Digital Graphics File Formats Sian England

Raster Graphics

• Give a definition of Raster GraphicsRaster graphics are made up of bitmaps which are tiny pixels that record colour information. Images that use raster graphics tend to lead to distortion when resizing. The amount of megapixels on a camera (14 megapixels = 14,000,000) are tiny megapixels which separates the image into squares, which is the same as raster graphics. The most popular file types of raster graphics are JPEG, TIFF, GIF and BMP.

Vector Graphics

• Give a definition of Vector GraphicsVector graphics are made up of different vectors/paths/strokes. Vector graphics are defined by start and end points with curves, points and angles between them. A path in vector graphics can be a line, square, triangle or a curvy shape. Vector graphics can be scaled large or small without distortion, which makes it perfect for company logos, as it can be large on a billboard, or tiny on a business card without making the image look distorted or pixelated. The most popular file types of Vector Graphics are PSD, AI, FLA and WMF.

Raster Graphics

JPEGStands For Joint Photographic Experts Group

Used For/Example It is used for photographs and web formats. An example of it being used is photographs on Facebook would be JPEGs.

Advantage A JPEG file size is very small in comparison to other files such as PSDs and TIFFs, therefore you wouldn’t need as much storage space.

Disadvantage A disadvantage of using JPEGs is that the image will lose quality with multiple edits due to the compression of the image.

TIFFStands For Tagged Image File Format

Used For/Example TIFFs are used for desktop publishing which is popular with graphic designers. Adobe InDesign is an example of where TIFF files are used.

Advantage An advantage of using TIFF files is that in Adobe InDesign, you can save multiple page documents to a single TIFF file. Also, TIFF files have the option of lossless compression which means it doesn’t lose quality.

Disadvantage A disadvantage of using TIFF files is that the file sizes are quite large, meaning you would require more storage space.

GIFStands For Graphics Interchange Format

Used For/Example GIFs are small digital animations that play in a loop. May be seen on multiple social media sites.

Advantage It creates the appearance of a video when it is just a series of images playing in a loop, which means that the file sizes would be smaller than an actual video file.

Disadvantage A disadvantage of GIFs is that the quality of the file can sometimes be quite poor, and can cause lagging between the images which reduces the appearance of it being a video file.

BMPStands For Bitmap Image Files

Used For/Example BMPs is a commonly used raster graphic that saves image files.

Advantage An advantage of using BMPs is that there is no loss in quality as the BMP saves the images through colour information and it saves the pixel information, instead of compressing the image.

Disadvantage A disadvantage of BMPs is that it has a large file size, which means if you are using them, you would require a lot more storage space.

Vector Graphics

PSDStands For Photoshop Document

Used For/Example PSDs are used for image manipulation, and an example of that would be front covers for magazines.

Advantage An advantage of PSDs is that it saves layers, page formatting and swatches etc, meaning you can continue with your work at a later date and everything will be the same as you left it. Also, PSDs support transparency which is also an advantage.

Disadvantage A disadvantage of PSDs is that they have large file sizes, meaning you would need more storage space if you chose to use them.

AIStands For Adobe Illustrator Art

Used For/Example Commonly used for the creation of logos.

Advantage An advantage of using Adobe Illustrator files are that they can be scaled to any size without any loss in definition.

Disadvantage An AI file requires certain software to open the file, which can be difficult when sharing files with others.

FLAStands For Flash File

Used For/Example Flash files are used to create animations and games.

Advantage An advantage of Flash files is that they are very high quality but also have a very small file size, which includes sound and video.

Disadvantage A disadvantage is that only certain software can open FLA files as they are specialist files.

WMFStands For Windows Metafile

Used For/Example Used to create logos, which can be used for companies and brands.

Advantage An advantage of WMF files is that they can be scaled big and small, without any loss of definition or quality. They also contain components of bitmap and vector graphics.

Disadvantage WMF files are only accessible on Windows platforms, which means not everybody may be able to access these files.

File Format Capture and Optimising

CompressionDefinition Lossy compression is the way in which file

sizes are reduced and the amount of information that is saved.

Advantage The main advantage of compression is that it reduces the file size meaning less storage is required to save the file.

Disadvantage Images become more pixelated as they are saved as they are compressed because they save smaller amounts of coloured squares each time.

Image CaptureMethod Scanner

How is it used for image capture of graphics

You can digitalise physical images like sketches, photos, or mixed media products.

Method CameraHow is it used for image capture of

graphicsLight enters the lens of a camera which gets projected onto a sensor which records the individual pixels of colour

Method Graphics TabletHow is it used for image capture of

graphicsA graphics tablet is used for drawing and illustration which allows the cursor to be used by a pen.

OptimisingWhy would you optimise? Images that are uploaded to the internet

are optimised to ensure easy viewing.

How can you optimise? You can optimise an image by reducing the file size, by reducing the bit depth, by reducing the resolution, or by compressing an image.

Advantage to optimising An image that has been optimised can be downloaded at a much faster speed than images that are not optimised.

Disadvantage to optimising Optimising an image reduces the amount of pixel information within an image, which means poorer quality images.

Storage

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

Pixel dimensions and the amount of layers of an image effect the file size.

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

affecting quality?

You can reduce the file size of a document by saving it as a different file such as a TIFF.

What is an advantage of scaling up images before exporting?

Scaling up images before exporting allows images to be resized without losing quality.

What is a disadvantage of scaling up images before exporting?

Scaling up images makes the file harder to send or publish.

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

• When naming a file it is better to give it a proper name than Untitled.

• It is better to name them something related to the image, or in this case video game assets.

• Also, placing each file in a related folder makes navigation much easier.

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

Accurately naming assets makes navigation much easier when looking through files and also reduces confusion.

Asset ManagementWhy would you use folders when storing

your assets?Using folders when storing assets would help with finding the correct files and wouldn’t get mixed with other files.

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

• I would create separate folders for different types of edits and also different projects I am working on.