Media view

Media view

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This view displays media files one at a time, at their full size. Unlike other views, Media view is a real-time presentation of the original media files on-screen. This means that Microsoft Expression Media must have access to the file; otherwise, you will get an error message indicating that Expression Media cannot locate the file. In Media view, you can play animations, movies, and sounds, or navigate inside a QuickTime Virtual Reality (QTVR)image. You can use the on-screen QuickTime controls to interact with movies, music and QTVR. You can also flip through the pages of a PDF or view the various layers of a Photoshop document by using the Pager tool that appears in the Header bar.

When an image does not fit completely inside the window, the pointer changes to a hand. You can use the pointer to move the image, the RIGHT ARROW key to advance to the next image, or the LEFT ARROW key to go to the previous image in the catalog.

You can use the Zoom buttons in the upper-right side of the Header bar to zoom in and out. To adjust the size of media display in this view, you can use the Size menu. Options include Actual Size, Scale to Fit, Fit Width, Fit Height, Pin Larger Side, Pin Smaller Side, Tile, and a selection of percentages.

For large media files (for example, 30 MB), there can be a small delay before the media appears on-screen. The more powerful the computer, the smaller the chance of a delay.

To print a particular layer or page in a composite file, go to the page or layer you want to print, and then, on the Action menu, click Rebuild Item before printing. For movies and multi-page items, Expression Media prints only the frame assigned as an item's thumbnail.

Playing audio or video files in views

Expression Media can play a wide variety of music, video, and multimedia files. They can be played in any view, including slide shows.

Playing back an audio file in the Media view

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To start the playback in the Thumbnail view, select the file that you want to play, and then click the Play Media button Cc507788.b147da54-3672-478c-bc0b-1f9bd7fba27a(en-us,Expression.10).png on the toolbar. Alternatively, you can press the SPACEBAR. To stop the playback, press the toolbar's Play Media button Cc507788.fbfe6c46-cf6b-4aea-863f-1810730ad966(en-us,Expression.10).png or press the SPACEBAR.

To control the playback in the Media view, click the Play or Pause button on the file thumbnail, or click the Play Media button, as instructed above.

In Media view, media files such as video, music, Flash, and QTVR are displayed with QuickTime controls. You can use these controls to regulate playback and control volume. Alternatively, you can click the toolbar's Play Media icon and press the SPACEBAR to start and stop playback.

One unique feature of Expression Media is that you can switch between List view, Thumbnail view, and Media view while playing a file, without changing playback quality. To change views, click the appropriate tab.

If Expression Media cannot play your file, you can define a media player program that can play the file and use it as a helper application. To learn more about how to define helper applications and open files with them, see Editing media in other applications.

Cc507788.alert_caution(en-us,Expression.10).gifImportant Note:

If you want to play back Adobe Flash (.swf) files, you must enable QuickTime to play back those files. To do this, open QuickTime and then, on the Edit menu, point to Preferences and click QuickTime Preferences. Click the Advanced tab, and then click the Enable playback of Adobe Flash tracks check box to select it.

Playlist mode

Playlist Mode enables you to play the files of a catalog in a continuous sequence. This feature is not selected by default. If you want to select it, on the Play menu, click Playlist Mode.

This feature is useful when you have a catalog of MP3 files that you want to listen to, or a sequence of video or still images that you want to watch. Expression Media continuously plays the files in your catalog in a loop for the amount of time you specify.

To start playing a playlist, select the file that you want to begin with, and click the PlayMedia button in the toolbar. Alternatively, you can press the SPACEBAR. To stop the playback, press the toolbar's Play Media icon or the SPACEBAR.

Playlist mode also automatically advances through a catalog of images, which is especially useful in Media view. This feature simulates a slide show while displaying information panels that open alongside the images. You can adjust the delay (short, medium, or long) between images in the Stills Pause command of the Play Media menu.

When Playlist mode is turned off, media can still be played, but Expression Media will not advance to the next media item when playback of the selected item finishes.

See also

Concepts

List view

Thumbnail view