What is Digital Media Software?

Digital media software refers to computer application programs that allow a user the flexibility to manipulate and control many aspects of digital media files. The three discrete components of digital media are audio, photographs, and video. With digital media software, a creator can combine the various constituent elements of digital media into one unified production and easily share it with others.

Digital, as opposed to analog, media is created by digitizing the underlying data into a binary format that computers can readily interpret. Modern personal computers, equipped with powerful processors as well as large hard drive storage capacities, can now manage the billions of bits of data that comprise digital images, sound, and video. Digital media software provides the necessary tools as well as a graphical user interface to accomplish these tasks.

By using the various tools provided in digital media software, the underlying attributes of each type of digital media can be adjusted or manipulated with great precision at the user’s discretion. Photographs can be color corrected, for example; exposure, brightness, and contrast each can be modified. Blemishes and other unsightly imperfections can be removed entirely.

The variable characteristic of digitized sound or audio files can be similarly altered. Portions of audio can be cut, copied, and pasted, and the discrete parts can then be combined into one continuous recording. Amplitude and volume can be adjusted and controlled as well, at any point in the audio track. Fade in and fade out of songs or audio recordings can be achieved easily by adjusting the volume curve from within the software application program.

Digital video editing software can be used to place video clips imported from a video camera onto a graphical timeline, where they can be shortened, cut, and rearranged in any sequence in order to achieve a desired effect. Sound and other audio files can be imported and added to the timeline and arranged to play at any point in the production. Still photographs can be added to the timeline and interspersed between video clips to create a montage effect.

Digital media software usually accomplishes these integration tasks either through a drag and drop interface, or through import/export, or cut and paste commands contained within each application program. With digital media software, users can seamlessly integrate sound, photographs, and video together into one presentation. Users can then share the production with others by transcribing the project file onto a DVD or CD for distribution.