playable on Apple devices.
For video, mpeg4 is recommended as it balances file size with quality. Others either produce larger files or can only be played on certain devices.
Broadcast
Audio and video can be recorded prior (or during) its publication and made available as a stream or download at a later date. The content can also be broadcast live as it is happening using a streaming method. Obviously, to get an audience, the time of broadcast will need to be published in advance!Feeds
As with text content, feeds can also distribute audio and video content. For text we refer to RSS feeds, but for audio we use podcasting and video we use vodcasting. However, essentially it's the same process taking place.The purpose of the feeds are to alerts subscribers to a new episode available to download, rather than them having to manually check each time. This subscription is only beneficial if you intent to publish an ongoing series, rather than just a one-off file.
Distribution
Streaming means audio and video can be played without having to wait until the complete file is downloaded. A copy isn't stored on a person's local device and playback can be skipped to a point in the timeline.Download means a complete version of the file is copied on the user's device for viewing anytime. This can be played once the download is complete.
