The Computer Revolution/Graphics Software

Graphics Software

Graphics software, also called digital imaging software. This is used to create or modify images. Graphics software programs are commonly distinguished by whether they are primarily oriented toward painting, drawing, or image editing.

One of the most common painting programs in Microsoft Windows OS is the included Microsoft Paint. This is mostly used for creating and modifying simple images. Drawing programs also known as illustration programs are typically used to create vector graphics (mathematical formulas to represent image content instead of pixels). An image editing or photo editing program is a drawing or paint program that are specifically designed for touching up or modifying images (example: digital images and digital photos).

Animation Software

• Illusion of Movement

  Animation Software is used frequently on websites to create the effect of movement.Unlike, video or computer generated animation which use a continuous stream of images to create moving images, animation software uses several images at one time to create what is truthfully the illusion of movement.
  Animation software is easy to use for beginners and pros, it allows designers of presentations and web pages the ability to create 3D animation graphics with the click of mouse. The software comes with extensive content galleries that are full of images that can be animated.
  

• GIF

  One of the most popular animation formats is the Grafics Interchange Format (GIF). A palette of 256 colors can be use for each frame. GIF is commonly used by software engineers to give low resolution animated effects to web pages. Lossless data compression allows the gift format to compress files with out damaging visual quality, if the image does not exceed 256 colors. GIF is not suitable for high resolution images such as digital photos.

GIF Image

Adobe After Effects

Adobe After Effects is a very powerful editing tool used mostly in post-production by filmmakers. It is used for creating motion graphics and 2D animation. This software allows someone to create their own graphics and animation or alter the graphics that are already filmed in order to manipulate them into what they want. This software is very useful because it can be incorporated with other software like Flash, which allows you to use After Effects in other media beside just film.

• PNG

This format (Portable Network Graphics) using the file extension .png. is the format specifically created in 1996 for Web page images in response to patent issues surrounding the GIF format. The PNG format uses lossless compression, similar to GIF, but it can compress more efficiently than the GIF format for nonphotographic images, which results slightly smaller file sizes. PNG images can use a specific color palette of 256 colors or less (like GIF images) or they can use true color - more than 16 million colors. PNG images can also be interlaced and transparent.

These images can be displayed virtually in all web browsers without a special plug-in. The file format and file size of an image can be changed using an image editing program which allows the image to be optimized for use on a web page.

Presentation Software

• Power Point

  Microsoft PowerPoint allows the user to give text life as it appears on the screen. Text can appear in 3D, waves, one character at a time, fast or slow. These are just a few of effects the user can put to use. PowerPoint also has a selection of images (clip art) readily available which can be dragged and dropped right onto the slide. Larger images can also be taken from the web and inserted into a presentation. Images like a flag waving or sun rising are simple and easy to create.

GIS

GIS stands for Geographical Information System.

• MapPoint

MapPoint is a useful tool for people finding locations on-line. MapPoint technology is used in our desktop products and the MapPoint Web Service. It is fast, accuracy and clear shows the locations which people are looking for.

---MapPoint in Business

The MapPoint System is an integrated set of products, servers, and services that helps businesses to improve their results by applying mapping and location. By enabling customers to locate and track key enterprise assets, as well as analyze geospatial data, the MapPoint System enables customers to increase revenue, reduce operational cost and complexity, and improve business decisions.