Digital Graphics File FormatsYour name here

Raster Graphics

• Give a definition of Raster GraphicsRaster are graphics are made up of bitmaps. Bitmaps are graphics made up of small pixels however it records the colour in each pixel is when you scale it up the picture blurs if you scale up.Distortion is caused by the bitmaps having a set resolution which means when they are stretched they get distorted.

Vector Graphics

• Give a definition of Vector Graphics• Vectors are Vector graphics which are often made up

by points, lines, curves and shapes or Polygons most of which are made up of mathematical equations.

• They are used by them locating a start and end point and then filling in the rest of the space with the graphic as well as this they don’t distort or blur when you size up the image or scale it down meaning that the image will always stay the same quality that it was intended to.

Raster Graphics

JPEGStands For Joint Photographic Experts Group

Used For/Example Photographs and Web formats.

Advantage Large Compression ratios = shorter file transfer time. Full-colour informationGood for Graphic work, Photographs and other art work.

Disadvantage Loss of image qualitySharp Edges tend to come out blurryLonger page load than the GIF format.

TIFFStands For Tagged Image File Format

Used For/Example Desktop Publishing (Popular with graphic Designers)

Advantage Uncompressed image retains maximum amount of image data captured by the camera. It is recognized and compatible cross PC and MAC.

Disadvantage Slow speeds when transferring them to an online database and even then the website or gallery has to support TIFF files.You need a good computer with high specs to render and process TIFF images.

GIFStands For Graphics interchange Format

Used For/Example Short digital animations often used for humours effect on the internet.

Advantage Loss less compression meaning that no quality is lost during compressionA GIF can be interlaced meaning that it adds more layers of colour to itself and makes it look better for the viewer.

Disadvantage Lower Level of transparency. GIF does not provide full transparencyImage size. GIF’s are rather bulky and can slow down websites dramatically.

BMPStands For Bitmap image file

Used For/Example Similar uses to TIFF and JPEG

Advantage No loss in compression Can be easily created with previously saved Data. Pixels values maybe be changed individually or as large groups.

Disadvantage Has a large file size which takes up a lot of memory.They do not scale well and often are very distorted

Vector Graphics

PSDStands For Photoshop Document

Used For/Example PSD files are typically used to manipulate images and to make things like magazines and posters. The files are good because they can save multiple layers swatches and page formatting information.

Advantage PSD supports transparency so images can be saved without a background. As well as this PSD can save layers mean that it is easier to go back and edit the file after it has been closed.

Disadvantage PSD’s take up a lot of memory and can easily make your system run out of space. This is because they contain a lot of information.

AIStands For Adobe Illustrator

Used For/Example Logo creation. Graphics to represent a company.

Advantage Can be scaled big or small as these images are vector based and have no loss in their definition whether they are scaled big or small. Another Advantage of using AI files is that as they are a vector format they are scalable/easily adjusted. Another advantage is that it can be used widely as AI files are the most advanced vector format available.

Disadvantage It requires specialist equipment to be viewed and therefore means it’s hard to view it for people of computers that can’t run or acquire this equipment. A disadvantage for AI files is that newer versions may have compatibility issues as they aren’t standard file formats.

FLAStands For Flash File

Used For/Example Used to create animations and games.

Advantage FLA’s can produce high quality files with a small file size.They can also include sound and video. They have the maximum compatibility for web users. It is also preinstalled into macs and PC’s so a lot of the time you won’t have to find specialist equipment to play flash files.

Disadvantage However once again it requires specialist equipment to open this type of file. As well as this if you make a flash document you have to convert the file for use in the future and you have to have a program to run the file after exporting.

WMFStands For Windows Metafile

Used For/Example Similar to AI files. Used for logos

Advantage Can be scaled big and small as the vectors have no loss in the definition of the image.Can contain both vector and bitmap components. They can also contain Vector and Raster elements in one file. As well as this WMF files natively contain undo information which makes correcting things easier.

Disadvantage WMF’s are only available on windows platforms so they can only be generated or opened on these systems (PC’s). Another disadvantage would be the limitation WMF files have. For example they can’t have element grouping like layers or tree’s, 16-bit limitations and bad extensibility as they are old file formats.

File Format Capture and Optimising

CompressionDefinition Lossy compression is when file sizes are

reduced by reducing the amount of data/information which is saved.

Advantage An advantage to this is that it makes the file size small which is good for uploading to websites and means it doesn’t take up as much memory.

Disadvantage Images will become more and more pixelated the more they are compressed as they save smaller amounts of colour per square each time they are re-saved.

Image CaptureMethod Scanner

How is it used for image capture of graphics

You can scan in physical work and make it digital and accessible on a computer instead of it just being on paper for example.

Method CameraHow is it used for image capture of

graphicsTaking pictures of anything you can see.

Method Graphics TabletHow is it used for image capture of

graphicsA newer way of allowing you to draw/select/digitally handwrite something into a computer instead of typing it.

OptimisingWhy would you optimise? I would optimize something so that it is

easier to view on the web.

How can you optimise? One way of optimizing is changing “image size” in Photoshop. You can do this other ways.

Advantage to optimising By optimizing it means you reduce the file size which in turn means it is easier to download.

Disadvantage to optimising The larger the file size the longer it takes to upload/download

Storage

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

Lots of layers and a big photo could make the file bigger. But having less colours and fewer layers and a smaller pictures could make the file smaller.

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

affecting quality?

If you wanted to reduce the file size but keep the quality you could optimize it. You could also reduce the amount of colour you are adding to the document.

What is an advantage of scaling up images before exporting?

It would make them look better if they were downscaled for a website.

What is a disadvantage of scaling up images before exporting?

Larger file meaning that it would be harder to upload to websites.

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

• One thing I could do it date my files. DD-MM-YYYY. This way I know what day it was that I last edited the file.

• Another thing I could do is to name them after specific things in the file so if it is a graphic of a dog I could name it dog.psd and then I would know what it

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

It is a good idea to accurately name my assets because it would make them easier to locate in jumbled folders.

Asset ManagementWhy would you use folders when storing

your assets?It would be easier to locate files and images. If needed for quick use.

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

• I would use folders corresponding to the type of document for Example: Photoshop files, AI files and Flash files. I would have use these all to make sure I could find the corresponding files in these folders. As well as this I might have a Images folder as it would help to contain all images in one folder as it would help with my media bin in Photoshop.