Instructions Stack

How to Make Multimedia Hypercard Stacks

with captured color images and sound

These instructions are also available as a Hypercard Stack

Equipment and software needed

1. Macintosh LC, LC II, IIsi, or Quadra with VideoSpigot card installed.
2. Video camera (camcorder) with cable to match the RCA connector on VideoSpigot card.
3. ScreenPlay program (comes with VideoSpigot card).
4. PICTCompressor (from the QuickTime Developer Kit).
5. Small picture template or Large picture template .
6. HyperCard 2.1 with the Audio Help stack.
7. The following extensions must be in the Extensions folder: QuickTime VideoSpigot Extension (comes with VideoSpigot card) (For System 6 users only: FS6Patch)

Capturing still images

1. Set up the video camera on a tripod or other stable mounting and arrange auxiliary lighting as necessary to get a good picture on the video camera.
2. Connect the video output of the camera to the RCA socket on the VideoSpigot card.
3. Launch the ScreenPlay program. Turn on the video camera. You should see a picture on the ScreenPlay window.
4. Select Preferences... in the Spigot menu. Select the image size to either Current window size (to make small pictures) or Half Size (to make large pictures) and click on Capture from still source.
5. Focus and compose the picture. When you get the picture you want, click and hold the mouse pointer on the ScreenPlay window (the mouse pointer turns into a hand) and drag the mouse to some other area of the screen and release the button. The captured still image will appear in its own window. If you want to save the image, select Save from the File menu (or press Command-s), type a file name and press the RETURN key. Then close the image window by clicking in the small square box in the upper left corner of the image window. If you don't like the image, close the image window without saving and click on No when it says "Save ... before closing?"
6. Repeat step 5 for all the pictures.

Compressing the images

1. Quit ScreenPlay and launch PICTCompressor.
2. Select Open from the File menu. Double click on the name of the file you want to compress.
3. Select Compression... from the Image menu (or press Command-k). Set the Compressor to Photo-JPEG Color, Quality Normal, then click on OK. (Setting the Quality to Low will save disk space, but reduces image quality).
4. The compressed image is shown in a separate window. The file sizes in KBytes are shown at the top right of each window. If you are satisfied, click on the compressed image to its window topmost and select Save from the File menu (or press Command-s). Delete "Compressed" from the file name, click on Save, and click Replace when its asks "Replace existing...?"
5. Repeat steps 2 - 4 for each image.
6. Quit PICTCompressor.

Putting the images into a stack

1. Select (click once on) either the "Small picture template" or the "Large picture Template" and select Duplicate from the File menu. This creates another copy of the stack template. Rename this copy with an appropriate name and put it and all of the image files into the same folder.
2. Open your new stack (double-click on its icon).
3. Click on the icon until you get to the first card that has a photo frame.
4. Click in the rectangular field just below the picture frame and type in the exact name of the picture that you want on that card.
5. Select New card from the Edit menu and repeat steps 4 and 5 for all the images.
6. Go back through the stack and insure that each picture is displayed properly.

Putting text into your stack

1. Each card in your stack has a large text field into which you can put text that describes the subject of the picture on that card. You can type directly into these fields, but it is probably better to prepare the text separately, in your favorite word processor for example, were editing will be more familiar and where you will have access to a spell checker, etc.
2. Transferring text from a word processor into the card fields will be most convenient if you are using System 7 and have enough memory to allow your stack and the word processor to be open on the screen at the same time. That way you can open the word processor document, select (drag over) the desired text, choose Copy from the Edit menu (or press Command-c), click on the stack window,go to the proper card, click at the top of the field, and choose Paste from the Edit menu (or press Command-v). (Once the text is pasted into the field, you can edit it and change the font, size and style just as in a word processor, by using the Font and Style menus). Repeat for each card.
3. If you are using System 6 or if you donÕt have enough memory to allow your stack and the word processor to be open on the screen at the same time, you can use the Scrapbook to make things easier. Open the word processor document, then select Scrapbook from the Apple menu (top left of screen). Now select the desired text from the document, Copy it (press Command-c), then click in the Scrapbook window and Paste (press Command-v). Do this for all the text sections. Then quit the word processor, open the stack, select Scrapbook from the Apple menu, turn to the proper page of the Scrapbook, Copy (press Command-c), then click on the stack window, go the the corresponding card, click in the field, and Paste (press Command-v). Repeat for all cards.

Adding small pop-up pictures

Small pop-up "insert" pictures (like portraits of students or close-ups of the main pictures) that are displayed momentarily when you click on a button, can be added in the following way:
1. Take the small pictures as in "Capturing Still Images", above, except that in step 4, set the image size to Current window size. Save the images in the same folder as your stack.
2. Compress the pictures as described above.
3. Type the name of each small picture in the second rectangular field (just below the field holding the name of the main picture).
4. Click on the right arrow icon to go tho the next card and repeat steps 3 and 4.

Enhancing the Title Card

The first card in your stack can be customized by typing a title into the large field at the top and typing introductory comments onto the label on the drawing of the floppy disk and onto the card to the right. (You can type where ever the hand pointer changes into a text insertion ("I") pointer). The second card is a table of contents or Òmain menuÓ; it is filled in automatically with the titles of the other cards.

Adding sound to the stack.

You can easily record sounds and add them to any card in the stack. For example, you can record a spoken narration, using the small microphone that comes with the computer, or you can record from a tape recorder or CD player.
1. Make sure you have HyperCard 2.1 with the Audio Help stack in the same folder as HyperCard itself. You may have to allocate more memory to HyperCard to record sounds: in the Finder, select the HyperCard icon, select Get Info from the File menu, and type 2000 into the Current size box. To check that everything is set, launch HyperCard and pull down the Edit menu: the last two items should be Audio... and Audio Help.
2. Plug the microphone into the back of the computer, in the small round jack that is labeled with a picture of a microphone. If you are recording from a tape recorder or CD player, connect its output into the microphone input. (You will need to obtain a suitable connector cable).
3. Select Audio... from the Edit menu. The audio palette appears.
4. Click on the Edit button in the upper right corner of the audio palette. The audio palette expands to reveal additional controls. Set the Compression to 3 to 1 and Rec. Quality to Best.
5. Go to the card where you want the sound to be played. When you are ready to record, click on the red Record button to start recording and click on the square Stop button to stop recording. Click on the Play button to check what you have recorded.
6. If you are satisfied with the recorded sound, type a name for the sound into the field at the top of the audio palette, replacing the name already there. (Each sound in a stack must be given a a unique name.) Click on the Save button. A button will appear on the current card. Hold down the option key and drag the button to the desired location.
7. If you want to change name or shape of the sound button, select the button tool from the Tools menu and double-click on the sound button. In the following dialog box you can change the button name and style or add an icon to the button. Click on OK to continue. When you are finished editing buttons, select the hand tool from the Tools menu.
8. Optional: If you would rather have the sound played automatically when a card is opened, rather than requiring that the user click the button, then delete the button (select it and press the delete key), select Card Info... from the Objects menu, click on the Script... button, and type the following into the card script window:

on opencard      
     play NameOfSound    
end opencard

replacing NameOfSound with the actual name of the sound. Save the script (press Command-s) and close the script window (press Command-w).
9. Repeat steps 5 - 8 for each sound you want to record.

Changing the background

Note that all of the picture cards in the stack have a speckled gray background and a frame around the pictures like a old-style photo album. You can change this background if you wish. Select Background from the Edit menu. (The menu bar at the very top of the screen shows slanted stripes.) Now select the eraser icon from the Tools menu and drag over the parts of the background that you want to erase. You can draw in a new background using the painting tools in the Tools menu.

By: T.C. O'Haver, Consultant
University of Maryland
(301)4051831
to2@umail.umd.edu

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This page is maintained by Prof. T.C. O'Haver. Comments, suggestions and questions should be directed to Prof. O'Haver at to2@umail.umd.edu.