If you are reading this magazine, you are already a computer user and an artist. The computer at your fingertips is quite possibly the most powerful creative tool you will ever touch. You already know how the internet connects you with a world wide art school - a vast community of learning and sharing never before seen in the world of art. But there is more.

There is a wider role your computer can play in the actual creation and presentation of your art as well, if you are confident using its magic and understanding its mysteries. But, as one online friend said, “It’s all geek to me!” and a lot of folks would echo her sentiments. It can all be confusing in the extreme if you don’t understand some basics.So this series of articles will try to shine some light on the basics, and hopefully get you started on becoming a master of this magnificent tool.

Raster Art
The type of graphic file you will be most familiar with and use most often is called a raster or bitmapped file.

Its structure is defined by the dots on the computer screen which are called pixels. What looks like an ordinary photograph can be seen, if you go in close enough, to be made up of these little squares of color. Editing is done pixel by pixel, so soft color blends, shading, and an infinite number of colors can be depicted.

If a software program has “photo” or “paint” in its name, it is a program for working with raster images.

Scanners and digital cameras produce raster images, and graphics on the web are raster.
A close-up of a raster graphic file shows you the pixels that are changed individually when you “paint” or otherwise edit the file.
So what are you, as a computer-literate artist, going to be doing with raster images?

You are probably going to scan your artwork - either to work on it electronically, or to show it to others on the web.

You are going to want to print out images that look good on paper.

You may create original art by “painting” digitally, and then print it and frame it.

And, you are probably going to edit and retouch your photographs taken with a digital camera or scanned into the computer from traditional prints.

All of these activities require different things of a raster image - different resolutions, different file formats - for best results, and this is where it matters that you know what works best for what purpose.
Software for Working with Raster Images
To change the resolution, size, or file format of a raster image, you must have some kind of image editing software. Rudimentary versions of such software come with every scanner and most digital cameras. The most well known of the image editing programs is Adobe PhotoShop and, in our opinion, it is also the best. It is very expensive. Luckily, Adobe has decided to put out a very inexpensive program, PhotoShop Elements, that has most of the capabilitites of the professional version in a very user-friendly interface. It will allow you to do anything you are likely to dream up with your photos and other images. And it will function as a wonderful “paint” program so you can create original art. If you are serious about using your computer as one of your art tools, and don’ have image editing software, the first thing to do is to get this program (retails as low as $55 at Walmart). We will use PhotoShop for our examples. Operations in PhotoShop Elements will be almost identical. Other programs will have similar functions - you just have to find them.
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