Multimedia Making It Work [Paperback]

Tay Vaughan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0078825520 | ISBN-13: 978-0078825521 | Publication Date: July 8, 1998 | Edition: 4th

Comprehensive coverage--competition doesn't provide nearly the same depth or detail of multimedia product descriptions as Osborne's title does. Expert author experience--Tay Vaughan's work as a multimedia producer with his company, Timestream, Inc. lends incredible insight to real-world projects. He blends technical material with anecdotal accounts of in-the-trench experiences--making the learning of difficult topics friendly. Added value of CD-ROM--The CD includes trial versions of Macromedia's products--arguably the most popular multimedia creation software. Technical review--feedback from the multimedia chair at Wellesley College helped shape the scope of this book to best serve the interested academic market.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The latest reincarnation of this multimedia bible, written by the knowledgeable Tay Vaughan, is certainly worthy of praise. Despite the huge scope of the subject matter, the book's content is tightly focused on expanding the skills of competent technologists. It is most refreshing to find that, unlike in the case of many multimedia references, the author is both extremely knowledgeable and has the admirable ability of writing well and engaging the reader--two traits not universally apparent within the technical writing profession.

Utilizing a pleasantly anecdotal style and quoting the views of many important industry figures throughout the text, Vaughan makes a thorough presentation of the subject matter, although the American bias becomes somewhat obvious. A variety of communication media are discussed, from plain text to pictures, audio, sound, and their presentation on both CD-ROM and the World Wide Web. Although the author clearly prefers an Apple Macintosh, this book is suitable for PC users as well. It isn't application specific, concentrating more on concepts than on step-by-step solutions.

Jam-packed with strangely useful tidbits of information, this book is not for the absolute beginner, yet nor is it a vastly intimidating tome. The subject of multimedia is so large that one book cannot cover it in immense detail, yet this is as comprehensive and seminal as a single volume will allow.--Josh Smith

From the Back Cover

Learn to produce multimedia that takes advantage of the latest Web technologies by using this revised and updated edition of Tay Vaughan's best-seller. Vaughan, a multimedia industry pioneer and an expert at making multimedia work, provides you with a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating effective, multimedia from start to finish. You'll learn all about the components and processes, then begin building your own projects from simple boardroom presentations to dynamic corporate CD-ROMs to Web sites that come alive. Widely used at colleges and universities around the world, Multimedia: Making It Work, Fourth Edition, will help you: understand the fundamental building blocks of multimedia including text, images, motion video, sound, and interactivity; learn how to apply multimedia's building blocks to real working situations; get an inside perspective on the multimedia industry's shift from CD-ROMs to Web production; get help and expert tips at every step, from conceptualizing and financing your project, through the final stages of design, production, and testing; learn lessons from the trenches through expert vignettes and compelling First Person stories from the author; PLUS learn to use the hottest multimedia development and authoring tools! The bonus Macromedia CD features cross-platform trial versions of Director, Authorware, Freeland, Dreamweaver, Extreme 3D, SoundEdit, and Fontographer; whether you're a novice or a pro, you can learn how to create show-stopping results when you use this highly respected, best-selling multimedia primer!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 581 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media; 4th edition (July 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0078825520
• ISBN-13: 978-0078825521
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,651,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All in one reference!, August 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Multimedia Making It Work (Paperback)

This is THE book for serious multimedia producers and managers! Covers everything from hardware and software specs to design and production, to managing a project right down to final delivery in multiple formats and media. Read Designing Multimedia by Lisa Lopuck for novices and entry level multimedia producers. Read Multimedia Making it Work by Tay Vaughan for advanced and in depth material for the serious manager/producer. Would have been nice though if Macromedia could have kept there cd that came with the 3rd edition book in with the 4rth edition. I also reccommend the book Getting Started in Multimedia Design by Gary Olsen as a quick and comprehensive guide to designing multimedia and web projects.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book for those interested in multimedia, August 3, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Multimedia: Making It Work (Paperback)

I was given this book as a gift and it was invaluable. It's easy to read and provides helpful information. I especially liked the CD ROM. Among the things on the CD is a demo of Macromedia Director. Anyone going into multimedia must learn how to use Director. This demo helped me learn the software without investing $500+ in the software.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction, December 25, 2001

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Multimedia: Making It Work, Fifth Edition (Paperback)

This book presents a broad overview of the field of multimedia production. The book describes the field at large, explaining the concepts, rather than focusing on minute details of using particular software packages. Separate chapters are devoted to the multimedia "building blocks", text, sound, images, and video, and the various special characteristics of these media (such as formats and how compression techniques work). A typology of multimedia authoring software is developed, and brief descriptions of individual authoring packages are provided to exemplify each type. The accompanying CD-ROM contains evaluation copies of many of the packages mentioned (such as Macromedia Director, Adobe Freehand, and SoundEdit) for further exploration by the reader. The book also provides extensive coverage of the multimedia development process, from the roles of the members of a multimedia development team, to planning, costing, producing, testing, and delivering products. I have found the book to be quite successful as a textbook for introduction to multimedia courses. It would also be useful for anyone who would like to understand what the multimedia business is all about.