A pixel is the smallest component of an image. Pixels can refer to printed pixels, electronic signals, digital values, or display/camera elements. Common image file formats discussed include BMP, PNG, and GIF. Photo realism in games drives technology advancement through research into 3D graphics techniques. Pixel art and concept art are important artistic elements in games. Texture artists work to make backgrounds and graphics as realistic as possible through texture manipulation.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel
Pixel and resolution
A pixel is the smallest single component of an image.
However, the definition is highly context-sensitive. For
example, there can be "printed pixels" in a page, or
pixels
carried
by
electronic
signals,
or represented by digital values, or pixels on a
display device or pixels in a digital camera (photo
sensor elements). This list is not
exhaustive, and depending on context,
there are several terms that are
synonymous in particular contexts,
such as pel, sample, byte, bit, dot, spot,
etc. The term "pixels" can be used in the
abstract, or as a unit of measure, in
particular when using pixels as a measure
of resolution, such as: 2400 pixels per inch, 640
pixels per line, or spaced 10 pixels apart.
The BMP file format is a bitmap image it is a commonly
used raster format when it is being saved.
Portable Network Graphics (PNG
pron.: /ˈpɪ ŋ] PING) is a Raster
graphics file format that supports
lossless data compression. PNG
was created as an improved, non-
patented replacement for Graphics
Interchange Format (GIF), and is
the most used lossless image
compression format on the World

2. Wide Web.
The Graphics Interchange Format
(GIF; /ˈdʒ ɪ f/ or
/ˈɡ ɪ f/)(http://en.wikipedia.org) is a
bitmap image format that was
introduced by CompuServe in 1987[1]
and has since come into widespread
usage on the World Wide Web due
to its wide support and portability.
The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel thus
allowing a single image to reference a palette of up
to 256 distinct colours. The colours are chosen from
the 24-bit RGB colour space. It also supports
animations and allows a separate palette of 256
colours for each frame. The colour limitation makes
the GIF format unsuitable for reproducing colour
photographs and other images with continuous
colour, but it is well-suited for simpler images such
as graphics or logos with solid areas of colour.
Photo realism in video games
Photo realism in video games has been the single most
effective driving factor for creating new technology
and artistic games such as crysis 3 or the new tomb
raider. It is very expensive to research new techniques
to make progression in 3D graphics and photorealism.
Only major companies like Microsoft, Sony and
Nintendo can afford their own RnD department
(Research and Development).
Cel Shading
Cel shading is used to try and recreate the effects of
a comic book in games such as borderlands. The term

3. http://minecraftgallery.com/gallery/minecraft-fortress-
spawn/
http://technabob.com/blog/2
009/07/16/even-the-best-
pixel-art-is-kinda-square/
‘cel’ comes from celluloid and is often misspelled as
cell. It is non-photorealistic when it is rendered.
Abstraction
Abstraction is normally seen in paintings by ‘abstract’
artists; it is also seen as an impractical idea that is
unrealistic but is the vast majority of the time unique.
Abstraction is also described as to ‘take away from
something.’
Exaggeration
Exaggeration is to
Pixel Art
Pixel art in videogames
has been around since
the start of
videogames and is
used in both the
amateur and
professional areas
of game making. Indie
developers make pixel
art games as well as
triple-A titles such as
minecraft one of the biggest selling games of all
time.
The actual definition of Pixel art is -
Image filters (such as blurring or
alpha-blending) or tools with
automatic anti-aliasing are
considerednot valid tools for pixel
art, as such tools calculate new
pixel values automatically,
contrasting with the precise manual
arrangement of pixels associated
with pixel art.

4. http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/10/you-
may-not-survive-this-dark-souls-concept-
art/
http://game-designschools.com/video-game-texture-artist/
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_art)
The retro games in the ‘bit’ generation of games were
all pixels like duck hunt; the image on the left is a real
life representation of the pixels.
Concept Art
Concept art in
video games is the
drawings/ideas
that are created before
the final production of
the
game.
Some games have special editions
such as ‘Dark Souls’ include some
concepts with it from before the final product.
Concept art is a large section of importance in the
video game industry. Concept art is sometimes
referred to as just illustration which it is to a
certain extent but since it is a concept it is different it
is not necessarily a rough draft but an early concept.
An image tells a story that can be complex as a scene
from a film or an image of a horse. What makes
concept art different from illustration is that the
audience isn’t the person who reads a book, plays a
game, or watches a movie. The primary audience of
concept art is other artists, and other people
involved in the making of the final product. Concept art
is the blueprint that is used to make more art. It is
also used to communicate with the holder of the
intellectual property rights involved in a project, and
it can also be the leverage that is used to get funding
for a project. (http://studiobond.net/about/what-is-
concept-art/)
Texture Art
Texture artists
work on the
background and

5. http://www.nextgenupdate.com/forums/grap
hics-design/338629-x-topgamer-x-gfx-shop-
3.html
graphics making them try to look as real as possible
to try and give the game a visual edge over others. It
is normal for texture artists to get inspiration from
real textures around such as animal skin or patterns
in nature since the goal is to create highly realistic
work; it makes sense that they mimic real-world
objects. The textural elements of video games are
highly important to the overall game play. By
constantly honing their skills, texture artists can
improve the quality of the games they work with by
making them more realistic and playable.
Background Graphics
The background graphics
is the background for
images and in video games
it is generally an area
that cannot be ventured
to because it is not
interactive like other
things. The background
graphics is also seen as
the backdrop in images or
wallpaper on a computer.
Print Media Art
Print making is an art that requires critical practice it
is monotyping an image on a piece of paper; it is printed
as a form of social medium.

6. Bibliography
All Imagery is taken from Wikipedia on file formats
:(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_format)
Dark Souls concept art:
(http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/10/you-may-not-
survive-this-dark-souls-concept-art/))
Duck hunt pixel art:
(http://technabob.com/blog/2009/07/16/even-the-
best-pixel-art-is-kinda-square/ )
Minecraft Picture:
(http://minecraftgallery.com/gallery/minecraft-
fortress-spawn/)

7. Symbols like ʒ : ( http://en.wikipedia.org)
Quote about concept art:
(http://studiobond.net/about/what-is-concept-art/)
Background Graphics image
:(http://www.nextgenupdate.com/forums/graphics-design/338629-x-topgamer-x-gfx-shop-
3.html)