Computer Info – July 11, 2001

This Week

        We will take a look at working with columns in Word and also merging two documents together in Word. Also look at footers in Word. Another look at WinZip and what to look for when unzipping a program.

Columns in Word

        To create columns in a Word document, from the top menu – choose FORMAT – then COLUMNS. This is where you make your choices on HOW MANY COLUMNS and do you want a LINE BETWEEN COLUMNS. If you are doing this setup on a new document, the only real indication that you have created these columns is to look at the ruler at the top of your document. You will notice that it is divided into sections that indicate the number and width of the columns you have created.
        Start typing your information. As you enter information, you will see that it all goes into the first column until you reach the bottom of that page – OR – you enter a COLUMN BREAK. To force a column to stop, from the top menu, choose INSERT – then BREAK – then COLUMN BREAK. You will then be placed into the second column. If you place your cursor back into the first column, you can insert more information.
        What if you wanted to sort the information that is in the columns. You have a couple of choices.
        You could just type all of your information first – sort it (SELECT or HIGHLIGHT the information that you would like to sort – then from the top menu – choose TABLE – SORT – by PARAGRAPHS – ASCENDING or DESCENDING – click on OK) – and then put the information into columns (SELECT or HIGHLIGHT the information – then from the top menu – choose INSERT – COLUMNS).
        Or if your information is already in columns, you can SELECT your information – choose TABLE – SORT – by PARAGRAPHS, etc.

Merging Two Documents in Word

        How do we easily merge (or make into one) two documents together in Word? First, open one of the documents – place your cursor at the spot where you would like to see the other document placed – then from the top menu, choose INSERT – FILE. This will bring up a window where you can locate the file that you would like to merge into the open one.

Footers in Word

        Footers print at bottom of each page or section in a specially reserved margin area. To create a footer with page numbers that increment automatically, click the VIEW menu, then HEADER AND FOOTER. Point to the SWITCH BETWEEN HEADER AND FOOTER icon in the Header and Footer toolbar. Click the Center button to center your text, then type Page and press the Spacebar. Finally, click the INSERT PAGE NUMBER button. If you do not want a page number on your first page, click the PAGE SETUP button . Click the LAYOUT tab in the Page Setup dialog box. Click the box to the left of DIFFERENT FIRST PAGE. Click the OK. To make the page counting start with a different number, click the FORMAT PAGE NUMBER button, then click the START AT radio button . Type in a number.

Megapixels – Do We Need Them?

        The higher the resolution of a digital image file, the sharper the image will appear as image size increases. A digital camera with a 1-megapixel sensor will make an 8x10 inch print with much reduced data compared to a camera with a capture of 3 megapixels.
Video Terms
(from PcPhoto Magazine – July/August 2001)

Aliasing -- Distortion in a video image. In analog video, this is caused by interference between different signal frequencies; in digital video, its caused by poor sampling in the digitizing process. On the screen, the result is that angled lines look jagged.

Anti-Aliasing is the process of smoothing out those jagged lines.

Artifacts – Defects in the video signal usually caused by compression errors.

Aspect Ratio – The ratio of a screen’s width to height. In standard television, this is 4:3; in widescreen, it’s usually 16:9

AVI – (Audio video Interleave). Microsoft’s format for digital audio and video files.

Chromakeying – The process of layering one video signal over another, but only on a specific color; also called blue screen or green screen, depending on the color being replaced. This is the process that lets your local TV weather person stand in front of weather maps and satellite images.

Chrominance (or Chroma) – The color portion of a video signal.

Cinepak – A video compression algorithm often used on CD-ROMs.

CODEC (Coder/DECoder) – The thing that converts analog signals to digital and vice versa.

Compression – The process of reducing the size of a data file, usually accomplished through software processing. Compressed files save storage space and reduce transmission times.

Cut – The instantaneous transition from one clip to another

DAC – Digital to Analog Converter

Desktop Video – Editing video on a computer with the use of add-on video hardware and software

Digital Video – A recording process that captures each image frame as binary data

DV – The digital VCR format, developed jointly by several video and computer manufacturers for mini-cassettes. DVCAM and Digital 8 are consumer versions of the format. DVCPRO and DVCPRO50 are professional broadcast versions.

DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) – A high-density version of the original compact disk. It holds seven times more information on a side, about 4.38 GB

Fade In (or Fade Up) – A transition from a blank screen to an image.

Fade Out (or Fade Down or Fade To Black) – A transition from an image to a blank (usually black) screen.

Frame – One full screen of dieo. In broadcast television, each frame is made of two interlaced fields. The first field contains all the odd-numbered lines and the second field contains all even-numbered lines.

Frame Rate – Broadcast television (NTSC) has 30 frames per second. Most computers these days are powerful enough to run video at this rate. However, you may choose to use a slower rate (15 or 10 frames per second) if you’re tight on storage space, or if you want your video to more easily stream down the Internet. Computer graphics may use frame rates as high as 100 frames per second

IEEE 1394 (or Firewire) – A high-speed, low-coast digital interface developed by Apple.

Lossless Compression – A compression that returns all the original data when uncompressed

Lossy Compression – Compression algorithms that throw out insignificant data in the compression process

Luminance – The part of the video signal that holds information about the image brightness

Mask – A blank graphic that covers a portion of the screen to allow another image to show through.

Matte – The process of using an electronic mask to cover part of a video image and replace it with another image

MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) – The industry group that develops the technical specifications for digital video. The term also refers to the digital video compression standards that the group has developed. MPEG files can be decoded by special hardware or software. MPEG achieves a high compression rate by storing only the changes from one frame to another, instead of each entire frame.
MPEG-1 – This standard provides a video resolution of 352 x 240 at 30 frames per second. This produces video quality slightly below the quality of a home VHS videotape.
MPEG-2 – (used by DVDs) This standard offers resolutions of 720 x 480 at 60 frames per second, with full CD-quality audio. This is sufficient for all the major TV standards, including NTSC and new high-definition television.

NTSC – The National Television Standards Committee is the group formed by the FCC to set the technical specifications for broadcast television. NTSC also refers to U.S. television standards; 525 scan lines interlaced at 60 fields, making 30 frames per second.

Screen Size – In broadcast television, a picture is always 525 scan lines tall (or 525 pixels). Because some of these lines are hidden by the edge of the TV screen, 480 lines are considered to be the "safe" area of a TV image. On your computer, 480 x 640 pixels corresponds to that picture size.

Streaming – Media that’s viewed as it’s received, as opposed to a download, where the entire program would be transmitted before viewing begns.

Timeline (or Story Line) – 1) The sequence of clips you put together when you’re editing; 2) In editing software, the graphic representation of the assembled audio and video clips.

Transition – The change from one clip to another, such as a cut, dissolve, wipe or fade.

Video For Windows – Microsoft’s software for time-based media; similar to QuickTime