Because multimedia files require special players, it’s a good idea to include a warning message anytime you add video, audio, or other multimedia files to your Web site. The message should include an explanation of the type of file you’re using, the size of the file, how long it may take to download, and what kind of player is required to view it.
The following is an example of a warning you might include just below a video file:
To play this video file, roll your cursor over the image above. The video clip is 30 seconds long and shows our daughter in her karate class. If you’re using a modem connection, it may take a minute or two for the video to download and play. If the video does not appear to be playing or if you receive an error message, you may not have the necessary software to play the video.
You can download a free multimedia player for a Windows computer by visiting www.
microsoft.com/windows/windowsmediaand clicking the link for Microsoft’s Windows Media Player. Make sure to download the player that’s right for your operating system. If you have an Apple computer, you’ll want the Mac version. If you use a PC, choose the Windows version.
You may want to recommend another player or shorten the message. If you’re sure your visitors have the necessary software to play your multimedia files, you may want to include only a descrip-tion of the video or audio file and informadescrip-tion about its length or file size. If you include more than one version of the file in different formats or sizes, make sure to explain the options so your visi-tors know which is best for their system.
Looping is easily overdone on the Web, so use it judiciously. If you’ve ever arrived at a page and been frustrated because you couldn’t turn off a flashing animation or sound file, you understand the risk. Motion on a Web page can get distracting and even annoying. Used prudently, looping is a good trick for making a video clip seem longer than it is, but repeat a clip no more than three times and then turn it off automatically. You find out how to specify looping and other options in FrontPage in the “Setting video options” section, later in this chapter.
The steps in this section will work for video files in any of the formats covered earlier in this chapter, such as RealMedia, QuickTime, and Windows Media for-mats. The “Comparing video formats” section, presented earlier, describes the most common video options.
If you don’t have a video file but want to follow this exercise, you can use the karate class video file, located in the Ch10 Multimediafolder in the Author Filessection of the CD. (In Figure 10-1, you can see what the file looks like when inserted on a Web page.) I’ve included several versions of this video, but I suggest you use karate-demo-WMV-high.wmvor, if you prefer QuickTime, karate-demo-QT-high.mov.
Figure 10-1:
The short video file in this karate Web site adds motion and sound to bring a practice session to life.
To use FrontPage to insert a video file, follow these steps:
1. Before you start, make sure the video file you want to insert is saved in the multimediasubfolder in your main Web site folder.
You should keep all the files in your Web site in one main folder on your hard drive. I suggest you create a subfolder for multimedia so you can keep videos and other files organized.
2. In FrontPage, open the Web page, and click the cursor where you want the file to be displayed on your Web page.
Make sure you’re in Design view in FrontPage by clicking the Design icon at the bottom left of the page.
3. Choose Insert➪Picture➪Video, as shown in Figure 10-2.
(Video is the last option on the list, and you may need to use the down-pointing arrow at the bottom of the menu to make all options visible.) The Select Video dialog box appears.
4. Browse your drive to locate the video file you want to insert on your page, and click to select it.
In the example I’m creating for this exercise, I selected a file called karate-demo-WMV-high.wmv, which is in the Ch10 Multimediafolder in the Author Filessection of the CD.
Figure 10-2:
Adding video to a Web page is almost as easy as inserting an image in FrontPage.
5. Click Open.
The dialog box closes and the file is inserted on the page. The first frame of the video appears on the page, representing the video.
6. Double-click the video image.
The Picture Properties dialog box appears.
7. Click the various tabs and specify the options you want:
• Click the Appearance tab and specify alignment, spacing, and size.
• Click the General tab and specify link options.
• Click the Video tab and specify loop, loop delay, and start options.
For detailed descriptions of the different options, see the “Setting video options” section, which follows.
8. Click OK.
The Picture Properties dialog box closes.
9. To play the video, click the Preview button at the bottom of the FrontPage work area.
If you prefer, choose File➪Preview in Browser to see the video as it will appear when viewed with a browser on the Web.
It’s always a good idea to save your work in FrontPage regularly. You can do so by choosing File➪Save, or using the key command, Ctrl+S (on a PC) or Ô-S (on a Mac). If you haven’t already saved your changes before you choose the preview option, FrontPage will prompt you to save your work before opening your page in a browser. If you haven’t saved the page you’re working on, FrontPage displays an asterisk in front of the file name in the tab at the top of the work area.