Terms and Useful Software
The software that we will be using performs tasks that were once performed exclusively by skilled professionals in different industries. Printing, Photography, Graphic Design and Drafting are just a few professions that share terms with computer graphics.
PaintShop Pro has excellent Help features built in. From the Main Menu select Help and then choose Context Help
. Now move your cursor to any button or panel to learn specific information about that feature. If it's something specific that your trying then search the Help Index for keywords.
I have included a Glossary at the back of this course. I have tried to include the most important and most common terms used with computer graphics.
 Many tasks can be performed using Keyboard Shortcuts. |
 216 Web Safe Color Palette for Web graphics |
There are two methods most commonly used to store the contents of a computer graphic.
Bit mapped Images
In a bit mapped file the information about the color and
intensity of each pixel is stored, beginning with the top left
pixel and ending with the bottom right. This is currently the
best way to store two dimensional images such as a scanned
photograph or a digital photograph. A bit mapped image does not
enlarge very well because there is no information about what should be between the pixels. When a bit mapped image is enlarged each pixel (in the file) is enlarged causing jagged edges and an
overall grainy (pixelized) appearance. We will be using both bit mapped and vector features to create, edit and save all of our files.
Vector Graphics
Programs like Macromedia FreeHand (formerly Aldus), Adobe
Illustrator and Corel Draw are commonly refereed to as draw
programs. These programs use mathematical formulas to store
information about objects which have been placed into various
layers, shaped and filled with color by the artist. Programs like
these are very difficult to master. One advantage of vector over
bit mapped is that they can be enlarged to any size without any
jagged edges. Vector images also tend have very small file sizes,
a fraction the size of a compressed bit mapped image.
We will primarily be using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7, an image editing program similar to PhotoShop. Several other software titles with varying features are available.
Whole Lot Of Software
Common Layout programs like MS Word, PageMaker, Corel Word
Perfect and Netscape Composer allow you to layout a page for
print or the web. Documents that you create with these programs
can be improved with a few properly placed images. With a good
graphics program you can add something more personal than clip
art. Photographs and art works can be scanned for reproduction,
archiving or portfolio.
If you have a computer and a scanner then you probably have a decent graphics editing program already. You may have to load it separately from the CD that came with your scanner. It may even be installed already. A scanner can be purchased for under $100.00 from most computer retailers.
Some of the free titles often included with scanners are PhotoShop LE (limited edition) and PhotoDeluxe by Adobe or Ulead PhotoImpact. There are several others, so read your scanner literature if your not sure. If you have Corel Draw or Corel Office, they usually include PhotoPaint which is a separate program. Corel PhotoPaint is similar in features to Adobe PhotoShop or PaintShop Pro but is more complicated to use. The menus and buttons will be different in all of these programs but the underlying concepts are exactly the same.
Adobe PhotoShop is the leading graphics software. The full version retails for over $500.00, ouch! You can usually purchase an Academic version at a college bookstore for about $200.00. The Academic version has most of the features (maybe all) that the standard version has. The Academic license means that your not supposed to be using the software for profit.
MetaCreations Painter is another really good graphics program. The latest full version usually retails for a little over $350.00. You may be able to find an older version for a fraction of this price. Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000, Adobe PhotoShop LE, and PaintShop Pro can all be purchased retail for less than $100.00 at WallMart or Office Max.
To find this software and more online, check out http://www.download.com/
My Favorite
I have used all of the software discussed here and personally I
prefer PaintShop Pro for editing bit mapped images. The Image
Browser allows me to keep thousands of graphic files organized
and easily accessible. I can open graphics formats created by
almost any other program even PhotoShop. The customizable tool
bar and shortcut keys make repetitive tasks quick and easy. All
this and precise image control and special effects and... Well
you get the idea.
Animation
PaintShop Pro also includes a separate animation program called
AnimationShop which allows you to use the features of both
programs to create animation from your drawings. You can draw
using PaintShop's brushes or if you have a scanner, you can
draw each frame by hand and scan them into PaintShop, edit then
arrange the frames and run them in AnimationShop. If you are
interested in animation check out the Computer Animation class.
