slideshows on the net
Why are we thinking about slideshows?
Well in some ways these sit somewhere between audio with maybe a picture on a web page to illustrate something and full video.
It is possible to take a series of images (GIF, JPEG, PNG) an create a view screen within RealPlayer to display these at preset times from the start of the presentation. Of course that is not all. If you want emulate a dual projector display then that is possible as well. Want more than a dual display? It can do that as well.
To illustrate a very basic use of this technique we have created a simple promotional presentation which you can watch now.
If you do not yet have RealPlayer™ installed on your system then it would be worth getting it for this. There is a free player available at www.real.com/player
Other considerations which make this format a strong contender for this type of presentation is it's accessibility to WebTV users.
other options...
There is always more than one way to do most things, and this is no exception.
This type of presentation could also be easily done using Flash™ or Shockwave™. These have the advantage of being able to present sophisticated animations and user interactivity. A distinct advantage of using Shockwave™ is that the program used to create it can also produce what is called a projector program. This means that your presentation is encapsulated within an executable program that can be burned onto a CD for distribution. It is possible to create projectors for both Windows™ and Macintosh™ systems.
We will soon have information about these options available here, although if you can't wait please feel free to contact us at
enqiuries@rylands-internet-solutions.co.uk
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much more than just a slideshow!
This technique of integrating images and sound is often described as a slideshow since this is a concept that most people are familiar with so readily understand. However this seriously under sells it's potential.
First of all let us call it by it's proper name, SMIL (Synchronised Media Integration Language). This technique allows images (GIF, JPEG, PNG) to be presented in a variety of ways synchronised to a time line which often means in co-ordination with an audio track. The techniques exceed that which could be achieved with a slideshow, including panning, zooming, overlaying, and hyperlinking of buttons within the presentation to other SMIL presentations or web pages.
more on SMIL ›››
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Why PowerPoint is a bad idea for a professional presentation!
If you have followed this thread through from the introduction you will appreciate that formats such as PowerPoint presentations are not a viable way of making slideshows available over the internet. If not then it would be worth taking a few seconds to familiarise your self with the concepts of portability, bandwidth and security. In addition to these considerations there is the matter of production quality. The audio has to be recorded straight into PowerPoint which makes audio editing and optimising virtually impossible. This also means that each audio track plays per slide so continuous audio is impossible.
Another consideration is whether you want your target audience to have your images. Give them a PowerPoint file and they have all your centent to do with as they wish. You have no control.
Finally it is basically not a very professional way to make unattended content available over the internet, or by another means.
Keep PowerPoint for what it was intended for: presenting lectures and talks at conferences.
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