GRAPHICS CONCEPTS
During this course we will concentrate on the Processing of Graphical Information.
You will learn how to use and how to become familiar with Graphic Software in general. The best Graphics applications for you are the ones you are familiar with. All graphics programs stem from the capability of the operating system. i.e. they are all descendants of their ancestors. Because of this the best application to use for the introduction of Graphics is the PAINT program which comes packaged with the Windows operating system. Two examples of other software will then be used to show how features are combined to make tasks easier.
Terminology is always confusing. This is due to many various software companies competing for the market dollar. In order to avoid copyright lawsuits new "buzz words" are being coined. There are many computer and graphics glossaries available on the Internet. A fairly complete graphics glossary is provided with "Paint Shop Pro" by JASAC Software. Most of that glossary is provided on this CD. Additional terms have been added. Click Here to view this glossary.
A Computer is a Tool...
It is used to manipulate OBJECTS.
An object can be many things...
¨Text ¨ Sound
¨ Graphic ¨ Document
¨ Photograph ¨ File
A file is a collection of information. Objects are files; Files are objects.
A computer uses specific objects called APPLICATIONS.
An application is a tool... A set of stored instructions which contain...
¨ Menus ¨ Dialog Boxes
( They provide choices for the user. )
( Some people refer to applications as Software or Programs. )
Applications are files; Applications are objects.
We use Applications to manipulate objects by selecting commands such as...
¨ cut ¨ copy ¨ paste
¨ save ¨ open ¨ print
¨ insert ¨ format ¨ edit
¨ draw ¨ paint ¨ font
Filename extensions usually associate the file or object with the application used for it’s creation. A term generally used for this is the “format” of the object. This 3 character filename extension usually provides a clue as to how the file or object was created and which type of application must be used to view the file.
During this course we will be working with several software applications simultaneously. This is referred to as multitasking. We will now look at the hardware attributes as they relate to the appearance of graphics on the monitor and printed output. There needs to be some continuity between the hardware and software.
Resolution
determines the amount of information which can be displayed.
A "PIXEL "
is the smallest element displayed on a monitor screen. Resolution
is measured by the number of horizontal and vertical pixels. The
number of horizontal pixels is stated first followed by the
number of vertical ones. Lower resolution monitors are 640 x 480
pixels. Higher resolution monitors are more expensive and the
more common ones are 1280 x 1024.
The number of colors a monitor can display determines how realistic images appear. More colors result in more realistic images. The more common home used monitors are 256 colors. Some are only 16 colors. The number of bits used to define a color determines the number of colors available. 16 colors are 4-bit color. 256 colors are 8-bit color. 65536 colors are 16-bit color. Most modern monitors can be adjusted to use the number of colors you select. More colors use more memory. Older monitors which displayed 16 colors at a resolution of 640 x 480 were called Video Graphics Array (VGA) monitors. Newer Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) monitors display more colors and higher resolutions.
A video card has memory chips which temporarily store information before sending it to the monitor. To work successfully with photos you need a good video card, one with a minimum of 1 MB of Video Random Access Memory (VRAM). The bottom line is to have sufficient hardware to satisfy you, the user. As home users we should not expect professional quality for non-professional prices.
The resolution of printers is provided in dots per inch (dpi). Dot-matrix printers usually are not satisfactory for printing graphics other than clipart. A dot-matrix printer produces typewriter-quality documents. Ink Jet printers have higher resolutions, the standard was 720 dpi. Laser printers normally have resolutions of 1200 dpi. A color laser printer has superior output to an ink jet printer but it is more expensive. Printers which are affordable for photo quality are now becoming available. The better the quality the slower the printing speed for the same price range printers. Dye Sublimation printers are the most expensive and they produce images which appear like color photographs. These are mainly used by professionals, individuals can take photos on a floppy disk and have them printed at a print shop.
Graphics software is the stored instructions which allows the operator of a computer to manage and process graphical information. The proliferation of graphics software in recent years has been tremendous. Software vendors have seen that profits can be made by keeping pace with technology advances in hardware. Software prices are low as little or no overhead is required. Companies like Seattle Film Works gave software away when you use their film developing services. Manufactures of scanning equipment and digital cameras give graphics software away with their products. Shareware is available for a free trial basis on the Internet. This is to encourage the user to become familiar with the product in hopes that a more inclusive package with additional features will be purchased. One thing to keep in mind is that all graphics software comes from the same central or essential part of the operating system. That is to say; All tools and commands originate in the basic graphics of the operating system. Second party vendors merely take the commands available to them and repackage them for you. For this reason it is extremely important that you learn and understand all of the commands and basic tools available in the MS Windows Paint software. All of the other graphics software you use will relate back to it in some fashion. This second party software makes the user's job easier and gives you lots of added flexibility. In this course we will use as many software packages as possible such that you can notice all the similarity and common features. Notice that the common features have different names used by different vendors. This is to provide protection of copyright laws. No matter which product you may have available to you on computers outside of the class room, you should still be able to do the exercises.
The best software application is the one you are familiar with. Develop your own preferences and techniques. Remember it is the task which is important, not the method.
First we will review all of the basic computing principles of file management, editing, and formatting. We will then study the Paint software in detail. All of the commands and tools will be investigated. Multiple copies of Paint documents will be used simultaneously such that the various copy and paste commands can be used. Pasting with transparent backgrounds will be accomplished. During the week you should use all of the features of Paint to create a graphic. Save the graphic to discuss next week and share with the class particulars you learned or became more familiar with. We will start each class with a review and share period. This course is intended to provide you with many hours of fun and enjoyment. Every individual learns at their own pace and in their own way. Discussion and demonstration are two good ways to learn. Demonstrate to others what you learn.
Viewing, Imaging, and Processing . . .
Graphics applications or software packages can be put into several categories. The simplest is a Viewer. Graphics viewers usually have few features and they are merely used to view some of the more common file types or formats.
Imaging applications are a step up in capability. These programs will usually allow adjustments to be made on the graphic, such as brightness, contrast and sometimes hue or color changes. A few of these will also allow size and resolution adjustments to be made.
True Graphics Processing requires more capability than viewer and imaging software allows. These packages are more expensive. The better ones contain tools for both raster and vector graphics. They provide for layers and masks which are valuable attributes used to change colors and colorize gray scale images. With these programs you can create many effects and combine portions of various graphics with ease. These programs usually provide for 10 to 20 different file formats. They are very useful for exchanging graphical information.
The process of electronically acquiring copies of images is know as "digitizing". This is accomplished using special hardware. This hardware uses an array of sensors to scan the source. Copying machines combine these scanning arrays with a printing device. These machines have been around for years. As they became mass produced the cost of the scanning arrays decreased such that they became popular for use in the home as supplements to a personal computing system. The use of PCs for graphics took off.
As scanning technology produced smaller arrays with additional resolution, pixels per inch, digital cameras became popular. Today both flatbed scanners and digital cameras are in widespread use. The present trend is towards cameras. Cameras can do anything a flatbed scanner can do and much more. They are portable and therefore have more varied uses. The optics on a camera can spread the entire sensor array over a very small object or over an entire landscape.
The cost of digital cameras came down as the demand increased. Digital cameras when compared to conventional ones are very economical considering the cost of film and processing. Better digital cameras allow use of standard computing storage hardware such as conventional floppy disks. These disks can be removed from the camera and viewing of the pictures can be immediate on any computer. Higher resolution cameras are more expensive and provide images suitable for printing large posters or display on large screens. The average person processing images for viewing on a computer monitor does not require resolutions higher than 1280 x 960. In fact if the images are to be transported over the Internet 640 x 480 resolution may be more desirable for smaller file size and faster transport times.
If you have an older computer camera or scanner, then it uses
a file format called TWAIN instead of the new WIA format. There's no problem
with that, but be aware that in Microsoft Me, the TWAIN format is no longer
supported in Paint or WordPad. Microsoft has a new windows format called
WIA (Windows Image Acquisition). Newer digitizing software packages will accommodate
this format as will as many other common ones. JPEG or jpg is the most
common for photographs.
Importing from the Internet or e-mail
In addition to using hardware to acquiring images or graphics they may be readily obtainable from electronic transmission. Your Internet Browser software will usually allow you to right click on any graphic and then save it to a file on your system. This approach also works for most e-mail software. You are using your browser to view this web page. Try importing the image below from this CD to a file on your system.
Note: You can always create a graphic using any graphics software program including Paint. Paint and other applications can also be used to modify existing photographs and other graphical images.
The only way to learn is to practice. In order to provide the class with opportunity to learn exercises will be provided. These exercises are a minimum. You are encouraged to be creative and use your imagination to come up with other projects and tasks. File space for your work will be provided on the computer you use during class. The path for your files will be provided. You can work at home and set up files for your work on your computer. If you bring items from home to share with the class be careful to use clean disks. The exercises are listed in the sessions where they relate to the material being covered.
Class participants will be given the opportunity to experience new ways to become aquatinted with graphics software and it's capabilities by performing tasks. For the most part these tasks will be very general in nature, allowing the participant to use his ingenuity and develop his own style. We will attempt to use class time to share what we have discovered. There will usually be one or more tasks associated with each class. These tasks will have the following characteristics:
1. Have learning objectives.
2. Are doable and can be facilitated.
3. Can be evaluated and extend the learning process.
4. Are fun and creative.
Navigation Bar