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Little Web Cam Book, The
- By Elisabeth Parker
- Published Apr 23, 1999
Book
- Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
Description
- Copyright 1999
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-201-35420-9
- ISBN-13: 978-0-201-35420-1
With today's low-cost digital video cameras, it's easy, cheap, and fun to record your family's special occasions and everyday antics--and keep in touch with those who can't be there to share them with you in person. It's no wonder these tiny cameras are so popular: They retail in the$50-to-$200 range, connect easily to PCs and Macs, and offer endless possibilities.
Whether you're a new or prospective owner, The Little Web Cam Book will help you unlock the potential of these versatile digital tools. Follow the simple instructions in the book, and you'll learn how to choose the best camera, post your footage on the Web, and even create your own personal videoconference with family, friends, and colleagues around the globe. The Little Web Cam Book not only gives you sound technical advice on setting up and getting started, it also offers a wealth of fun project ideas.
Sample Content
Table of Contents
I. GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR CAM.
1. Before You Begin.What's a Cam? What You Need to Get Started. Attention iMac Users. Finding Hardware and System Information. What's My CPU? Shareware and Freeware on the Web. Downloading Files from the Web. Where to Get Shareware and Freeware. Decompression Utilities: Why You Need 'Em. Getting WinZip. Unzipping Files with WinZip. Zipping Files with WinZip. StuffIt Expander. Creating an Alias. Unstuffing Files with StuffIt Expander. Stuffing Files with StuffIt Deluxe.
2. Setting Up Your Cam.What's Available? Unpacking Your Cam. Cams and USB Ports. Cams and Parallel Ports for Windows. Cams and Modem/Printer Ports on Macs. Got a Video Camera? Connecting Your Video Camera. When Things Go Wrong. Where to Buy Hardware. Starting Up Your Cam. Image and Video Basics. Picture and Movie Size. Color Depth. Brightness/ Contrast. Hue/Saturation. Special Effects. Video Frame Rates. Compression. Zoom. Taking Pictures and Recording Movies. Some Programs to Try. Keeping Track of Your Stuff.
II. BEAUTIFYING YOUR DESKTOP.
3. Creating Your Own Screen Savers.Getting the Software. Recipe for a Screen Saver. Got After Dark and QuickCam? Introducing A+ Screensaver Creator. Downloading and Setting Up. Turning On the A+ Control Panel. Creating a Picture List. Picture Settings and Special Effects. Adding Sound Files. Action! Running Your Screen Saver. Trashing A+ Screensaver Creator. Introducing Photos4us. Downloading and Setting Up. Activating Photos4us. Creating a Picture List. Adding Sound Files. Action! Previewing Your Screen Saver. Settings and Special Effects. Editing Your Screen Saver. Disabling Your Screen Saver. Trashing Photos4us. Grab It! Getting Images from the Web.
4. Designing the Picture-Perfect Desktop.Putting a Photo on Your Desktop. Using Patterned Backgrounds. Making a Desktop in Windows. Making a Desktop on the Macintosh. Creating Your Own Icons. Getting Started with MicroAngelo. MicroAngelo's Components. Changing MicroAngelo Display Settings. Converting Pictures to Icons. Creating Your Icon Library. Installing Your Icons. Changing File Type and Application Icons. Removing MicroAngelo. Using Icon Mania! Getting Started with Icon Mania! Working with Icon Libraries. Changing Your Icons. Editing and Drawing Icons. Exiting Icon Mania! Creating Your Own Startup Screen. Going Whole Hog.
III. INSTANT MULTIMEDIA.
5. Making GIF Animations.What's a GIF Animation? Downloading a GIF Animation Program. Starting Your GIF Animation Program. Building the Animation. Mapping Pictures to a Color Palette. Frame Rates and Looping. Special Effects and Transitions. Previewing Your Animation. Saving Your Animation. Animated Greetings!
6. Roll 'em! Creating and Editing Movies.Getting QuickEditor. Starting Up QuickEditor. Getting Acquainted with QuickEditor. Opening a Movie. Opening an Image, Movie, or Audio Clip. Moving Through a Movie or Clip. Creating a New Movie. Editing a Movie. Selecting Frames. Adding a Clip to a Movie. Deleting Frames from a Movie. Transitions. Applying Video Effects. Compressing Your Movie. Saving Your Movie. Showing Off Your Movies.
7. Putting Pictures and Movies on Web Pages.Why Use a Web Page? Got a Website Yet? HTML and Web Page Editors. Recommended Web Authoring Programs. What's Suitable for the Web? Pictures on Your Web Page. The HTML Source Code. “Low-Res” Images. Are My Pages Too Fat? Making Links to Pictures and Movies. The Importance of Filename Extensions. Embedding a Movie. Movie Properties. Embedding a Movie with HTML. Creating a Web Page Slide Show. Fun with DHTML. Getting Your Stuff onto a Web Server.
IV. WEB CAMS.
8. Web Cams: Examples, Ideas, and Inspiration.Find Your Inspiration. Look Up Some Cams. Outdoor Scenes. Pets and Animals. Home and Work. Inanimate Objects. Other Web Cam Ideas.
9. Setting Up a Web Cam.Steps to Setting Up a Web Cam. Getting Web Cam Software. Launching ISpy for Windows. Launching SiteCam for Macintosh. Previewing Your Pictures. Picture Size and Color Depth. Contrast, Brightness, and Color. Saving Pictures to Your Computer. Image Quality. Updating Your Pictures. Uploading Pictures to Your Server. Testing Your Web Cam. Activating Your Cam. Timestamping Your Pictures. Creating a Picture History. Creating Your Cam Web Page. Advanced Web Camming. Want To Run Your Own Server?
10. How Do They Do It? Interviews with Web Cammers.Terry Weissman. Other Netscape Cammers. Brad Lowe and the Bay Bridge Cams. Lisa Violet.
V. CAMS AND VIDEOCONFERENCING.
11. Videoconferencing with White Pine CU-SeeMe.Why White Pine Cu-SeeMe? Let's Get Started. Purchasing CU-SeeMe. Setting Up CU-SeeMe. Launching CU-SeeMe. Videoconference Types. Making Your First Call. Joining a Group Conference. Reflector Etiquette. What's In a Conference Room? Text Chat. Using Text Chat. Sending and Receiving Audio. Sending and Receiving Video. Who's There? The Participant List. Point-to-Point Conferencing. What's My IP Address? Rendezvous with ICQ. Receiving a Call. Calling Through an ILS. Listing Yourself on an ILS Server. Managing Your Contacts. Organizing Contacts. Customizing Your Settings. Your Own Contact Card. Changing Your Default ILS. More Cool Stuff.
12. Videoconferencing Freebies.Video Chat Basics. Types of Videoconferences. Video Windows. Audio Chat. Text Chat. Participants List. Contacts List. Shared Whiteboard. Application Sharing. Cross-Platform Considerations. Coping with IP Addresses. ILS Servers. Listing Yourself with an ILS. Giving Information to an ILS. Other Videoconferencing Software. Chatting with iVisit. Making a Call with iVisit. Using iVisit Bookmarks. IVisit's Video Windows. Local Video Window. Remote Video Windows. iVisit's Chat Window. Taking NetMeeting for a Spin. Getting NetMeeting. Setting Up NetMeeting. Making a NetMeeting Call. Conferencing with NetMeeting. SpeedDialing with NetMeeting. Freeware CU-SeeMe. Free with Your Cam.
13. Troubleshooting, Online Help, and Fun Stuff.Troubleshooting. Connection Problems. My Video Won't Display. Reflector/Browser Problems. Behind the Firewall. I Don't Have a Cam! Online Help and Resources. Other Stuff You'll Need.
14. Cams and Audio.Audio 101. Types of Sound Files. What You Need. Audio Codecs. Sound Quality Levels. Adjusting Your Cam's Audio. Exporting Audio from a Movie. Recording Sounds. Free Sounds from the Web.
Appendix A: Web Camming Resources.Cam Products. Video Cards, Adapters, Etc. Shareware Websites. Cool Web Cams. Videoconferencing Resources. Free Goodies. Miscellaneous Websites. Recommended Reading.
Glossary.Index.