There are many computer graphics software packages that help you create and/or modify graphics for presentation on the Web. They range from inexpensive programs packaged with scanners and digital cameras, that let you apply minor cosmetic touches to images, to full blown very expensive programs such as PhotoShop that provide professional level image manipulations. In between are programs such as PaintShop Pro, that provide significant graphics manipulations at reasonable cost.

While all of these programs have their own set of commands, terminology, and operations, they generally operate in a similar manner and provide similar capabilities. These typically include manipulations on single images that let you:

• Shrink, expand, rotate, flip, crop, zoom in, zoom out, and distort (skew or warp) the image
• Apply a large number of color and pattern effects, such as: Bas Relief, blur, tile, noise, drop shadows, emboss, fisheye, flocking, grayscale, halftone, negatives, stained glass, vortex, wave, and many more color, distortion, and patterning effects
• Control the opacity (transparency), create transparent backgrounds, cutout regions based on rectangular, circular, or polygonal areas or on areas that are defined by a range of colors.
• Heighten or dim colors, or modify colors
• Overlay text or paint areas with control over the size, color, pattern, and intensity of the paintbrush

For multiple images you can usually:

• Group multiple images together
• Align images with respect to each other or to the composition space
• Flip and rotate groups of images as a unit
• Trace old shapes to create a new shape
• Apply all of the color and pattern effects above that apply to a single image
• Wholly or partially snip out one graphic from another that overlays it; transfer color from one image to another where they overlap; glue the full or partial image of one graphic to another
• Transfer various properties (color, texture, saturation, etc) from one image to another where (the non-transparent areas) overlap.
• Change the order of images by moving them forward or back

Other operations let you: add text with control over color, size, font; use a paintbrush to add color, texture, or generate hard or soft edges, etc.

Course Topics

Graphics Design Based on Edward Tufte's Principles

Setting up your First Web Page

Acquiring Graphics From the Web Itself

Acquiring Graphics from Scanners and Digital Cameras

Graphics File Formats and Graphic File Conversion

Efficient Graphics

Colors, Backgrounds, Transparencies

Creating and Modifying Graphics Using Software

How to Do It