Creating Multimedia with MatchWare Mediator 8

OCR Nationals in ICT. Unit 4: Design and produce multimedia products
Creating Multimedia with MatchWare Mediator 8
• This lesson is how to use MatchWare OpenMind 2 to help design, and MatchWare
Mediator 8 to produce a multimedia product.
• This lesson will fulfil the requirements of Unit 4, Assessment Objectives 1 – 4.
• MatchWare Mediator 8 is an excellent multimedia tool, with an easy to use interface
and easy export to HTML, Flash or CD-ROM.
• MatchWare OpenMind 2 is a very effective Mind Mapping design tool, in addition to
being a very good collation tool..
This lesson will use MatchWare OpenMind 2 for AO 1-3, and Mediator for AO 4.
OCR specifically lists MatchWare Mediator 8 as an appropriate tool for the creation of multimedia content.
OCR also specifies that “This unit must not be evidenced as a simple website.”
Assessment Objectives:
1. Review several existing multimedia products
2. Design a multimedia product
3. Source and store suitable multimedia
elements
4. Create the multimedia product
Step 1: Getting Started with MatchWare
OpenMind 2
Step 2: Reviewing products
Step 3: Design a product
Step 4: Storing products
Step 5: Getting Started with Mediator
Step 6: Creating a product
Step 7: Exporting
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Step 1: Getting Started with MatchWare OpenMind 2
Open MatchWare OpenMind 2.
In the Welcome screen, select New Document.
You will be asked what format of Mind Map view you would like to start your presentation in.
Mind Map If you have random thought processes, seeing ideas in a spreading, non-linear form.
Top Down: If you require more structure, and develop ideas in levels of priority.
Left Right: If you want your ideas to flow from left to right.
Timeline: If your require time dependent plans. It uses a linear left to right format.
Outline: If you require a table format for chronological, linear ideas.
Choose Mind Map and click Open
You are now ready to begin.
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Step 2: Reviewing Products
Assessment Objective 1 requires you to review at least three multimedia products.
An appropriate method of review would be to use MatchWare OpenMind 2.
For each product, create sub-branches for each review criteria. Use text notes to create content for each criteria (Right click>Insert>Test note>New)
When you are satisfied, export the Mind Map to Word to create a report with a contents page, headers and content (File>Export to>Microsoft Word).
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Step 3: Design a Product
Assessment Objective 2 requires you to produce design documentation for your
multimedia product. MatchWare OpenMind 2 allows you to brainstorm ideas as a Mind
Map. It also allows you to produce a site plan of the multimedia product using the branching
Mind Map structure.
The root represents the first page of the product (the Home page), with each branch a
choice or option.
You can show links between sections with a Branch Connection, using this icon: . Click
the icon, then the two branches in turn to make a connection.
Once you have a site plan you are happy with, it can either be used to inform your work with Mediator,
or exported directly to Mediator to form the basic structure of your Multimedia product. File>Export
to>MatchWare Mediator>Quick Export
In the dialog that opens, choose 1024x768, and check Using blank pages. This allows you to fully
customise the look and interactivity of your product.
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Step 4: Storing products
Assessment Objective 3 requires you to source and store multimedia components for use in your product.
MatchWare OpenMind 2 is an effective tool for storing files in an ordered and structured format.
Draw out a Mind Map with each branch labelled with a component. Attach files to each branch using Right
click>Attach Object. For common files types (text, images, video, sound), select from the list. Otherwise, select
Hyperlink and click on File link to link to any other file type.
All attached files (objects) will appear as a paperclip on the branch.
Mouse over to show the file name, and click to open.
The Mind Map can be exported to HTML or Word, and all attached
objects will be preserved in the export as hyperlinks.
AO 2 and AO3 are about creating evidence of planning.
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Step 5: Getting Started with Mediator
For AO4: Creating a multimedia product, you will use MatchWare Mediator 8.
Open Mediator.
On the Welcome screen, choose:
Create a new document.
The New Document dialog opens.
Check the Standard (CD-ROM, etc), Flash or HTML button.
Standard will create a product that makes use of all Mediator 8 features.
Flash will ensure only Mediator 8 features that export successfully to Flash will be available.
HTML will ensure only Mediator 8 features that export successfully to HTML will be available.
This tutorial assumes you clicked Standard. Click Next.
Another dialog opens. Keep Full screen with frame checked. Click Next
Another dialog opens. Check 1024 x 768.
This window size is typical on modern monitors, but if you want to be sure it will fit on almost every monitor, check 800x600, or choose a custom size.
Click Finish.
The workspace will open.
Mediator is a very easy to use multimedia tool.
There are only three basic steps to creating your product:
1. Add objects using the Toolbox
2. Create and arrange pages with the Page List
3. Create interactivity with the Events dialog
You are now ready to start your Multimedia product.
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Step 6: Creating a product
Assessment Objective 4 requires you to create a multimedia product. Your product could include: user selected routes, a range of multimedia elements,
hyperlinks, user interaction, multimedia effects (animations, hide/show, transitions, etc).
This lesson will not use a specific context for the product, but will demonstrate how to add multimedia content in general to your product using Mediator.
For general advice on using Mediator, see the lesson Unit 1: Perfecting your Presentation with Mediator or Unit 2: Creating Websites with Mediator.
This lesson will create a three page multimedia
product that demonstrates how to add the
multimedia content suggested by OCR.
To the right is the Mediator workspace as it will
appear when you open a new document.
Down the left it shows the Page list, Object list, and
Properties dialog. The properties dialog often
appears as a floating window. Drag it to the left to
dock it with the page and object lists.
The toolbar across the top allows you to add objects
to the workspace.
The first step is to add two more pages.
Hit Insert.
This opens a
dialog. Name
the new page
(no spaces).
Click OK.
Repeat for a
third page.
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Step 6: Creating a product (cont.)
The three pages will now be listed in the Page list. These can be renamed, and the order changed with drag and drop.
To create a user selected route through your product, the simplest method is to create a menu with links to each page.
Any object on the workspace can be made into a link to another location. You are going to create a simple menu of three buttons to navigate to the three
pages.
Create three buttons using the button icon. Change the colour and font using the Properties
dialog.
Copy the button set to the other three pages.
Instead of using copy/paste, you can create a Master page, where everything on this page
will be replicated on every other page. To do this, make a new page. Call this Master. Ensure
it is not the first page on the list. Format the Master page (i.e. create the buttons there). Now,
for each other page, highlight the page in the Page list, and click the Top Master tab at the
bottom of the workspace.
This will open a dialog. Highlight Master, and click OK. Repeat for each page.
Check the buttons now appear on every page. You will only be able to edit the buttons on the Master page, and all
changes will be carried over to all pages the Master page is assigned to.
Button Templates
There are also a wide range of button templates available in the Multimedia Catalog. Open the catalog by clicking the
tag to the right of the workspace, and either search for “button”, or use the menus. Once you have found a button you
like, drag it onto the workspace. Assign events to the button as normal (see next page).
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Step 6: Creating a product (cont.)
To make the buttons active, on each button: Right click>Events… This will open the
Events dialog. Drag an Event from the right column (Mouse click) into the Active
field (the empty box). Drag an Action from the row across the top (Go to Page).
This will open another dialog. Choose the page you want this button to link to.
Another dialog is revealed. This allows you to choose a transition effect. Use the tabs
to choose a style of transition, and change the speed of the transition with the
Duration field. The Speed control gives four options. These describe whether the
transition occurs at a constant speed, accelerates, decelerates, or does all three.
Experiment with the different effects.
This will also satisfy the
requirement to use transitions as a multimedia effect.
Click OK, and repeat for each button. To test if the buttons work, click the Run document icon .
As all the pages are currently identical, it is impossible to see these transitions, so you will need to add
more content…
To add video, GIF’s, Flash or WMV’s simply click the appropriate icon on the toolbar and drag out a
frame on the workspace. An Open file dialog will appear. Select the appropriate file, and click OK.
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Step 6: Creating a product (cont.)
To create animation, you need to associate an object to be animated with an animation path. Any animations you create will be preserved in your export,
including HTML as Mediator exports using dynamic HTML.
To create an animation first create an animation path.
Click the points for your animation to follow. Once you have a rough guide, you can curve the path. Click on the pointer icon. Drag a box over the animation
points to select them, and then click on the curve icon.
The points will curve, and can be adjusted further by dragging the grab handles on
each point. When you have finished, click the green arrow on the Animation Path
Tools.
Create an object to animate (a graphic, a word,
a picture, etc.). Next, on an empty place on the
workspace Right click>Events… (or F9)
The
Events dialog for the entire page opens.
You
can choose from many events that will
start the animation, from clicking on the object,
to the page opening, to moving the mouse, to
hitting a key. Choose one, and drag it into the active field. Next, click the Multimedia tab, and drag the Animate icon
into the active field. Another dialog will open. Select the Object to animate and the Animation path (if there is more
than one). Choose duration, and a speed control. Click OK.
Click Run document. The object will animate according to the rules you have set.
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Step 6: Creating a product (cont.)
Creating a hyperlink is very similar to the process of making buttons. To hyperlink a word, as you would see on a website follow these steps.
1. Create text. You can use the text icon.
2. Highlight a word.
3. On that word, Right click>Hypertext>Activate
4. On the word again, Right click>Events…
5. Drag Mouse click into the active field, choose the External tab, and drag
in Web link.
6. Another dialog opens, allowing you to specify the URL. Click OK, and then
Close.
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Step 6: Creating a product (cont.)
To make objects appear and disappear, you create an Event using Show and Hide.
To Show an object, select an object and hit F3. This will hide the object.
Hit F3 again to reveal.
Hide the object, and then hit F9 to go to the page events dialog.
If the animation event you did earlier is already in the
active field, drag the Show icon down to make a
longer chain. This chain now reads: When the mouse
moves, animate an object and show another object.
Otherwise, choose an appropriate event to trigger the
Show.
Any object can be made to show or hide any other
object. You can choose the appropriate object in the
dialog that opens when you drag down Show or Hide.
You can create another chain of events in the same active field for what event will trigger the object to be hidden again.
If you want to start the page with the object visible, and hide it after a certain action, do not use F3 to hide the object on the workspace first.
These have been the basics for adding multimedia content in Mediator. By using combinations of events (e.g. try dragging the Timeline down as
an action. This allows you to assign different events to occur at different times) you can create very complex effects.
F3
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Step 7: Exporting
This is a very simple process as Mediator does most of the work.
Ensure you save your work
Select File>Create Distribution Files>Quick
Select HTML, Flash or CD-ROM in the dialog, then OK.
Each format has advantages and disadvantages. There are other export options you may wish to explore. If an export format does not meet your needs, you
can always try again.
A dialog opens asking if you want to optimise the pictures in your project. This will compress the pictures for faster loading. Merit/Distinction students must
provide evidence of Optimisation (use a screenshot). Click Yes.
At this point Mediator starts exporting all your pages.
When the Publish dialog appears Mediator is finished exporting your files.
Select the Preview button to open your finalised website in your browser, or Open Folder to view the
files.
All the necessary files are saved in a folder called HTML (which you can rename later). To run the website, open the file index.htm .
Summary. You have:
Reviewed existing multimedia products; Designed a multimedia product; Stored components for your multimedia product; Created your own multimedia
product with pages, buttons, hyperlinks, animations, and interactive elements, and exported in a suitable format.
This meets the requirements specified by OCR for the creation of a multimedia product.
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