Empowerment Technologies — Chapter 2/3: Productivity Tools & Digital Imaging

A collection of 50 vocabulary-style flashcards drawn from the lecture notes, covering productivity tools (Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and image formats, editing techniques, and data visualization concepts.

Freeware

Software that is copyrighted but can be used for free for an unlimited time.

Shareware

Commercial software that can be copied for trial but needs to be purchased for continued use.

Microsoft Office

Popular productivity suite by Microsoft including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related programs.

Word processing software

Software in MS Office used to create and edit text documents.

Excel

Spreadsheet program with cells arranged in rows and columns for arithmetic operations; used in accounting, finance, statistics, and engineering.

Hyperlink

A link that directs to another page or part of the document; can be text, an image, or a symbol.

PowerPoint

Microsoft program for creating slide-show presentations with formatting, animations, and multimedia.

Slide show

A sequence of slides used to present content, often with transitions and animations.

Animation

Moving effects added to text, objects, or slides to enhance a presentation.

Macro

A set of instructions used to automate repetitive tasks.

Mail Merge

A tool to generate personalized documents by merging a data source with a main document.

Data source

The data file or database that provides content for a mail merge.

Recipient list

The list of individuals included in a mail merge.

Existing File

In hyperlink creation, the option to link to an existing document.

Web Page

A hyperlink target that points to a webpage.

Hyperlink dialog

The dialog box used to create or edit a hyperlink.

Ctrl + click

Shortcut to open or follow a hyperlink.

Presenter

The original name for the first version of PowerPoint.

Windows 3.0

The version of Windows for which the first PowerPoint Windows release appeared in 1990.

JPEG

Joint Photographic Experts Group image format; lossy compression; used for photographs with good color fidelity and smaller file sizes.

GIF

Graphics Interchange Format; 8-bit palette (256 colors); supports diagrams, cartoons, logos, and animations.

BMP

Bitmap image format (DIB); uncompressed; large file sizes; used by Windows.

TIFF

Tagged Image File Format; high-quality raster image format; good for storage, processing, and printing; large files.

PNG

Portable Network Graphic; nonproprietary, supports full-color images; ideal for line art, text, and logos; larger than JPEG due to lossless compression.

DIB

Device-Independent Bitmap; uncompressed Windows image format.

Raster image

Image composed of pixels (dots); also called bitmap.

72 dpi

Web image resolution; standard for on-screen display.

300 dpi

Print resolution; higher detail for printed materials.

30-50 KB

Typical web image file size range balancing quality and load time.

Compression

Reducing file size by encoding image data; can affect quality depending on method.

Resizing

Changing the dimensions (width/height) of an image.

Picasa

Google’s free desktop image editing program that manages photos and uploads to online albums.

Fotor

Multiplatform online image editing site with various effects and tools.

Pixlr

Cross‑platform image editing program accessible in a browser; similar tools to Photoshop.

Cropping

Removing unwanted parts of an image; often guided by composition rules.

Rule of Thirds

Photography/composition guideline placing key elements along grid lines or intersections.

Color Balance

Adjusting the overall color tone of an image.

Brightness and Contrast

Adjusting lightness and tonal difference to affect image appearance.

Combining Multiple Images

Merging two or more images into a single composition.

Color Blending

Blending colors to create new tones or effects.

Image editing programs

Software used to modify and enhance images; ranges from free tools to professional suites.

Adobe Photoshop

Industry-standard image editing software since the 1990s.

Digital art

Art created digitally; what you see is what you get, with replication that can be a precise clone.

It Never Changes

Digital art’s characteristic that, in its digital form, does not degrade like physical media.

Replicated with Precision

Digital art can be reproduced exactly and with high accuracy.

Data visualization

A visual image (charts/diagrams) used to explain information and reveal patterns.

Infographic

A visual representation that communicates data clearly; should be well-organized with a clear thesis, data, and branding.

Thesis/story

The framing narrative of an infographic: a central thesis or story guiding the data.

Data

Facts or figures used to support a message in an infographic.

Sources

Citations or references to validate data and increase credibility.

Branding/Shareability

Designing content to reflect a brand and be easily shared across platforms.