The introduction of digital media into educational software design is both a blessing and a challenge to designers of these programs. The effective use of video in computer-based instruction provides a method of engaging the learner using moving visual images, narration, music, and sound effects. The challenge lies in effectively capturing high quality video and audio without consuming a large amount of hard drive space and valuable time. Existing video capture software provides the multimedia designer with the tools for creating effective video clips, if one knows how to use them properly. This paper will present a simple and effective process for creating digital movies suitable for educational use.
Numerous parameters can serve to improve or harm the quality of the video.
This paper addresses those parameters, and how to manipulate them in order to get the most out of the capturing process. Most of the information presented is in reference to Mac based production. The step by step process I will present will provide educators with the tools needed to create high quality digital video clips for their instructional designs. There are several factors the user can control that will affect the quality of the digitized video. The color depth determines the size of the palette that the computer will use when determining a color value for a pixel of video.