TrueSpectra is a new software product supported by the Faculty
Development Center that dynamically renders and manipulates high-quality,
high-resolution Internet images on the fly (cropping, resizing,
adding image effects, and even zooming). According to ServerWatch,
[Y]ou can take one image resize it, copy it, watermark it, frame
it (and more) as much as you like, and it will all be delivered
to Web pages by the TrueSpectra server. Instead of making copious
versions of an image, one image is all that's needed.
There are three ways you can use TrueSpectra in the classroom:
You can embed
your TrueSpectra images into any web page or Blackboard
course document. Your students will be able to view those images
using any web browser connected to the Internet, provided they
have Macromedia's free Flash
6 Player.
One of TrueSpectra's most exciting features is its ability to zoom
into any high-resolution image -- aerial photographs, pages
from ancient manuscripts, images generated by an electron microscope,
and so on. And you can easily insert TrueSpectra zoomable images
into any of your courses' Web pages or Blackboard course
documents. You can also use TrueSpectra zoom in any classroom
with an Internet connection and a Web browser. For example, visit
this
web page, click on "Zoom Generator," and
then click on the "try it" button when the generator loads.
Best of all, with TrueSpectra file size is no longer a concern.
TrueSpectra dynamically renders high-quality, high-resolution images
on the fly, automatically displaying images optimized for the speed
of your Internet connection. Thanks to TrueSpectra, the
images below load in seconds, not hours.
Anza Borrego
Desert Max zoom: 3x
Aerial
View of CSUF Campus, 10/17/00 Max zoom: 5x
To zoom, click anywhere
on the image. To pan, click and hold your mouse button while
dragging.
Examples of how TrueSpectra can be used
In a Web Page
-- a page from Gray's Anatomy that demonstrates the capabilities
of TrueSpectra Image Server 4.1. The illustrations are generated
by TrueSpectra's image URL generator, and the zoomable image at
the bottom of the page (courtesy US
Department of Energy) is generated by TrueSpectra's zoom
generator.
In
a smart classroom -- a collection of images created
by Dr. Cohen at SJSU. Using a web browser and an Internet connection
in any smart classroom, these images can be displayed and manipulated
live, during class. [This link takes you to a thumbnail gallery
containing different directories of images uploaded by Dr. Cohen
at SJSU. Click on the directory that interests you to see the
images.]
Faculty Posters
-- a conference poster created by Dr. Louise Adler and Pat Puleo
174 Kb)