Many of us have come across the concept of "preview". What it is is imagined by almost all people who are at least a little familiar with the English language or computer technology. Consider a more detailed interpretation of this word. Also, here are some tips for creating your own elements of this type.
Preview: what is it in the broadest sense
The term itself comes from the English word preview, which literally means "preview".
But if earlier it was applied mainly to graphics, today its scope is much wider. But first, let's look at the initial interpretation of the word "preview". What it is? Yes, just a reduced image of the original. Previews (as we call thumbnails) used to be indispensable when publishing 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 was reduced, and when you clicked on the preview, it openedcomplete image. Reduced copies on one web page could fit much more than the same photos or pictures with the original size.
Application of the term in various fields
Over time, the term has migrated to a variety of areas. So, for example, it began to be used in the field of software.
As an example, let's take the preview version of the Windows 10 operating system. In the title, this term means that this software product is an evaluation version only. In other words, based on this modification, the user can draw a conclusion about the full version of the OS, having previously familiarized himself with its technical characteristics and parameters. Sometimes this term also refers to software products with truncated features.
Similarly, the term is very widely used for informational purposes in music or film. For example, before the release of official full-length albums, many musical groups make cuts from the tracks included in it, so that listeners can form a preliminary opinion about the quality of all future material.
In the movies, such things are also used. As a rule, these are the brightest and most impressive shots that reveal the essence of the new film, its content, the special effects used, etc. Only such videos are not called previews, but teasers or trailers, which, in general, are the same thing. From this perspective, the preview is even a kind of advertising announcement.
In many office programs, preview is used to preview a document, so this term can also be interpreted as a “layout”.
How to make a preview yourself?
But back to the original understanding of the term. Creating a thumbnail yourself is not so difficult. First you need to decide where exactly this element will be published. For the YouTube service, you can create a static image from a frame (as a rule, the minimum recommended size is 640x360 pixels, but more is possible). The main condition is that the aspect ratio must correspond to the aspect ratio of 16:9. For other sites, if the minimum image size is not specified, you can use a ratio of 200x200 pixels.
Usually, you should select a picture or frame from a video so that the user who looks at it immediately clicks on it to view the full-size image or video. The main picture can be simply reduced in any graphics editor. Yes, even in the same Paint, which is included in the standard set of Windows 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 clip, the appropriate editors are used. True, many experts recommend making an accompanying picture consisting of several layers -g.webp
Conclusion
That's briefly and everything about 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 which tools to use to create previews, because it all depends on what semantic load will be assigned to them, how effective and attractive they should be, etc.
