hands
on
Creation is simple ...
...with Apple's QuickTime, iMovie and iTunes programs.
Michael Vallance
Jul
18, 2001
With QuickTime, one can take a virtual tour to view Michelangelo's exquisite
depiction of the Creation (left), or the NUS Ng Eng Teng Gallery (right),
on your Mac desktop.
Computers are not what they used to be…beige, ugly and complicated.
The computer of the new millennium is colourful, cool and simple. Internet
access, wireless connectivity, MP3, and digital video are now accepted
and expected, To complement this, Apple has released tools to make our
life truly digital.
QuickTime 5 is the latest free digital player for the Mac and PC. Real
Player and Windows Media Player may be perceived as rivals but look at
the facts: 90% of video on Real Player servers are authored in QuickTime;
68% of digital video use QuickTime; 57% of video online use QuickTime.
QuickTime 5 also opens graphics and animations and can incorporate Flash
elements meaning the video clip becomes interactive; it invites participation.
QuickTime engineers have also developed its amazing virtual reality capabilities.
The new QuickTime Cubic VR allows you to view 360 degrees both horizontally
and vertically. Imagine stepping inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel,
viewing Michelangelo’s exquisite depiction of the Creation and then
looking up to see more of his nine scenes from the book of Genesis. All
this within one QuickTime file. An educational showcase is available at
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/hotpicks/education/index.html
There must be many gorgeous interiors in Singapore ripe for such projects.
For starters, go to the NUS Virtual Tour at http://www.nus.edu.sg/museums/vr/
QuickTime 5’s coolest feature though is the ability to customise
media skins. You can create a logo for your company or school, cut a section
of the resulting graphic and then replace the missing section with a video
clip. Play this file to your customers or teacher and watch their jaw
drop.
Best of all, Apple has automated this process using Applescript. It’s
as simple as dragging and dropping the files onto an Applescript and sitting
back to watch the media skin evolve. QuickTime developers tools are available
at http://developer.apple.com/quicktime/
Making movies has been made so much more fun with iMovie and Apple’s
latest release, iMovie2, adds further functionality while maintaining
its user simplicity. The process from downloading your camera’s content,
to adding titles and effects through to exporting back to a video tape
is a joy.
iMovie 2’s strengths lies in its editing capabilities. Confirmed
by Junior Tan of Apple Asia, “A good movie is determined by what
you leave out.” Take, for example, a couple about to give their marriage
vows when a background car horn disturbs the romantic scene. iMovie 2
will allow even the novice editor to extract the audio and delete the
noise as if the car simply did not exist. The movie remains undisturbed.
Take a peek at some home movies at Apple’s iMovie Gallery at http://www.apple.com/imovie/gallery/
MP3 players allow us to carry around a vast selection of music for our
personal enjoyment. We can mix Bach with Bjork. Previously this was such
a nuisance. With the free iTunes application we simply insert a music
CD, select a Playlist, and then save on our Mac or burn to our MP3 player
or CD-RW. There are also numerous online radio stations listed: if you
like jazz, you’ll love iTunes. It’s a free download at http://www.apple.com/itunes/
The Mac really is the hub of your digital life.
Apple is currently offering free seminars in Singapore for all computer
users. If you want to fully experience today’s digital life or simply
learn more about Apple computing, visit the Discover Apple web page and
register online at http://www.asia.apple.com/seminars/discover/
Michael Vallance is from the Mac Users Group of Singapore. Its website is at www.macuser.org.sg