Digital Graphics File Formats

James Horbury

Raster Graphics

• Give a definition of Raster Graphics

• Raster graphics (bitmaps) are images inside pixels in a grid bitmaps are fixed images and can not be made bigger or smaller.

• With bitmaps you can move bitmaps images to a other bitmap file by simply dragging it to the file.

• Exp 14 megapixels = 14,000,000 pixels

Vector Graphics

• Give a definition of Vector Graphics

• Vector graphics are made up of points, lines, curves and shape/polygons.

• Vector goes though points or node, you know where there are from they x and y axes.

• What make it different to raster is that you can change the size of it, making it good for business card or huge for a billboard.

Raster Graphics

JPEGStands For Joint photographic experts group

Used For/Example Facebook photos are saved as JPEG,

Advantage Joint photographic experts group

Photographs and web formats

Disadvantage Loses quality when you multiple edits due to compression and recompressing. This can effect how your work looks and how people will receive it.

TIFFStands For Tagged image file format

Used For/Example Desktop publishing

Advantage Option to lossless compression so it doesn't lose any quality due to compression, so when you show your work it is the best quality possible.

Disadvantage Some website do not support tiff uploading, you are then limited to where you can upload your work and loss audiences.

GIFStands For Graphics interchange format

Used For/Example Short digital animations

Advantage Small file size, easy to load, it is quick to open and fast to send to other people so they may look at it and give they opinion.

Disadvantage Only supports up to 256 colors, you are limited to the amount of work you can do and have to give up on work idea because of the limited amount of colors.

BMPStands For Bitmap image file

Used For/Example Bitmap image file store

Advantage No loss in compression, you can have good looking work and won’t loss the quality because of a website or the amount of times you change it.

Disadvantage Large file size, can take time to open and send and is difficult to move around files because of the size of the file.

Vector Graphics

PSDStands For Photoshop document

Used For/Example Magazines front cover

Advantage Supports transparency

Disadvantage Large file size, can take time to open and send and is difficult to move around files because of the size of the file, it will also effect the loading speed of printing for the magazines.

AIStands For Adobe illustrator art

Used For/Example Logo creation

Advantage Scaled big and small, your work can be made large for billboard of small for a business card.

Disadvantage Need a large amount of skill and practice, it is not something you can site down do you will need to spend time and money if you want something out of.

FLAStands For Flash file

Used For/Example Creates animation and games

Advantage Can make high quality files with small file size, makes it easy to send and you can also keep the quality where ever you send it.

Disadvantage Some computer do not have a FLA/FLV player installed, you may need to buy a new computer or equipment to be able to use it.

WMFStands For Windows metafile

Used For/Example Used for logos

Advantage It can contain both vector and bitmap components, two in one you can use both where other do not support them.

Disadvantage Not supported by web browses, you loss that audience online and is much more difficulty to advices your work to people.

File Format Capture and Optimising

CompressionDefinition Reduced the amount of information that

is saved in the file

Advantage Faster fie transfer, easy to send and can get quick feed back and have more time to improve.

Disadvantage Becomes more pixelated as you compressed the images, you loss quietly and will effect how your work is seen online.

Image CaptureMethod Scanner

How is it used for image capture of graphics

Digitise physical images sketches, physical photos or mixed media products

Method CameraHow is it used for image capture of

graphicsTakes pictures, family events, holiday, and photograph work

Method Graphics TabletHow is it used for image capture of

graphicsAllows you to control the mouse like a pen making it easier to draw/selection and digital handwriting

OptimisingWhy would you optimise? to make it better to view on the web and

show off how

How can you optimise? Reducing image size Reducing bit depth

Advantage to optimising Makes your website quicker and load faster. When people visit your website they are not waiting around for it to load and will not leave.

Disadvantage to optimising You can not be more then 500 pixels wide. Stops you expending your image size and effects how much work you can do.

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Storage

File SizeWhat could affect a Working Scale (Photoshop) document file size?

Dick space to store, file format and maximum pixel

How could you reduce the file size of a Working Scale document without

affecting quality?

Compression

What is an advantage of scaling up images before exporting?

Makes it easier to resize and have no effect to quality when doing so

What is a disadvantage of scaling up images before exporting?

When moving the image to another file it will make it much harder

File Naming ConventionsWhat naming conventions could you use when creating your video game assets?

• If you make a image of your main character you could name the file main character or the name of your game then MC (main character). If you save as the file and make another copy of it but with something different it is a good idea to name it something different so you don’t replace it eg. main character 2.

Why is it a good idea to accurately name your assets?

• If you have a file that says the name of your game but when you open it just images of things that are no longer in your game, you can confess you or someone else in to why you name it this way and if these things are in your game or not.

Asset ManagementWhy would you use folders when storing

your assets?To not get them mix up with other files and also not spend ages looking for one in a pile of other files.

What folders would you create and what would you save within them

• One folder could be the name of game and in it you could put all your games assets.