Multimedia Authoring Tools: State of the Art and Research Challenges

The integration of audio, video, graphics and text on the desktop promises to fundamentally challenge the centuries-old model of the printed document as the basis for information exchange. Before this potential can be realized, however, systems must be devised that enable the production and presentation of complex, inter-related media objects. These systems are generically called multimedia authoring tools. In this article, we consider the development of multimedia authoring tools, examine the current state of the art, and then discuss a set of research challenges that need to be addressed before the full potential of multimedia output technology can be effectively utilized to share information.