Course Review

General . . .

This course has covered many Graphics Concepts.  It was intended to acquaint you with some of the more common ideas associated with using your PC as a tool to have fun with Graphics of all types including photographs.  The core of all graphics tools lies in the basic operating system.  The basic commands reside there.  As second party vendors of software repackage these instructions they make it easier for the user.  Most users never understand the concepts in back of the applications they are using.  For this reason a large part of this course was devoted to the "Paint" application which comes packaged as an integral part of the Windows Operating System.  It behooves users of graphics software to become familiar with Paint as a prerequisite for using other software.

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.

A good application is one which allows the user to perform both the creation of graphics (or drawing) along with editing and adding content to photographs.  The most commonly used graphics format today is the jpg (Joint Photographics Group) format.  Many of today's better digital cameras and scanners use this format. Cameras are more versatile than scanners due to their added optics.  This not only makes them portable but allow for constant resolution regardless of object size.

Course Intent . . .

The intent of this course was to stimulate interest, provide insight into the most basic ideas, and to encourage seniors to experiment and learn the features of various Software Applications while having fun and sharing their knowledge with their peers. Always remember that your computer is merely a recorder/player which is full if instructions. Instructions which allow you to process stored information are called Software Application Programs. You must have software on your computer which has been designed to perform the tasks you desire.  Paint Shop Pro has great Vector Graphics capabilities. 

All types of software are available from many sources. You probably were introduced to Computer Graphics by simple "Clip Art" Images which you can insert into documents. Along the way you encountered word art and quick art. These are basic programs which usually come installed on new computers. Remember only you can become acquainted with their uses by experimenting with their various features. You only learn by experience. Try things, you may learn to like them.

Using all the Tools

As our experience base broadened we learned features common to most graphics software. Titles or names on the menus and dialog boxes vary from application to application. This is not to confuse users but to protect vendors from copyright lawsuits. Also by using new terminology vendors hope to attract new customers by novel advertising convincing potential customers that their software is the best and most capable. Do not be taken in by all this commercial babble.

All software relates in some manner to the basic commands in the operating system. Programmers can make some software easier to use, this is called user friendliness. User friendliness boils down to methods users are familiar with. Like comfortable shoes we don't like to break in new ones. Polls taken to determine popularity of various software packages can be very misleading. What the polls usually tell us is which company is best at marketing. Customers always buy the best product, people by nature never admit they made a bad selection when it come to purchasing.

The attempt of this course was to allow participants to experience various application software packages. It is hoped that you now can readily learn to use any package available to you on any computer you find available. The software packages used in this course happened to be those available for use in the computer laboratory. They are good programs and typical of many available today.

Integrating Software Features

We also experienced the great feature of the Windows Operating System called multi-tasking. Different applications can be loaded into RAM simultaneously and use made of their various features when working on processing a single graphic. This is very powerful. This feature allows you to be very creative. All types of applications can benefit from multi-tasking and the object embedding features of the current operating systems.

Review

Take a moment to reflect back on the material covered in the course. Try to see how it fits into a basic understanding of Computer Graphics. In the time allowed for this course a lot of specific detail could not be covered. You should have all the basic tools you need to expand your knowledge base. Keep on learning by experience, experiment with new commands and features. Create (Make-Up) tasks to perform. Graphics can be a great hobby with just a minimum of tools. The computer is a great tool for graphics enthusiasts. Senior citizens (Now referred to a Third Agers) have a memory full of past experiences as well as boxes full of old Photographs and Slides. Hours of fun can be had in working with them and reminiscing about our lives and friends. Listed below are the major areas which we covered. Think on them; how can you use them?

From the Instructor . . .

I hope you have enjoyed this course and have gained what you desired.  I love teaching and sharing with you things I have discovered.  My philosophy is that learning can and should be fun.  As senior citizens we share our knowledge and experience. "Peers empowering Peers".

Comments and feedback are appreciated... dchristensen@hsvclc.org

Also visit the author's web site on line at  www.deanchri.org 

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Prepared 5/15/04
For Class Members use.
By: Dean Christensen