The art of the draw

An old saying is “believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.” Now I’m not sure about the latter, but the first part of that saying is becoming increasingly true. We all have seen the cheesy picture of a face superimposed onto another body. That is just the starting point of doctoring or altering graphical images.
Altering images was once the forte of graphics specialists and desktop publishers, but user friendly software has brought this fire of Prometheus to the masses. It really is not that recent of a phenomenon, but you will find that graphics software spans the experience spectrum, from the profane to the expert. Most operating systems such as Microsoft Windows have a rudimentary graphics application that will suffice for the average computer user. Two of the staple titles that you may find if you are using a Microsoft operating system are Microsoft Paint and Imaging. Microsoft Paint will provide you the very basic functionality of a graphical editor. You will be able to crop images or select certain areas to alter. In addition to that, you will also be able to add text to your graphics. You are afforded some of those same functions in Microsoft Imaging, but Imaging caters more towards photographs while Paint can do both. Both of these programs can usually be found on a Windows operating system from the “start” menu. You should find them in the “accessories” folder, which is under the “programs” header in the start menu.
Some of the medium grade graphics applications are Microsoft Draw and Photo Editor. These are the big brother applications to Paint and Imaging. They offer enhanced functions compared to their basic contemporaries that are included with a standard operating system. Microsoft Draw and Photo Editor are usually part of the Microsoft Office application suites, but you may also be able to purchase them individually.
Adobe and Corel are the leaders of the next grade of graphic editors. Both Adobe and Corel are what are commonly referred to as third party or commercial software. This means that they where not made for a specific operating system. Since they are not proprietary, they may be compatible with both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
Photoshop is one of Adobes’ graphical editors. If you want to edit pictures or photos like a pro, Photoshop is a good place to start. It allows to do near professional quality work such as airbrushing, color separation, and other amenities. Corel has similar features and it is comparable, but in all honesty I’m partial to Photoshop. These programs are among the more expensive software, but they are worth the money.
Integral tools for photo and graphical editing are a scanner or a digital camera, but a scanner will cover broader applications. You can check out Microsoft.com, Corel.com, and Adobe.com for the most recent prices for the featured products or you can inquire at your local software store. As always, send your questions, comments, and gripes.