Applications of Interactive Media Graphics

Interactive media is the integration of digital media including the combinations of electronic text, graphics, moving images and sound, into a structed digital computerised environment that allows people to interact with the data for appropiate purposes. The digital environment can include the internet,telecoms and interactive digital television. Items such as smart phones, tablet computers or even your desktop on your computer. one of the biggest platforms that interactivity is used is gaming. The key is interaction with data. Reading books can be forms of interactive media; kindles and e-books must use interactivity with data for the reader to read the book/data.

Where do we find interactive graphics?

One place to find interactive graphics is by web browser navigation. This consists of rollover buttons, navigation bars and navigation menus. Rollover buttons are a set of graphics that consists of an image which changes its features when the mouse arrow is rolled across it. A rollover has more than one state. Nvigation bars and navigation menus are usually used in every website. A navigation bar is a collection of navigation buttons such as home, gallery,images etc. A navigation menu is a drop down menu with subheadings. One way of creating a navigation bar and menu is by using the adobe programmes dreamweaver and photoshop. Photoshop is used to create the general design of the graphics and Dreamweaver is used to add the interactivity to the graphics.

 Web banners also include interactive media graphics. Web banners are usually used for advertisements on websites to promote a certain product. This can also be used to identify a company on a webpage. Web banners usually appear at the top of the web page so that people will see it instatnly. Sites like youtube use web banners and are paid to do so but one of the biggest advertising brands are facebook. Facebook are a non-profitable company that set up a social networking site for anyone in the general public to use. Facebook make their money of advertising and sometimes may advertise one or two web banners.

 

An iteractive logo is a logo that promotes and advertises a company but also can be selected and clicked upon to move to another page. This is refered to as a hyperlink. Most interactive logos on a website usually link back to the original home page or starting point of the website so no matter what page you are on you will be taken back to the original home page. Websites such as the google search engine, facebook and youtube all use interactive logos.

Screen icons are graphics that is a graphic icon that can be displyed on a interactive media device such as an i-phone. These icons usually represent a company or brand. Screen icons are different from general logos as logos are usually bigger and are just for visual uses whilst screen icons on smart phones and tablet computers are there to promote their company just like a logo but can be selcted and clicked upon to link or move to a page or programme that the company has made and produced.

Game texture graphics are graphics that are generated on a gaming device such as a ps3, Xbox 360 and other game platforms. They are used in every game on an interactive consle and can fit to any surface not matter the shape or size of it. These game grphics are always made to the power of two for example 200×200. Each game shapes start off as a mesh and are ‘wrapped’ in a game texture. In one example it can be seen as a present being wrapped in wrapping paper. Game textures are mostly used on the environment on the game. However, the quality of the game textures are based on the skill level of the designer who created the graphic and the quality of the gaming platform and its output.