Chapter 6 – Graphics, Digital Media and Multimedia

3-D modeling software	Software that enables the user to create 3-D objects. The objects can be rotated, stretched, and combined with other model objects to create complex 3-D scenes.
Animation	The process of simulating motion with a series of still pictures.
Audio digitizer	Hardware devices or software programs that capture a sound and store it as a data file on a disk.
Augmented reality	The use of computer displays that add virtual information to a person's sensory perceptions, supplementing rather than replacing (as in virtual reality) the world the user sees.
Bit depth	Color depth, the number of bits devoted to each pixel in a color display.
Bitmapped graphics	Graphics in which images are stored and manipulated as organized collections of pixels rather than as shapes and lines. Contrast with object-oriented graphics.
Bullet charts	Graphical elements, such as drawings and tables, integrated into a series of charts that list the main points of a presentation.
Button	A hot spot on a screen that responds to mouse clicks. A button can be programmed to perform one of many tasks, such as opening a dialog box or launching an application.
Color depth	Bit depth, the number of bits devoted to each pixel.
Compression	Making files smaller using special encoding schemes. File compression saves storage space on disks and saves transmission time when files are transferred through networks.
Computer-aided design	The use of computers to draw products or process designs on the screen.
Computer-integrated manufacturing	The combination of CAD and CAM.
Digital video	Video reduced to a series of numbers, which can be edited, stored, and played back without loss of quality.
Drawing software	Stores a picture as a collection of lines and shapes. Also stores shapes as shape formulas and text as text.
Frame	In animation, one still picture in a video or animated sequence.
Grey-scale graphics	Computerized imaging that allows each pixel to appear as black, white, or one of several shades of gray.
Hypermedia	The combination of text, numbers, graphics, animation, sound effects, music, and other media in hyperlinked documents.
Hypertext	An interactive cross-referenced system that allows textual information to be linked in no sequential ways. A hypertext document contains links that lead quickly to other parts of the document or to related documents.
Image processing software	Software that enables the user to manipulate photographs and other high-resolution images.
Interactive multimedia	Multimedia that enables the user to take an active part in the experience.
MIDI	Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a standard interface that allows electronic instruments and computers to communicate with each other and work together.
Mixing	The combining of multiple tracks, audio effects, and balancing volumes and audio placement to make the best possible recording.
MP3	A method of compression that can squeeze a music file to a fraction of its original CD file size with only slight loss of quality.
Multimedia	Using some combination of text, graphics, animation, video, music, voice, and sound effects to communicate.
Multimedia-authoring software	Enables the creation and editing of multimedia documents.
Object-oriented graphics	The storage of pictures as collections of lines, shapes, and other objects.
Painting software	Enables you to paint pixels on the screen with a pointing device.
Palette	A collection of colors available in drawing software.
PDF	Allows documents of all types to be stored, viewed, or modified on any Windows or Macintosh computer, making it possible for many organizations to reduce paper flow.
Pixel	A picture element (dot) on a computer screen or printout. Groups of pixels compose the images on the monitor and the output of a printout.
Podcast	Radio- or television-style programs that can be down loaded on demand or automatically by subscription.
Presentation graphics software	Automates the creation of visual aids for lectures, training sessions, and other presentations. Can include everything from spreadsheet charting programs to animation-editing software but most commonly used for creating and displaying a series of onscreen slides to serve as visual aids for presentations.
Public domain	Creative work or intellectual property that is freely usable by anyone, either because the copyright has expired or because the creator obtained a Creative Commons license for the work.
Resolution	Density of pixels, measured by the number of dots per inch.
Sample	A digital sound file.
Sequencing software	Software that enables a computer to be used as a tool for musical composition, recording, and editing.
Synthesized	Synthetically generated computer sounds.
Tele-immersion	The use of multiple cameras and high-speed networks to create an environment in which multiple remote users can interact with each other and with computer-generated objects.
Vector graphics	The storage of pictures as collections of lines, shapes, and other objects.
Video-editing software	Software for editing digital video, including titles, sound, and special effects.
Virtual reality	Technology that creates the illusion that the user is immersed in a world that exists only inside the computer, an environment that contains both scenes and the controls to change those scenes.