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Getting Creative
Technicalities
Resources
Conclusion

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Getting Creative

Once you've master Microsoft Producer basics, you can experiment with its more advanced features. These include the ability to:

• Customize Microsoft Producer templates
• Change layouts on the fly
• Add video effects and transitions, such as fade ins and fade outs
• Split video clips into smaller segments to better synchronize video on the timeline
• Add additional images and HTML to your presentation
• Customize the publishing process through the use of e-services (custom Producer publishing services)
• Customize the Publish Wizard (detailed in the Producer SDK)
  

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Technicalities

To use create presentations with Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, you'll need the following software and hardware:

• Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 or 2003
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, or Window 2000 Professional operating system
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
• A computer with a 400 MHz or higher processor (at least 600 MHz is recommended for digital video capture)
• 2 GB hard disk space for digital video capture (20 GB recommended)
• 128 MB RAM
• A sound card
• A video capture device
• A audio capture device

If you're going to capture audio and video, choosing the appropriate equipment and environment for recording is important. Although a Web camera is an inexpensive way to capture video, a traditional digital video camera will yield a more professional result. A tripod and teleprompter can also add polish to your video capture.

Producer supports the following audio and video formats:

.wma, .wmv, .avi, .mpg, .wav, .au, .asf, .wm, .aif, .snd, .mp3

You can also import a multitude of image file types including:

.jpg, .png, .gif, .tif, .bmp, .dib, .emf, .wmf

To view Producer presentations on Windows system, you'll need the following:

• Microsoft Windows 98 (or higher) or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 (or higher) operating system
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4 or higher; Windows Media Player 7.0 is recommended
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher or Netscape Navigator 7.0 or higher

To view Producer presentation on a Macintosh system, you'll need the following:

• Apple Mac OS X v 10.2 or higher operating system
• Microsoft Windows Media Player for Mac OS X
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2.2 for Mac (or higher)
  

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Resources

For more information and assistance on using Microsoft Producer, check out the following resources:

• Microsoft Resources
  
  
  • The Producer 2003 Case Studies page on the Microsoft Web site shows how seven different organizations are using the features of Producer 2003.
    
    
  • The Producer 2003 Evaluation Guide provides more detailed information about Producer 2003.
    
    
  • Kontiki offers a plug-in for Producer 2003 that enables one-button publishing for enterprise customers. This site offers a 30-day free trial.
    
    
• More Samples
  
  
  • For another interesting look at what you can do with Producer technology check out the Annapurna 2002 web site, which chronicles a mountain climbing expedition in the Himalayas.
    
    
• Books
  
  
  • Special Edition Using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 by Patrice-Anne Rutledge, Jim Grey, and Tom Mucciolo (Pearson/Que, 2003). This is the latest version of Que's bestselling Special Edition series for PowerPoint users of all levels. Includes more than 800 pages of practical presentation advice, PowerPoint insider tips and techniques, as well as a CD-ROM with related software.
    
    
  • Creating Dynamic Presentations with Streaming Media by Matt Lichtenberg and Jim Travis (Microsoft Press, 2001).This book offers detailed advice about creating presentations with Microsoft Producer including both technical and design considerations.

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Conclusion

Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 is a viable option for Office users looking to take advantage of streaming media technology to create rich-media presentations. In addition to its integration with known Office products such as PowerPoint and FrontPage, using this free technology to deliver training, broadcasts, and marketing presentations can have a positive impact on the bottom line of your business - reducing travel expenses and unproductive time away from the office.

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