MODULE 6: CREATIVE SOFTWARE

Learning objectives
In this module, you will:
 Learn and use vocabulary related to graphics software.
 Learn how to describe graphics.
 Study the basic features and vocabulary related to desktop publishing.
 Write a letter to a newspaper.
 Learn about the main components and applications of multimedia systems.
 Learn how to use conditional sentences.
 Study the basic principles of web page design.
 Design a mock home page for a college or company.

UNIT 10: GRAPHIC AND DESIGN

10.1 Discussions related to computer graphics

In pairs, look at the computer graphics(a-d) and discuss these questions
1 Which of these computer graphics are three-dimensional (3-D)?
2 What are the advantages of creating 3-D images?
3 Which types of professionals might use the computer graphics(3-D)?
4 Who else uses computer in their job? How do you use them?
10.2 Reading: Computer graphics
A. Read the text below and answer these questions.

1. What are the differences between raster graphics and vector graphics.
2. Which graphics file formats are mentioned.
3. What is the compositing?
4. What does CAD stand for?
5. What are the benefits of using graphics in the car industry ?
6. What types of graphics software is used to make maps or 3-D models of the
Earth?
7. Who uses computer animation? How?

COMPUTER GRAPHICS
Computer graphics are pictures and drawings produced by computer. There are two
main categories:
Raster graphics, or bitmaps, are stored as a collection of pixels. The sharpness of
an image depends on the density of pixels, or resolution. For example, text or pictures
that are scaled up- that is, made bigger- may show jagged edges. Paint and photo- editing
programs like Adobe Photoshop focus on the manipulation of bitmaps. Popular raster
formats are JPEG, GIF and TIFF.
Vector graphics represent images through the use of geometric objects, such as
lines, curves and polygons, based on mathematical equations. They can be changed or
scaled without losing quality. Vector data can be handled by drawing programs like
Adobe Illustrations, Corel Draw or Macromedia Freehand. EPS is the most popular file
format for exchanging vector drawings.
 Almost all computer users use most forms of graphics. Home users and professional
artists use image -editing program to manipulate images. For example, you can add
filters (special effects) to your favorite photos, or you can composite images.
Compositing is combining parts of different images to create a single image. Graphic
artists and designers use drawing programs to create freehand drawings and
illustrations for books or for the Web. Business people use presentation graphics to
make information more interesting visually - graphs and diagrams can be more
effective ways of communicating with clients than lists of figures. Electrical engineers
use graphics to design circuits in order to present data in a more understandable form.
Mechanical engineers use CAD (Computer Aided Design) software to develop, model
and test car designs before the actual parts are made. This can save a lot of time and
money.
CAD is also used in the aerospace, architecture and industrial sectors to design
everything from aeroplanes and buildings to consumer products. Designers start a project
by making a wireframe, a representation showing the outlines of all edges in a
transparent drawing. They then specify and fill the surfaces to give the appearance of a
3-D solid object with volume. This is known as solid modelling. Next, they add paint,
colour and filters to achieve the desired ‘look and feel’ this is called texturing the object.
Finally, they render the object to make it look real. Rendering includes lighting and
shadings as well as effects that simulate shadows and reflections.
 Computer art, or digital art, is used in adverts and TV programmer. Artist and
scientists use special graphics apples to create amazing fractals. Fractals are geometrical
patterns that are repeated at small scales to generate irregular shapes, some of which
describe objects from nature. Government agencies use GIS( Geographic information
systems) to understand geographic data and then plan the use of land or predict natural
disasters. Cartographers use GIS to make detailed maps. Animators use Computer
animation software to create animated cartoons or add effects in movies and video
games.
(Source: Infotech – English for computer users -Forth
edition).

B. Match the words(1-6)with the definitions (a-f)

1. Resolution a. Special effects that can be applied to pictures.

2. Jagged b. a technique that generates realistic reflections, shadows and

highlights
3.Filters
4.Wirefra c. Geometrical figures with special properties
me
d. irregular or uneven
5. Rendering
e. The number of pixels in an image
6. Fractals
f. The drawing of a model by using features like edges or contour
lines.

10.3 Consolidation
10.3.1. Choose the best answer.
1. Graphic artist like ……….color and depth in the drawings and designs.
A. add
B. addition
C. adding
D. additive
 2. A 32 –bit painting program has a complete palette of tools for ……….images
from scratch.
A. creation
B. creative
C. create
D. creating
3. The speed of microprocessor is important in ………………information.
A. Processive
B. procession
C. processing
D. processed
4. Before…………….a document, the user should decide on layout.
A. printed
B. printion
C. printive
D. printing
5. You can open the colour palette by……………..on the corresponding pop-up
icon.
A. click
B. clicked
C. clicking
D. clicktive
6. ……………..refers to the techniques used to make realistic images .
A. redertion
B. rendering
C. rendered
D. rendertive
7. You can create a picture simply by ……..primitives .
A. specification
B. specify
C. specifying
D. specified.
8. Rotation is………..the object around the axis.
A. turn
B. turn round
C. turned
 D. turning
9. Scaling is ………..the object larger or smaller in any of horizontal, vertical or
depth directions.
A. making
B. make
C. made
D. maked
10. Translation is………..an object along an axis to somewhere else in the viewing
area.
A. movement
B. moved
C. moving
D. move

10.3.2 Fill in the blanks with a suitable word

Graphics (1)………is the software that enables you to draw and manipulate objects
on a computer. Each graphics package has its own facilities plus a wide range of basic
drawing and (2)………tool. The collection of tools in a package is known as palette. The
basic shapes which are used to make (3)……………objects are called “primitives”.
These are usually geometric , such as lines between two points, arcs, (4)……………,
polygons, ellipses and even text. You can choose both the primitive you want and where
it should go on the screen.
Moreover, you can specify a (5)…………….of each primitive, such as its color, (6)
……………..type, fill area, interior style and so on.
The various tool in the palette usually appear together as pop-up(7)……………in a
menu. To use one you activate it by (8)…………………on it. For example if you want to
draw a rectangle, you activate the rectangle tool and the pop-up options allow you (9)
……… choose the origin of the rectangle (using the insertion point as its centre or
corner) and the possibility of (10) ………… a rectangle with rounded corner.
(Source: Infotech – English for computer users –Second
edition).

10.3.3 Translate the following passage into Vietnamese

Computer graphics are pictures and drawings produced by computer. A graphics
program interprets the input provided by the user and transforms it into images that can
be displayed on the screen, printed on paper or transferred to microfilm. In the process
the computer uses hundreds of mathematical formulas to convert the bits of data into
precise shapes and colours. Graphics can be developed for a variety of uses including
presentations, desktop publishing, illustrations, architectural designs and detailed
engineering drawings.
Mechanical engineers use sophisticated programs for applications in computer-
aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. Let us take, for example, the car
industry. CAD software is used to develop, model and test car designs before the actual
parts are made. This can save a lot of time and money.
Computers are also used to present data in a more understandable form: electrical
engineers use computer graphics to design circuits and people in business can present
information visually to clients in graphs and diagrams. These are much more effective
ways of communicating than lists of figures or long explanations.
Today three-dimensional graphics, along with colour and animation, are essential
for such applications as fine art, graphic design, Web-page design, computer-aided
engineering and academic research. Computer animation is the process of creating
objects and pictures which move across the screen; it is used by scientists and engineers
to analyzed problems. With the appropriate software they can study the structure of
objects and how it is affected by particular changes.
Basically, computer graphics help users to understand complex information quickly
by presenting it in a clear visual form.
(Source: Computing studies. Heinemann Education
UNIT 11: DESKTOP PUBLISHING

11.1 Discussions related desktop publishing

A. In pairs, discuss these questions
1. What kind of documents can be produced with a desktop publishing system?
2. Page layout software is the key component of the desktop publishing system.
Which file types can be imported into a page layout program?
11.2. Reading: What is desktop publishing?
A. Read the text below and check your answers to A
Desktop publishing (DTP) refers to the use of computers to design and publish
books, brochures, newsletters, magazines and other printed pieces. DTP is really a
combination of several different processes including word processing, graphic design,
information design, output and pre-press technologies, and sometimes image
manipulation.
 DTP centres around a page layout program. Typically, a layout program is used to
import texts created in word processing programs; charts and graphs from spreadsheet
programs; drawings and illustrations created in CAD, drawing or paint programs; and
photographs. The program is then used to combine and arrange them all on a page. It is
this ability to manipulate so many different items and control how they are used that
makes layout software so popular and useful. However, modern word processors also
have publishing capabilities, meaning the line separating such programs from DTP
software is becoming less clear. In general, though, powerful new publishing systems use
high-quality scalable fonts and give you control over typographic features such as
kerning (adjusting the spaces between letters to achieve even, consistent spacing).
Another key feature of DTP software is text flow - the ability to put text around graphic
objects in a variety of ways.
Once composed, DTP documents are printed on a laser printer or on a high-
resolution image-setter . For transfer to a commercial printer, the documents are generally
saved in their native page layout format (such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress) or as
PDF files. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and allows people to view, search
and print documents exactly as the publisher intended - you don't need to have the
software and fonts used to create it. PDF files can be published and distributed anywhere:
in print, attached to email, posted on websites, or on DVD. To open a PDF file, only the
Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download) is required.
In modern commercial printing, DTP files are output directly to the printing plates
without using film as an intermediate step. This new technology is known as Computer-
To-Plate (CTP) or direct to plate, and the machine that generates plates for a printing
press is called a plate-setter. CTP machines are expensive, so most people take their files
to a service bureau, a company that specializes in printing other people's files. Service
bureaux offer a full range of scanning and printing solutions.
(Source: Infotech – English for computer users -Forth edition).

B. Read the text again and answer these questions

1. What type of software is used for the creation of DTP documents?
2. What are three differences between DTP software and word processors?
3. What is a PDF and what can it do?
4. Which program do you need to view a PDF document?
5. Why do people send their DTP files to service bureaux?

C . Find words in the text with the following meanings.

 1 Shape, style and size of the typeface, for example Courier at 10pt
2 The process of adjusting the space between characters.
3 Feature that enables you to wrap text around image to be printed
4 Metal surfaces that carry the image to be printed
5 A machine that creates the printing plates.

11.3 Consolidation
11.3.1. Choose the best answer
1. What is “DTP – Desktop Publishing”?
A. It is a software
B. It is a graphic design program
C. It is the use of PCs to make books, magazines…
D. It is a software to create fonts
2. What is “inverting’?
A. Turing colours to different colours
B. Turning black to white and white to black
C. Making pictures bigger
D. Putting two opposite colors next to each other to make 3rd color
3. Turning an image round means _______.
A. inverting
B. zooming
C. rotating
D. black and white dithering
4. What is the different extension?
A. .zip
B. .rar
C. .sit
D. .avi
5. How can we make a picture bigger?
A. Point on the picture, hold down the mouse and drag
. B. Double click on the picture
C. Grab one corner of the picture and drag
D. None of the above
6. What is “layout”?
A. printout of document
 B. viewing area
C. margin of a page
D. arrangement of text and images
7. What is the smallest element of a picture?
A. bit
B. pixel
C. A& B are correct
D. A&B are not correct.
8. Why is resolution important?
A. Because it makes pictures larger
B. Because it make pictures clearer
C. Because it makes pictures more colorful
D. All are correct.
9. What is an arrow that moves around a desktop?
A. Scroll bar
B. icon
C. animation
D. pointer
10. When can we find a pull-down menu?
A. When we open a window box
B. When we drag the mouse
C. When we click on a name in menu bar
D. When we double click on an icon
1.3.2. Fill in a blank with a suitable word
Each tiny dot on the screen of a computer is (1)…………. a picture element or
pixels. Images and text are formed by combining a large(2)…………… of pixels.
In a bit-mapped display, the dots displayed on the screen correspond, pixel by
pixel, with bits in the(3)………… memory of the computer. The bits are held in an area
of the memory called the 'refresh buffer' and are stored (4)…………. groups that
represent the horizontal and vertical position of the pixels(5).............. the screen and
whether the pixels are on or off.
On monochrome systems, one bit in this 'map' represents one pixel on the screen
and can (6)……… either 'on' or 'off' (black or white). On colour systems, each pixel is a
certain combination (7)……… the three primary colours: red, green and blue. The total
number of colours which can be (8)………… on the screen is called the colour palette.
The size of this palette depends on the graphics adaptor, a separate video card (9)……….
converts the bits into visual signals. A graphics adaptor with 1 bit per primary colour can
generate up to 8, or 2 colours, as you can see(10)……….. the table on page 20. A
graphics adaptor with 8 bits per primary colour can generate 16.7 million or 8 colours.
(Source: Infotech – English for computer users –Second
edition).

11.3.3 Translate the following passage into Vietnamese

As central computers became faster and more powerful, it was possible to establish
many remote display stations from which operators could all use the same computer to
display information and enter data. Later, even the small machines were equipped with a
fairly large display screen and keyboard oriented towards use by a person with limited
training, rather than by a highly skilled computer operator.
For many interactions with computers a permanent record is unnecessary; therefore,
output that is scanned once and then thrown away procedures a lot of wasted paper. To
solve this problem cathode ray tube (CRT) terminal can be used. In addition to
eliminating paper waste, these terminals are completely silent and frequently much safer
than hard-copy terminals. Because of their speed and quietness, CRT terminals are very
useful interactive devices for use in offices and in other areas. The electronic circuitry
used in them is very much the same as that in the familiar TV (video) set.
These display terminals are diverse and colorful. The original video output was
single-colour (black and white) upper-case letters, but in more highly developed devices,
lower-case letters can be displayed, and some give options of blinking and dual-density
characters. Certain screens can produce "negative" (dark) characters on a bright'
background or even make each character a different colour, if so desired. The latter is an
important feature in order to catch someone's attention when a value is abnormal.
More sophisticated screens can generate continuous lines for graphic displays. The
simplest of these are monochromatic and may have: strictly limited graphic applications.
For example, they may use special characters strung together in order to form lines that
look continuous, or they may be restricted regarding the number and the shape of curves
that can be drawn at once. Multicolor pictorial graphics are extremely useful in
emphasizing contrast, and have been used with good result in nuclear medicine, where
differences in intensity would be too subtle if shades of only one colour were used.
The full power of visual display terminals may soon be realized. Already dynamic
(motion) graphics output devices that display simple changing scenes have been
developed for flight
 trainers and computer-generated movies. These devices could have an important
impact on the use of computer-assisted instructions (CAI) techniques in school and
colleges.
Besides screens, a wide variety of devices called plotters and are used to produce
permanent copies of graphics output. The first plotter developed used a pen that moved
back and forth across the rotating drum to which paper was attached. These devices
produced results which were both quite accurate and reasonably fast. Other plotters
featuring a moving pen in two dimensions are relatively slow, because not only are they
mechanical devices, but also most can produce only one continuously line at a time.
However, the modem electrostatic plotter, an extension of the previously mentioned
electrostatic printer, can obtain slightly less artistic results in seconds because it doesn't
depend on a moving pen. This is because it electronically generates patterns of dots in a
line across the page to make up a picture.
Graphic output may be an effective alternative to high-speed hard-copy output
where graphs are more useful than columns of numbers for showing results. Most of the
time, a graph is not only better than columns and pages of printed numbers, but also has
the advantages of being quicker to produce and easier to understand and file. Pen plotters
have been used a great deal in scientific research, where results are often expressed in
terms of graphs.
In recent years, new output devices have been developed to bridge the gaps between
the various devices just described. For instance, terminals with both video screen and
hard-copy output are now available. These devices don't waste paper, since hard copy is
produced only when a permanent record is needed. Terminals of this nature are used in
applications where relevant personal data is needed which can be corrected or edited on a
screen before a hard copy is made. University registration or patient registration are two
areas where these devices save time and money, because a new hard copy need be
produced only if something has changed from the previous registration or visit.
Finally, there are electrostatic printer-plotters available which produce both print
and graphic displays with equal facility. It is possible with these devices to change the
style and size of the letters at the users ‘wish and to have graphs and displays interspersed
between the printed lines.
It is therefore very clear that in modern times, the converging technologies of
printers, plotters, and graphic displays have resulted in the creation of a few hybrid
devices capable of doing many things.