Essential Features of Graphic Packages for JSS1-3 (Must Know)

Have you ever wanted to draw something amazing on your computer, create a cool poster for your class project, or even design your own cartoon characters? Well, that’s where graphic packages come in!

Imagine you have a box of colorful crayons, pencils, and markers. That’s kind of like a graphic package, but on your computer. Instead of using real paper, you use your mouse or touchpad to draw and create pictures.

Graphic packages are computer programs that give you all sorts of tools to make images. Think of them as your digital art studio. They’re super useful for many things, like:

• School Projects: You can create eye-catching presentations, posters, and diagrams.
• Creative Fun: Design your own digital artwork, greeting cards, or even simple animations.
• Learning Computer Skills: Using these programs helps you become more comfortable with computers and technology.

In this lesson, we’re going to explore some of the most important features of graphic packages. We’ll learn about the tools you can use to draw, color, add text, and make your images look fantastic. So, get ready to unleash your creativity and dive into the exciting world of digital art.

10 Core Features of Graphic Packages

Now, let’s explore the amazing tools you’ll find in most graphic packages. These are the building blocks of your digital artwork.

1. Drawing Tools:

• Imagine you have a digital pencil, pen, and paintbrush. That’s what drawing tools are. You can draw lines, and shapes, and even create freehand drawings.
• For Example: If you want to draw a house, you can use the line tool to create the walls and the roof. Or, if you want to draw a cartoon face, you can use the freehand tool to draw the eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Most graphic packages have a variety of shapes like rectangles, circles, and triangles that you can just click and drag.

2. Color Palettes and Fill Options:

• Just like you have a box of crayons, graphic packages have a digital color palette. You can choose any color you want.
• For Example: You can use the color palette to make the walls of your house blue and the roof red.
• The “fill” tool lets you fill shapes with solid colors or even patterns. You can fill the circle you drew with yellow to make it a sun.
• Many programs also offer “gradients” which are smooth transitions between colors, making things look extra cool.

3. Text Tools:

• If you want to add words to your pictures, the text tools let you do just that.
• For example: You can use the text tool to write your name on your artwork or add a title to your poster.
• You can change the font (the style of the letters), the size, and the color of the text.

4. Image Import and Manipulation:

• You can bring in pictures from your computer or even from the internet into the graphic package.
• E.g.: You can import a picture of your pet and then add a funny hat or sunglasses to it.
• You can also resize, crop (cut out parts), and rotate images. Resizing allows you to make an image bigger or smaller. Cropping allows you to focus on a certain part of the image, and rotating allows you to change the angle of the image.

5. Layering:

• Imagine stacking clear sheets of paper on top of each other, each with a different part of your drawing. That’s layering.
• For example: You can draw a background on one layer, a character on another layer, and then add text on a third layer. This makes it easy to edit each part separately. If you don’t like the character, you can change it without affecting the background.
• Layers are like transparent sheets stacked on top of each other.

6. Selection Tools:

• These tools let you select specific parts of your image.
• For example: You can use the rectangular selection tool to select a square area, or the “magic wand” to select all the pixels of a certain color.
• This is useful for editing just one part of your image without changing the rest.

7. Brushes and Effects:

• Graphic packages have different brushes, like spray paint or watercolor, to add special effects.
• For instance: You can use a blur effect to make a background look fuzzy or a sharpen effect to make a picture look clearer.
• There are also filters that can change the look of your entire image, like making it look like a painting.

8. Saving and Exporting:

• You need to save your work so you don’t lose it. That’s the work of the Save tool.
• E.g.: You can save your image as a JPEG file to share with your friends or as a PNG file if you want a transparent background.
• Different file formats are used for different purposes.

9. Undo/Redo Functionality:

• Everyone makes mistakes. The undo button lets you go back one or more steps.
• Example: If you accidentally draw a line in the wrong place, just click undo (Ctrl+Z), and it’s gone. The redo (Ctrl+Y) button allows you to bring back the actions that you undid.
• This is a very important feature for beginners.

10. Zoom and Navigation:

• You can zoom in to see the details of your artwork or zoom out to see the whole picture.
• For example: If you’re drawing a small detail, zoom in to make it easier. You can also use the scroll bars to move around the image.
• These tools help you navigate your digital canvas.

Specific Features of Different Graphic Packages

Now that we know the basic tools, let’s see how they look in some real graphic packages. Each program has its special features and ways of doing things.

Microsoft Paint

MS Paint is like the simplest drawing box you can find on most Windows computers. It’s perfect for beginners.

Key Features:

• Simple Drawing Tools: It has basic tools like pencils, brushes, shapes, and a fill tool.
• Easy to Use: You can quickly draw and color without getting confused by too many options.
• Example: You can use MS Paint to draw a simple picture of your house, color it in, and add your name.
• Specific Feature: The fill tool is very easy to use. You simply click on the tool, select a color, and click on an enclosed shape to fill it with that color.

The diagram below displays the Windows 11 Paint environment.

Uses of Paint Tools

Tools	Uses
Tool width	Used to set the width of a selected tool. E.g. eraser size or the width of a line or curve made with a pencil or shapes.
Color 1	Used for the foreground color of objects. Click this tool and select a color palette before drawing an object. It is usually used by the pencil tool, brushes, and the outline of a shape.
Color 2	Used for the background color of shapes. Click this tool and select a color palette to set the background of an object. It is usually used by the eraser tool, and shapes fill.
Color palette	Used to set the outline or fill color of an object. Choose the color of your choice from the color palette to set the foreground or background color of an object.
Shapes	Used to create an object. Choose your desired shape to draw an object such as a line, ellipse, rectangle, triangle, etc
Paintbrushes	Used to draw and apply color to an object. Choose a brush to make paintings of different thicknesses and forms. Click brushes and select a brush of your choice and start painting.
Pencil	Use the Pencil tool to draw freeform lines or curves.
Color fill	Used to fill an object or an enclosed shape with color. Select it, then click an area on the canvas to apply foreground color or right-click to apply a background color.
Add text	Used to add text to an object or in the workspace. Select and position appropriately to add a text.
Eraser	Used to clean areas of your drawings or pictures. Select the eraser tool and choose the eraser width by selecting a size, then, clean the desired area.
Color picker	Used to copy a color from an existing image. The color picked can be set as a current foreground or background color. To set the current foreground color, select the pick tool and click on the image color. To set the current background color, select the pick tool, and right-click on the image color.
Magnifier	Used to enlarge part of an object on the workspace. Select the magnifier and click on the object to zoom in, or right-click to zoom out.

CorelDraw Graphics

CorelDRAW is a professional vector graphic design application developed for professionals and used by expert graphic designers. It is used to create different kinds of design including illustrations, adverts, logos, engraving, printing, and publishing.

Key Features (Simplified):

• Vector Graphics: CorelDraw uses “vector” graphics, which means you can make images bigger or smaller without losing quality. Think of it as drawing with stretchy lines and shapes.
• Shape Manipulation: You can easily change the shape of objects and create complex designs.
• Text Effects: CorelDraw lets you add cool effects to text, like making it curve or have shadows.
• Note: CorelDraw is usually for more advanced work, but it’s good to know that these types of programs exist.

CorelDraw graphics workspace

Unlike MS Paint, the features of the CorelDraw graphic package are overwhelming, especially for beginners. You may be lost the first time you open the CorelDraw window. To assist beginners, we listed the basic features of a CorelDraw window, no matter the version.

Title bar: This bar displays the title of the current open graphic window, usually, the name used to save the graphic file. If the currently opened graphic is not saved, it will display Untitled-1.

Ruler: A ruler is used to determine the size and position of objects in the drawing window. If the ruler is not showing, go to the View menu and select Rulers.

Menu bar: The menu bar is an area that contains the list of menus with pulled-down contents. These pulled-down contents are commands used to accomplish tasks while creating drawings. Apps without menu bars have ribbons.

Standard toolbar: In CorelDraw, the standard toolbar is detachable. You can detach it and place it in any location of your choice. It contains popularly used commands for easy access.

Property bar: This is a detachable bar that contains commands that is related to the selected object or tool.

Object Properties: This property is used to apply effects on the selected object.

Color palette: This is a moveable bar that contains color swatches.

Toolbox: This is also a detachable bar containing tools for selecting, modifying, and filling objects in the drawing window. Learn more about the toolbox in CorelDraw.

Workspace: All areas where drawings can be created within the window. It is bordered by the printable page.

Printable page: This is a rectangular area within the drawing window that contains objects for printing. You can set up the page based on what you want to print.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is a powerful program used for editing photos and creating digital art.

• Key Features (Simplified):
  • Image Editing: You can change the colors, brightness, and contrast of photos.
  • Layers: Photoshop uses layers a lot, making it easy to combine and edit different parts of an image.
  • Filters: You can add special effects to photos, like making them look like paintings or drawings.
  • Example: You can use Photoshop to remove blemishes from a photo, change the background, or add fun filters.
  • Note: Like CorelDraw, Photoshop is more advanced, but it’s good to know how it’s used for photo editing.

Canva

Canva is a super user-friendly online graphic design tool.

• Key Features:
  • Pre-made Templates: Canva has tons of templates for posters, presentations, social media posts, and more.
  • Drag-and-Drop: You can easily add and move elements by dragging and dropping them.
  • Online Collaboration: You can work on designs with your friends online.
  • Example: You can use Canva to create a cool poster for your science project, design a birthday card, or make a fun social media post.
  • Specific Feature: Canva’s large library of free images and elements makes it easy to create professional-looking designs without needing to draw everything yourself.

Conclusion

You’ve now explored some of the essential features of graphic packages and seen how they’re used in different programs like MS Paint, CorelDraw, Photoshop, and Canva. Remember, graphic packages are like digital art studios that give you the tools to bring your creative ideas to life.

Whether you’re drawing simple pictures in MS Paint, creating cool designs in Canva, or learning about advanced tools in programs like CorelDraw and Photoshop, the key is to practice and explore.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the different tools and features. Try drawing different shapes, playing with colors, and adding text to your images. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at using graphic packages.

So, go ahead and unleash your creativity! Start by trying out the tools we discussed today. You can begin with a simple project in MS Paint or explore the templates in Canva. And remember, if you have any questions, you can always ask us here using the comment box.

We hope you enjoyed learning about the essential features of graphic packages. Now, go out there and create something amazing!