Computer Info – October 11, 2000

This Week’s Program

        Demonstrate another photo editing feature in PhotoShop 5.0 to help with underdeveloped or photos that have too much light in the background, therefore the people in the foreground are too dark.
        We will touch on some very basic information (right-mouse button, Find command and My Documents) to help some of our newer members. We should also have plenty of time for question and answers.

Bringing Out Color in Some Photos

        One trick that you can use to help bring out color in an underexposed picture or a picture that is too dark is with the SCREEN command that can be found in most of the photo editing programs. It works with the layering command that we have been looking at in the past weeks.
        Let’s use PhotoShop 5.0 for our example. Open your photo that needs more color. Under the SELECT menu, choose ALL. This will place a dotted box around your entire picture. Then from the EDIT menu, choose COPY. To remove the dotted box, click somewhere on the picture. Now from the EDIT menu, choose PASTE. You will now have two layers -–each containing the same thing. To view the layers, from the WINDOWS menu, choose SHOW LAYERS. This will open a small menu that displays the layers. Near the top of this menu, you will see a drop down choice (it’s default is NORMAL) – and on this drop down menu, choose SCREEN. You will see the colors take a big jump up in richness. This will brighten the dark pixels without blowing out the already light ones. If the screen effect is too strong, back it off by controlling the opacity (how transparent the layer is) of the latest layer (don’t touch the bottom or original layer). Find an intensity that looks right to you.
Computer Basics
RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON
        Clicking with the right mouse button ALWAYS gives you a menu of choices that deal with the item that you clicked on. Don’t be afraid to use it – you might learn something new.
MY DOCUMENTS
        This is the name of a folder that Windows creates when it is installed. We have constantly advised people to ORGANIZE the files that they are saving (whether they are from your word processor, your spreadsheet, your photos that you scanned, the music that you have recorded, the greeting cards that you have created and wish to keep). If you create folders under the MY DOCUMENTS folder, then ALL of your important files will be stored in one place. This makes it so much easier to locate all of the files that you would like to backup.
        Windows is taking this one step further for you. In Windows ME, they have create folders in the MY DOCUMENTS folder entitled MY PICTURES, MY VIDEO and MY MUSIC. They know how important it is to be able to find this information.
Articles for Learning the Computer
        A web site called Living Easy contains numerous articles written for Seniors to help you learn about Windows and some of the Microsoft Office programs.
                  http://www.livineasy.com/topic.asp?SID=SdW1ZvIBXTkKe4ZdyPf0&T=4
Hewlett-Packard (HP) 9100i series of CD-RW drives
There is a software update for this drive. The update corrects a time problem that prevents some drives from reading blank media. HP recommends the upgrade for all users.
                  http://www.hp.com/cposupport/information_storage/software/9100_10c.exe.html
 
 

Plextor PlexWriter 8/4/32

        There is also a software update for this drive. It will update it to version 1.07. It includes performance improvements and bug fixes.
                  http://www.plextor.com/English/support/downloads/firm_8432.html
Computer Terms – Copyleft – Internet Appliance
COPYLEFT
        This is a type of copyrighting whereby software is freely distributed like shareware, but reuse and reproduction rights are granted to everyone who works with the code. When a user has a piece of software that is "copylefted", he can copy it, change the source code, and then redistribute the software to others. The idea is that if software is part of the public domain, all improvements will be shared – thus creating better software that is convenient for people to use.
INTERNET APPLIANCE
        Devices such as WebTV units, Web-ready phones, and handheld devices that give users wireless access to the Internet and e-mail. Internet appliances are also known as information appliances.
Art Resources on the Web
Artcyclopedia
        Type in an artist’s name or the name of a particular work or museum, and the site’s search engine delivers a list of links to sites with articles, images of the artist’s work and other resources. A good search engine for all art information.
                  http://www.artcyclopedia.com
Internet Artresources
        This is a good source of information for the serious art enthusiasts. It is packed with current news, information and captivating photos of various artworks.
                  http://www.artresources.com
Artsednet
        This site from the J. Paul Getty Trust is a great resource for teachers. It offers lesson plans and curriculum ideas that are sorted by grade levels and alphabetically.
        Go to the Image Galleries and Exhibitions and search by artist for a lengthy list of the art on the site.
                  http://www.artsednet.getty.edu
Receiving Attachments in AOL
        E-mail messages that include attachments will show a tiny diskette-and-envelope icon rather than just the standard envelope. First, open the message to see whether the sender included any text explanation with the attachment.
        Toward the top of the e-mail is a line labeled File. Here, the name of the attachment is spelled out, along with its size in bytes and approximate download time.
        If the sender attached a single file, the actual name of the file shows up.
        If an AOL member sends you multiple files, they will be combined into one ZIP file. When a non-AOL user sends you multiple attachments, they will be combined into a compressed file and named Unknown. It is best to send each file attached to its own email message – to insure that AOL can recognize the file.
        But, where are the attachments? They are still on an AOL server until you click the Download Now button at the bottom of the message screen and then click Yes to continue.
       A standard file-save window will pop up. At the top, make sure you realize where you are saving it to. When you have finished downloading the attachments, open the My Files menu and choose Download Manager. Next, click the Show Files Downloaded button. You should see a list of all the attachments you have grabbed off of your e-mails.