Many of us have come across such a thing as"Preview". Practically all people, at least a little familiar with the English language or computer equipment, imagine what it is. Consider a more detailed interpretation of this word. In addition, we give some tips on creating your own elements of this type.
The term itself comes from the English word preview, meaning in the literal translation of "preview."
But if earlier it was applied mainly tographics, today its use is much wider. But first, let's look at the initial interpretation of the word “preview”. What it is? Yes, just a thumbnail image of the original. Previews (as we call thumbnails) used to be irreplaceable when posting pictures or photos on the Internet, the actual size of which was geometrically too large to fit several images on one page.
For convenience, the original picture is reduced, and whenclick on the thumbnail opens a full image. Smaller copies on one web page could fit much more than the same photos or pictures with the original size.
Over time, the term migrated to various fields. So, for example, it began to be used in the field of software.
В качестве примера возьмем операционную систему "Windows 10" preview version. In the title, this term means that the software is an evaluation version only. In other words, the user on the basis of this modification can make a conclusion about the full version of the OS, having previously got acquainted with its technical characteristics and parameters. Sometimes this term also denotes software products with reduced capabilities.
Similarly, the term is very widely used forintroductory purposes in music or in movies. For example, before the release of official full-fledged albums, many musical groups make cuttings from the tracks included in it, so that listeners can form a preliminary opinion about the quality of all future material.
In the movie, such things are also used.As a rule, these are the most vivid and impressive shots, revealing the essence of the new film, its content, special effects, etc. Only such videos are not called previews, but teasers or trailers, which, in general, are one and the same. In this perspective, the preview is even a kind of advertising announcement.
In many office programs, the preview is used to preview a document, so this term can also be interpreted as “layout”.
But back to the original understanding of the term.Creating a thumbnail yourself is not so difficult. First, you should decide where exactly this element will be published. For YouTube, you can create a static image from some frame (as a rule, the minimum recommended size is 640x360 pixels, but it can be more). The main condition is that the aspect ratio must meet the ratio of 16: 9. For other sites, if the minimum size of the picture is not specified, a ratio of 200x200 pixels can be used.
Usually you should choose a picture or frame fromvideo, so that the user who looked at it, immediately clicked on it to view a full-size image or video. The main picture can be simply reduced in any graphic editor. Yes, even in the same Paint, included in the standard set of Windows-based systems. But if you need to add additional effects, it is better to turn to professional programs like Adobe Photoshop.
When creating an audio or video, applyrelevant editors. True, many experts recommend making an accompanying image consisting of several layers (GIF image). This attracts a potentially interested audience much more. In this case, you will need several images for which in special applications you can set the sequence of frames from the pictures and the time delay between transitions.
Here is a brief and all that concerns the term "preview".What it is, I think, is already clear. Although in the classical sense this is a reduced image, the current interpretation in different areas of use looks much wider. It is rather difficult to advise what tools to use for creating thumbnails, because it all depends on what meaning is placed on them, how effective and attractive they should be, etc.
