Our favorite Graphics Tools. If you don't like them, we have others...

"What's the big deal about web graphics, anyway?"

Text is text is text. Text is a symbolic form of language used for the transmission of ideas. Text is, as a set of language symbols, useful indeed. Objections about relevancy of curricula and objectivity of intelligence testing aside, we all need to be as adept as we can in using and interpreting these language symbols. But text has it's limitations, chief among which is it's abstract nature. Text requires effort to derive meaning and therefore is considered by some as dull, tedious and boring.

The Internet is an important development of modern computing. Graphics represent the most important aspect in that development of modern computing. That's because graphical presentation represents the most effective and powerful means of communicating ideas from one human to another. The mind is able to "wrap itself around an image," so to speak, in a comparatively effortless mode of cognition which is not characteristic of symbolic textual forms of language traditionally used for the transmission of ideas.

Visualization is inherently less abstract and more direct than textual language symbols. One does not need to transform a set of abstract language symbols into an image. One observes the image itself. You could think of graphical visualization as the lazy man's mode of cognition. At least on the recieving end, the viewer can be rather more passive in the process of assimilating information. But the advantages far outweigh the pejorative implications of such passivity for at least two major reasons. The process of the transmission of ideas is faster and more efficient because the objects of cognition are more tangible to the mind. And the increase in the transmission of ideas, otherwise known as communication, as well as comprehension of their meaning, otherwise known as understanding, fosters a concommitant increase in associations which can be made among related thought processes viz a viz the objects of cognition. As just one exciting example, consider the dramatic increase in our ability to visualize graphically the sciences of biology, pharmacology and medicine after computing enables us to complete the human genome project. The form and function of every product of our DNA can be concieved of visually upon completion of the project. Thus the major impediment to learning the science of biology, or any of the sciences, the visualization of concepts, will have been removed. Carl Sagan could not have concieved of a better opportunity to bring science to the masses, as it were. As computer visualization improves and increases, the lowest common denominator of what we percieve and accept as "common knowledge" will change markedly. One day highschool graduates will have cognitive abilities at least equal to if not surpassing scientific geniuses of previous centuries simply because a higher threshold of common knowledge will have been reached. The databases in students brains may get bigger with time thanks to graphics visualization. Scientific American, sciam.com, has an article which gives us hints as to, "what science will know in the year 2050." Better start practicing with graphics visualization. If you have something to express. If not, you could stick to email, shopping carts and information forms. Or programming.

Whether the use of graphically enhanced cognition be for the purpose of advertising and selling of products or for gaining an increased appreciation for the arts and sciences, graphical visualization will expand greatly as modern computing technology continues to improve. As a result, effectiveness in everything we do in our daily lives will become easier, more productive. The future of both cognition and computing probably offers the most potential in graphical visualization in contradistinction to commonly held beliefs about programming. Once the web and computing finally become fused into one entity, web languages and programming will have become standardized. The nuts and bolts of computing will be submerged far beneath the surface of the GUI, graphic user interface. Voice interactivity will be as standard as the Mac's already standard text-to-speech capability has been for years now. And what will enable the human mind to expand its capabilties, to increase information input, and to increase associative cognition? Graphics visualization. For which one needs...

While there is a seemingly endless number of graphics applications there are a finite number of ways to arrange pixels in images on a monitor screen. That in itself is also a useful realization. The image can be fixed in a static state or the image can be moving in a state of animation. The image can be photographically realistic or it can be simple to the point of abstractness. The image can be a photo or it can be created by computer. With these simple generalizations we can devise a small number of categories which will cover all the bases concerning graphics. We suggest a few representative choices for tools in each category which are of such usefulness that they may be considered "fire and forget." Of course there may be others. This listing is not intended to be exhaustive...

Image Editors for Static Images

PhotoShop You all know what PhotoShop can do.

Graphic Converter converts whatever you got to whatever you need.

Microsoft Photo Editor comes free with FrontPage. It is clearly web oriented and has many excellent features.

GIF animation editors

GifMation is the best GIF animation editor available for both Windows and Mac machines. In addition to having a better interface and to being able to accomplish more functions better and more easily than all the rest, GifMation creates animated GIF files directly from QuickTime movies and other video files and was the first GIF editing program to perform this function. GifMation makes navigable GIF animation files with QTVR and QuickTime effects included.

Ulead GIF Animator is the best GIF animation editor only for Windows machines. Features are too numerous to mention. Find out about it from this link.

Microsoft Gif Animator comes with Microsoft Image Composer which comes with Microsoft FrontPage. It's free and performs the basic frame editing functions.

Applications for creating 3D rext and object images
Xara 3D is a dedicated application for creating both static and animated 3D text and objects. Has better textures, lighting control, edges than Ulead's COOL 3D. Also much faster. Multi line text and transitions.
Ulead COOL 3D is a dedicated application for creating both static and animated 3D text and objects, excellent effects, metallics. Get both Xara and Ulead to be all inclusive.

Applications for creating 3D images

Bryce has greatly improved, imports exports many useful formats and creates video files. PoserStrata Studio Pro

Light Wave, 3D Studio Max, Extreme 3D, Soft Image and more reviewed by PC Magazine

Applications for creating and editing video of the three major formats, QT, AVI, and "streaming."

Adobe Premier
is the oldest, most established, all inclusive video capture and editing software application.

Ulead MultiMedia Studio is the best alternative to Adobe Premiere, especially for the web. price, $189.

Ulead MultiMedia Studio is the best alternative to Adobe Premiere, especially for the web. price, $460.

QuickTime player is free, but now editing capbilities aren't free anymore. With the QuickTime 2.5.1 player installed, you can copy and paste and edit your standard QuickTime files easily. QuickTime VR files offer the ability to jump from one scene to another. There are other QuickTime gimmicks too confusing to enumerate because they aren't standardized. This link takes you to the main QuickTime site. New iMacs come with iMovie editing software.

Windows Media Player is a free, convenient, versatile viewer for all three major formats.

RealPlayer is free for viewers to use to see and hear audio and video in RealPlayer format.

RealEncoder creates files for audio and video for websites using pseudostreaming. CNET provides useful info and download. Alternatively, go to www.real.com

WebTV combines the Internet, telephone and television. This link takes you to the MSNWebTV site for information for developers. WebTV HTML tags are becoming an industry standard, included as standard markup tags with CoffeeCup and other page editors.

Applications for creating Java based graphics.

Sources for stock images for your own image library
Click here.