Raster graphics use pixels to form images, so file sizes are large. When resized, raster graphics become pixelated and distorted. Vector graphics use vectors and paths defined by starting and ending points, so they are scalable without quality loss, making them suitable for logos. Common raster graphic file formats include JPEG, TIFF, GIF and BMP. JPEG is used for web and is universal but loses quality with edits. TIFF retains quality but has large file sizes. GIF is used for animations and has small file sizes but poor quality. BMP has no compression but large file sizes. Common vector graphic file formats are PSD, AI and WMF. PSD is used by artists and retains layers but needs Photoshop.

1. Digital Graphics
File Formats
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2. Raster Graphics
Raster Graphics are a type of digital graphic which uses
lots of small pixels to make a bitmap. Each pixel records
information and because a single bitmap will contain
many megapixels (14 megapixels being the equivalent
of 14,000,000 pixels) the size of the file will be quite
large. Each pixel also contains a different colour. When
resized, the bitmap graphic will become pixelated as it
has a limited number of pixels so after a while it
becomes distorted. The bitmap graphic can also
become distorted when uploaded to the internet (eg.
Facebook, etc) because the pixels will be compressed
into less megapixels therefore making the file smaller
so it will load faster.
Each individual pixel is filled by a
different colour.

3. Vector Graphics
Vectors are a type of digital graphic made from vectors and
paths. They are defined by a starting point and an ending
point with angles between them to form a shape (simple or
more advanced) which the computer will fill with a colour.
They are also scalable which means as the computer has
filled the area with colour when the graphic is resized, it
does not lose quality or definition. This makes it perfect for
companies to use vectors for logo’s as they can be used on
something as small as a letterhead on a piece of paper or
on something as large as an advertising board. The
computer will only have to save the vectors and paths so
the file size will be significantly smaller than one of a Raster
Graphic.
The computer fills the area between the
starting point and finishing point.

4. Raster Graphics

5. JPEG
Stands For Joint Photographic Experts
Used For/Example Photographs and web formats by graphic
designers or artists for their portfolio or
for a webpage, or magazine.
Advantage They are universal meaning they can be
opened on almost anything and they also
are used for webpages such as Facebook
meaning most people have come across
them and used them before.
Disadvantage They can lose quality with multiple edits
from compression and recompression
each time the JPEG is edited which is bad
for photographers using JPEG’s as their
work will have lost quality if they upload it
anywhere. They do not support
transparency and they are not as suitable
for text.

6. TIFF
Stands For Tagged Image File Format
Used For/Example It’s popular with graphic designers for
desktop publishing.
Advantage Adobe InDesign documents saved as a TIFF
can save multi-page documents to a single
TIFF they have the option to not lose
quality. They can be opened in Photoshop
which is good for graphic designers when
the TIFF needs editing.
Disadvantage Not everything can open TIFF files and the
file size can be quite big, larger than JPEG
mostly, as they have the option to not
compress the files which can take up a lot
of space on someone’s hard drive or
computer, etc.

7. GIF
Stands For Graphic Interchange Format
Used For/Example They are used for short digital animation,
usually on the internet for people’s
entertainment.
Advantage They are universal meaning they can be
opened almost anywhere and they have a
smaller file size than videos so, when on
the internet, they will load faster. They
support transparency which can be useful
to people who use GIF’s on their webpage.
Disadvantage They are usually poor quality so it would
be less likely to get used and it is one of
the oldest image formats. They also take a
long time to load on the internet so
people would tend to avoid using them.

8. BMP
Stands For Bitmap Image File
Used For/Example Photography or art files which could be
used on web pages or in a magazine or
newspaper.
Advantage They are mostly universal. They have no
loss in compression unlike a JPEG file. If
they have not been resized, they will have
a very good photo quality which makes
them more appealing to photographers
than a JPEG.
Disadvantage Much like a TIFF file, they are large in file
size. They are not scalable so they can
become very pixelated if resized which
effect the quality greatly.

9. Vector Graphics

10. PSD
Stands For Photoshop Document
Used For/Example Used by artists or graphic designers for
image manipulation, and a good example
of this is Front covers of magazines.
Advantage It can save layers, page formatting
information, swatches, etc. It supports
transparency which is good for designing
logo’s for clothing or for people designing
images to be featured on their personal or
company webpage.
Disadvantage You need Photoshop to view them and
they have a big file size which could easily
reach a gigabyte. Also to upload them to
the web you would have to save them as a
TIFF or a JPEG which means if you were to
reopen it in Photoshop you would have
lost the layers.

11. AI
Stands For Adobe Illustrator Art
Used For/Example Used by artists and graphic designers to
design logo’s and such for webpages or
magazines.
Advantage There’s no loss in definition if the image is
resized so the image does not lose quality
which makes them more appealing to
artists or graphic designers than what a
JPEG would.
Disadvantage They can only be viewed in Illustrator. The
file sizes can get quite big like those of a
PSD and also like a PSD, to send or upload
them to the internet they would have to
be sent as a copy or sent/saved as a JPEG
like a PSD.

12. FLA
Stands For Flash File
Used For/Example Used for animation and game production
by graphic designers or artists.
Advantage It produces high quality files with small file
size so it takes up less storage on the
computer, or USB stick. It can include
sound and video.
Disadvantage It often needs updating which can be a
problem if it is needed but can not be
used quick enough as it needs updating
before it can be used. Updating them can
also take a lot of time which could cause a
problem with deadlines.

13. WMF
Stands For Windows Metafile
Used For/Example It is used for designing logo’s by graphic
designers.
Advantage You can rescale them which is good for
logo’s as companies can use them
wherever without causing the image to be
distorted. They contain both Vector and
Bitmap components.
Disadvantage It’s very simple which means no complex
files can be made unlike a PSD which can
make graphic designers not use this file
type.

14. File Format Capture
and Optimising

15. Compression
Definition Lossy compression means that when you
save an image, it will lessen the amount
of megapixels in the file.
Advantage It makes the file smaller so it would take
up less storage than what it would if it was
not compressed.
Disadvantage It will cause the image to become
pixelated and to look distorted which
means the image will lose quality and less
likely to be used for it’s purpose.

16. Image Capture
Method Scanner
How is it used for image capture of
graphics
If you use the scanner to scan a sketch, a
photo, or a mixed media product, and etc
it will digitalise them and transfer them
into a JPEG file on the computer.
Method Camera
How is it used for image capture of
graphics
The camera will capture a moment and
digitalise it so there is a still life of it which
can then be printed or transferred into a
JPEG file.
Method Graphics Tablet
How is it used for image capture of
graphics
A graphics tablet allows someone to draw
or write on the tablet which will transfer
through to a document on the computer
which can be saved as a number of files.

17. Optimising
Why would you optimise? By optimising an image it will give it a smaller
loading file and therefore take less time to
download which is better for images on the
internet as the webpage will load faster.
How can you optimise? You can optimise a lot of ways. For example, you
can reduce the image size or compress the
image. You can also reduce the bit depth or
reduce the resolution (the amount of pixels in
the image.)
Advantage to optimising Images on the internet are optimised for easy viewing
as they load faster due to the small loading file and
images uploaded to social media are optimised
automatically so they will load faster and people are
not sat waiting for images and videos to load for a long
period of time.
Disadvantage to optimising By optimising images, they are losing quality as
they are being compressed. Also they are also
losing quality by being resized which could make
them become pixelated and distorted.

18. Storage

19. File Size
What could affect a Working Scale
(Photoshop) document file size?
The amount of layers and effects you have
on your PSD will affect the file size greatly
as the more you have, the bigger the file
size will be.
How could you reduce the file size of a
Working Scale document without
affecting quality?
One thing you could do is group multiple layers
together so they make one layer rather than a few.
Another thing you could is making sure you only keep
essential parts of the image like for example, if you
were rota scoping over an image, that when you are
finished, you should delete the original image to
reduce file space. You could also rasterize some
aspects of the PSD.
What is an advantage of scaling up images
before exporting?
Scaling up the image in raster graphics will
produce a less pixelated and more of a
softer image.
What is a disadvantage of scaling up
images before exporting?
It will greatly increase the fie size of the
document.

20. File Naming Conventions
What naming conventions could you use
when creating your assets?
You would name each file with a name
relevant to their purpose so each file is
recognisable and can be distinguished
from one and other. You would also name
each layer in a PSD (for example, Hair,
nose, eyes, etc,) so you know which layer
is the right layer.
Why is it a good idea to accurately name
your assets?
So you know which specific assets are
which straight away without having to
check each of them until you find the one
you are looking for.

21. Asset Management
Why would you use folders when storing
your assets?
To keep all your assets organised so you
can assess the one you need quicker
instead of scrolling through many different
files searching for the one you need.
What folders would you create and what
would you save within them
You could have a file named ‘Personal
photos’ where you would keep your
photographs from your holiday or a day
out, etc. You could also have one named
‘College’ where you would keep all your
files for your college work. You could also
have a file called ‘Photoshop’ where you
would keep all your PSD files and a file
named ‘Admin’ where you could keep all
your financial documents.