2. Raster Graphics
• Raster graphics are graphics that are made up of
bitmaps, they are digital images created or capture.
The raster file is sometimes referred to as a bitmap
because it contains information that Is mapped out
to the display grid. Computer image which unlike
vector graphics is made up of small tiles (pixels or
dots).
3. Vector Graphics
• Vector graphics are made up of vectors and paths. Vector
graphics are created in graphics packages and consist of
shapes called objects.
• It is possible to edit each object separately, for example,
change the shape, color, size and position.
• Even if an object in a vector graphic is quite large, it doesn't
need a lot of computer memory. Therefore the file size of a
vector graphic is often very small.
• Vector graphics are scalable - i.e. when you resize them, they
do not lose quality.
5. JPEG
Stands For Joint photographic Experts Group
Used For/Example Photographs and web format;
Compression technique for colour images.
Advantage Jpeg can reduce file sizes to about 5% of
their normal size. This is also a universal
file which means it can be opened
everywhere. Jpeg’s are great for
photographs, as they can do full-colour
information; they have a larger
compression ratios so they have a shorter
file transfer time.
Disadvantage However, once you have converted an
image into a JPEG file it can result in loss
of quality due to the compression. Any
sharp edges tend to come out blurry when
you transfer them; they also have a longer
page load time than the GIF format.
6. TIFF
Stands For Tagged Image File Format
Used For/Example Desktop Publishing, this format is typically
popular with graphic designers.
Advantage You can save multi-page documents to a
single one TIFF file. You also have the
option of lossless compression therefore,
you don’t lose any quality due to the
compression. This file format can also be
recognised by most computers;
compatible with both MAC and PC’s.
Disadvantage TIFF have rather large file sizes which can
take up a lot of memory; about 20mb for a
10 megapixel image. A tiff is also a
specialist file which means it requires
certain programmes to open the
document. Most websites and online
image galleries do not support TIFF
uploading.
7. GIF
Stands For Graphics Interchange Format
Used For/Example This is a bitmap image format that allows
you to have moving images.
Advantage An advantage of GIF’s is that it uses
lossless compression; therefore, there is
no degrade to the quality of the image.
GIF’s also support transparent
backgrounds and can show a more
professional look to a website.
Disadvantage However, a disadvantage of using a GIF file
format is that they store the image date
using indexed colour. Once the animation
has been coded into the GIF there is no
way to go back and edit the image.
8. BMP
Stands For Bitmap Image File
Used For/Example is a raster graphics image file format used
to store bitmap digital images.
Advantage An advantage of BMP files is that it has no
loss in compression. These files may
translate well to dot-format output
devices such as CRT’s and printers. They
files may be easily created from existing
pixel data stored in an array in memory.
Disadvantage Disadvantage to using a BMP is that it has
a large file size, so it take up more space
than some of the other file formats. They
typically don’t scale very well; shrinking an
image can throw away pixels and change
the image in a unacceptable manner.
10. PSD
Stands For Photoshop Document
Used For/Example This is used for image manipulation, they
are commonly seen when used for the
front cover images for magazines.
Advantage An advantage of using vector graphics is
that it saves layer, page formatting,
information and swatches. It also opens in
Adobe Photoshop CS so it uses good
software to create the file.
Disadvantage These files only open in Adobe Photoshop,
therefore if you don’t have this software
you can’t edit or create them. It is also not
suitable for a blog or website and you
can’t always print these images.
11. AI
Stands For Adobe Illustrator Art
Used For/Example This can be used to create logos, the
graphics are used to represent a company.
Advantage These can be scaled smaller and larger;
with no loss in definition therefore the
images could be of really high quality; it is
a vector graphic. These images will be
suitable to be used on a business card of
website as they are high quality.
Disadvantage A disadvantage of using a Al file is that it
requires specialist software to open which
limits where It can be viewed. Otherwise,
you have to convert the image into
another image file for it to be viewed
without the software.
12. FLA
Stands For Flash File
Used For/Example Flash files are used to create games and
animations.
Advantage These files are of high quality but they
only have a small file size which makes
them good to use on the wed as they wont
take long to load. They don’t take up a lot
of memory and can be stored on things
like USB’s; as well as animations they can
also include video and sound.
Disadvantage There is a limited amount of software
which can open a FLA file as it is a
specialist file. Although they have a small
file size they aren’t compatible on the
internet therefore they can’t run on the
internet.
13. WMF
Stands For Windows Metafile
Used For/Example These files are similar to AL files, these are
used for logos and company graphics. They
are a windows format used mainly for
clipart.
Advantage An advantage of using WMF is that they
can be scaled smaller and larger with no
loss of definition and this file can contain
both bitmap and vector components. Files
can be saved in to a JPEG form and placed
straight into a Microsoft word document.
Disadvantage A disadvantage of using a WMF is that it is
only available on windows platforms so
they can only be generated on these.
PowerPoint sometimes does not support
this file format and tends to glitch, this is
very likely with some types of graphs.
15. Compression
Definition Lossy compression is a reduction in the file
size which is caused by reducing the
amount of information which is saved.
Advantage The main advantage to compression is that
it can reduce the file size and the amount
of memory in which the file requires. This
means your computer may work faster
and your file transfers will be quicker.
Disadvantage When this file is compressed, images lose
quality and appear more pixelated
because less pixels are saved each time. If
you send a compressed file; via email the
recipient may not be able to open it as its
compressed.
16. Image Capture
Method Scanner
How is it used for image capture of
graphics
A scanner is used to digitalise physical
images; a drawing to a Photoshop
document. A scanner analyses an image
and processes it in some way.
Method Camera
How is it used for image capture of
graphics
Light enters the lens of the camera and is
recorded by a sensor; sensor records
information for all the pixels which then
produces a digital image.
Method Graphics Tablet
How is it used for image capture of
graphics
Some tablets have technology which
allows you to control a mouse like a pen
for illustration and other purposes.
17. Optimising
Why would you optimise? Images are uploaded to the internet are
optimised for easy viewing on the web.
How can you optimise? You can optimise images for the web by
changing the image size in Photoshop. You
can also reduce the bit depth, resolution
and compress the images.
Advantage to optimising By optimising an image, you reduce the
file size which means that the image will
then be able to download faster.
Disadvantage to optimising Optimising an image reduces the amount
of pixel information, usually until images
are no more than 500 pixels wide.
19. File Size
What could affect a Working Scale
(Photoshop) document file size?
The image size can affect the document
file size; in addition, the amount of colours
and the layers/effects added to the image
can affect the file size.
How could you reduce the file size of a
Working Scale document without
affecting quality?
You could work on a smaller scale canvas
size to reduce the file size; also you could
merge any appropriate layers together.
What is an advantage of scaling up images
before exporting?
An advantage of scaling up images is that
it will improve the quality of the overall
image.
What is a disadvantage of scaling up
images before exporting?
However, a disadvantage of scaling up
images is that it can increase the file size
which will take up more storage.
20. File Naming Conventions
What naming conventions could you use
when creating your video game assets?
When naming my assets I will add a
number on to the end of the image so I
know which asset it is. For example: “asset
1”, “asset 2. If it is a character then I will
name them “asset character” and if it’s a
background/architecture I will name it
“asset architecture”.
Why is it a good idea to accurately name
your assets?
It is a good idea to accurately name my
assets to make them easier to locate. Also
it means that none of the work will be lost.
21. Asset Management
Why would you use folders when storing
your assets?
You would use folders when you are
storing your assets to make sure that when
you are trying to access certain files. It will
help be able to put them in a particular
order depending on what it is.
What folders would you create and what
would you save within them
I would create a folder which is named
research in which I will place all of the
researching documents which I create.
Then I will have a folder named ‘pixel art’
which I will save all of my creations for my
game.
