| A | B |
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| 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 digitizers | Hardware devices or software programs that capture a sound and store it as a data file on a disk. |
| 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. |
| 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 (CAD) | The use of computers to draw products or process designs on the screen. |
| computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) | When the design of a product is completed, the numbers are fed to a program that controls the manufacturing of parts. For electronic parts the design translates directly into a template for etching circuits onto chips. Also called computer integrated manufacturing . |
| 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. |
| gray-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 nonsequential 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. |
| morph | Video clip in which one image metamorphoses into another. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| raster (bit-mapped) graphics | Painting programs create raster graphics that are, to the computer, simple maps showing how the pixels on the screen should be represented. |
| 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. |
| vector graphics | The storage of pictures as collections of lines, shapes, and other objects. |
| video digitizer | A device that converts analog video signals into digital data. |
| 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. |
