The purpose of this course is become familiar with the graphics program Paint Shop Pro 5.0™ and basic graphics terminology. Additionally, the course participants will use newly acquired knowledge to enhance the graphics on their own web-pages.

One of the primary reasons we use the internet is because of it's vast amount of resources. Many of these resources are scattered throughout educational institutions, corporations, governmental, and search engine web sites etc. Unfortunately, finding these resources, orgainizing, and creating something that YOU can use in the classroom is difficult. In response, many teachers are beginning to make their own web sites in an online revolution aimed at enhancing integration of curriculum in to our class or school web sites. While the current trend on the WWW is to enhance content, we must not forget who we are creating the web sites for...our students. It has been my experience that the level of participation and understanding of WWW curriculum depends greatly on the quality of the lesson, and the quanity of different avenues it is brought to the students with. One of the most powerful things about the web is its ability to display graphics that eloborate and enhance your text, allowing you to greatly increase the understanding of your web pages. This can be a great advantage to the visual learners in your classroom. Graphics help: organize themes; add visual appeal; can be links to related information; or exist as a learning tool themselves.(see example)

One way to go about including graphics on your site is to go spend hours looking for something that fits your needs, and you most likely won't find exactly what you want. Herein lies the reason for a course like this. Graphic programs and the rules the WWW uses to display graphics can be quite detailed and technical. This course will introduce graphics creation to the participants in order to help promote more effective web-based curricula and prepare participants for further development in internet graphics creation.

• identify the various advantages and disadvantages of different WWW image file formats and decide which is most suitable for their needs
• convert images between different file formats
• understand color palettes and their connection to transparency and particular file formats
• demonstrate proficient use of the color picker tool in PSP to change background and foreground colors before creating new images
• see a pixel, know what a pixel is, and make new image measurements in cooridnation with good web page layout techniques, while keeping in mind versatile WWW user desktop resolutions.
• create a new blank image with the desired dimensions for their web graphic
• utilize PSP tools and their various settings
• understand the basics of layers and how to change their attributes to produce a desired effect.
• cut, copy, and paste between different images using the mask tool
• apply simple predefined effects (filters) to an existing graphic
• describe and model the resampling of an image
• optimize image colors, size, and format for saving and insertion into web page
• scan an image and do a "printscreen" (not part of the on-line course)
• produce a graphic (demonstrating acquisition of the above objectives) to be used as a logo for your departmental web page.

• BiosFear Graphics - My Graphics Homepage and chat room I will be at during the nights (7-9 pm) of the workshop.
  
• My Professioanl Homepage - This is the official entrance to this graphics workshop module from my University of Chicago Homepage.
• Download the trial version of PSP 5.0 - This is a evaluation version, it must be registered after 30 days.
• Paintshop Pro Tutorial Website - Contains information about understanding Paintshop Pro tools and simple effects you can apply to your work.
• Mardiweb Web Graphics Tips - An excellent review of the basics in web graphics design, definately check this out.
• Mardiweb PSP Basics - The author here is a talented writer, go here if I confuse you.
• Mardiweb Homepage - Getting the message? This is the place to go.
• Introduction to Paint Shop Pro 5 : Table of Contents, by Linda Cole
• Abstract Dimensions - @psptips.com, this is where I go often. It includes a glossary of graphics terminology.