Define the term graphics program and differentiate among the three basic categories of graphics programs.

What will be an ideal response?

The term graphics program can refer to a wide range of software applications. Generally speaking, though, graphics programs fall into three basic categories: bitmap, vector, and animation. You can think of bitmap graphics (also called raster graphics) as very sophisticated mosaics. Instead of using colored tiles, bitmap graphics use pixels-colored squares that are so small that your eye perceives only the whole image, not the pixels themselves. All digital photographs are bitmap graphics, and all Photoshop images are bitmap graphics. Vector graphics are often created on a computer, not through scanning or downloading. Many times, vector-based programs are called draw programs, because vector graphics are created by drawing lines, creating objects, and filling them with color. Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based program. Finally, animation programs, such as Adobe Flash, use timeline structures to create sequences of graphics -both bitmap and vector -then create the illusion of motion and animation by presenting that sequence of images so quickly that your eye perceives movement.