Task One (P1)

I have outlined the hardware and software required to generate and manipulate graphic images and documents.

Types of Hardware

Processor

The processor is the brain of a computer.  It reads instructions from your software and tells computer what to do.  The speed at which the CPU processes information internally is measured in Megahertz (MHz) and Gigahertz (GHz). 1 GHz is equal to 1,000 MHz. Generally, processors with higher MHz or GHz enhance your ability to run creative, entertainment, communication, and productivity applications.

The processor has three main functions:

  1. It controls the transmission of data from input devices to memory.
  2. It processes the data held in main memory.
  3. It controls the transmission of information from main memory to output devices.

The processor is held on a single board called a mother board.

Operating System

I think operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer.  Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, run.  The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system.  Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run.  For PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, and Windows, but others are available, such as Linux.

Monitors

I think a large monitor is better because it will accommodate all those floating palettes that modern graphics applications have and it will have more room to see the design.  It saves time when people are working on more than windows.  It makes it easier to move about thing between different windows.

Video Cards

Video card is the piece of hardware that takes that output and tells the monitor which of the dots on the screen to light up (and in what color) to allow you to see it. I think video card is one of the components that has an impact on system performance and it can impact on performance more than any other component in the PC.  These cards can shift millions of pixel for high quality view of the images.

Hard Drives

I think backing up data is very important.  This could be done on Hard Disks.  For Example a self employed designer may back up work files onto external hard disk, CD, DVD, or Removable disk drive but as organisation are larger, therefore they might back up using automated backup software.  Because organisations have to transfer the data onto external drives for their clients, it could be transferred to CD format, DVD and Zip Disks.

Optical

Example of Optical drive is a DVD drive, this drive offers playback of CD-ROM discs allowing users to view high definition programs directly on a properly configured computer.  These Drives could be built in or externally attached via a USB 2.0.  These can be used by designers to transfer data on a CD/DVD to show their clients.

Sound Cards

I think 3D Sound Cards are very good for PCs.  It enables a computer to manipulate and output sounds.  Sound cards are necessary for nearly all CD-ROMs and have become commonplace for personal computers. Sound cards enable the computer to output sound through speakers connected to the board.

Scanner

Scanners can copy the image of a document, such as a photograph, or a newspaper article and create a digital version of that document so that it can be read by a computer.  There are different two types of scanners which printers use today:

  1. Flatbed
  2. Sheet fed

Flatbed: These scanners can scan flat originals of different sizes.  They can even scan small 3D objects (For Example, hand).

Sheet Fed: These scanners work a bit differently than flatbed scanners: instead of having a moving scanning head, the sheet fed scanner moved the paper past a stationary scanning head.

Printer

Printing quality is very important for designers/companies.  Printing is a process for production of texts and images, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.  These are mostly used for the printing of flyers, sales material and to the designing of photographs.  Printer can be connected through a USB cable or sometimes there is no cable required, they can just be connected via local network.  There are two main types of printers:

  1. Ink jet
  2. Laser

Inkjet Printers: Ink Jet printers use dots of colored ink onto paper to create an output image. They are not very expensive to buy and it will almost print in colour.  However, they can be expensive to operate if you do a lot of printing and it can be slow, and the output is faded.

Laser Printers: These printers are used to create high-quality printout at high speed.  They are expensive, however, and they are generally limited to black and white outputs.  

Types of Software

Macromedia Studio 8

Macromedia Studio 8 is a complete toolkit for Web designers and animators, and it introduces new features.  Many digital content makers can find their way around Macromedia software, but the upgrade to Studio 8 makes common tasks easier to execute for those without coding expertise.  This package includes the following software: 

  1. Flash 8: An animation tool.
  2. Dream weaver 8: A Web design application.
  3. Fireworks 8: A graphics editor.
  4. FlashPaper 2: PDF maker.
  5. Contribute 3: The Web site manager.
Join now!

It introduces alpha channel video creation and provides new effects that animators can manipulate in real time to shrink the file sizes and hasten the playback time of Flash animation on end-user desktops.  Flash, Fireworks, and Dream weaver now optimize multimedia content for cell phones, Pads, and other mobile.

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

Corel released the newest version of its image editing suite, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. X2 is an easy-to-use, powerful image editor at an affordable price. Retailing for just $99 or less, X2 is certainly a viable option for consumers who are also ...

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