Text is incorporated into multimedia through file translation or optical character recognition of scanned documents. Sound in multimedia is digitally recorded through input from CD players, cassette tape players, laser disk players, VCRs or directly from a microphone. Digital sound can be manipulated through editing and special effects software. Graphics components of multimedia can originate from paper copies of artwork that are scanned or be created with various computer graphics programs. Files from various computer graphics programs can be converted to a format compatible with presentation and courseware application software.
Photographs can originate from actual prints that are scanned or captured with a digital camera.
The digital camera inputs photos directly into the computer where they are saved in the appropriate format. Images can be scanned in with a 35mm slide scanner. Digital photo manipulation can also be accomplished. Videotape can be digitized onto the computer's hard disk where editing, titling, and special effects are accomplished. Production capabilities also include live sound recording, CD-ROM recordings, still photography, and videotaping using professional quality equipment.