Digital Graphics

File Formats
Millie Casemore

Raster Graphics
Raster graphics are essentially an image
created/made up by bitmaps. Bitmaps are made
up of pixels which store a colour corresponding
to the image it makes up. They have a set
resolution, for example 300dpi. Therefore, a
disadvantage is when being resized they can
become distorted because the pixel are being
stretched (less pixels per inch). However an
advantage of Raster graphics is that they can
create complex, high quality images if they are
not resized.

Vector Graphics
Vector graphics are images made up by paths
and strokes through mathematical formulas.
They are made up of set start and end points
and are connected by lines (straight of curved).
The lines can have different thicknesses and
colour. An example of Vector graphics is clipart,
which are simple images created through
vector graphics. An advantage of this is when
being resized, no image quality is lost. Also
they have a small file size. However they are
not good for creating detailed images.

Resizing
RASTER
GRAPHICS

VECTOR
GRAPHICS

The image here,

after being
resized, has
clearly lost
quality and is not
as clear as the
image on the left.

Whereas here the

image, after being
resized, has lost no
quality and is still as
clear as the image
on the left.

Raster Graphics

JPEG
Stands For

Joint Photographic Expert

Group

Used For/Example

JPEG is a file format commonly

used for images often posted
online or to be saved to a
computer. Eg. Facebook uploads.

Advantage/s

JPEGs have a small file size so they

take up less space on your hardrive
and are quicker to load/download.
Compared to some file types, JPEGs
have a large colour depth of 8 bits
(256 colours per channel). So the
images are higher quality. Universally
compatible with many programs,
more people and programs can use
them/open them.

Disadvantage/s

Uses a lossy compression algorithm

meaning when it is compressed data
is deleted from the image to reduce
data size for storage. This is
irreversible. In comparison to RAW
files, they have a small colour depth
(8 bits compared to 10/12 bit)

TIFF
Stands For
Used For/Example

Tag File Image Format

Commonly used in the
publishing/printing industry.

Advantage

TIFF gives uses the option of

lossless compression algorithm
meaning they loose no data upon
compression, so no quality loss.
Can store high quality images
without data being lost. Suitable
to store the working project/store
layers without data or quality
being lost.

Disadvantage

However they have a large file

size due to lossless compression
and the high quality image. They
are not suitable to store the
finished product because of the
large file size and because theyre
not universally as

GIF
Stands For

Graphic Interchange Format

Used For/Example

Commonly used for short clips of

animations.

Advantage

GIFs are suitable for logos and

images with few different colours.
Also are good for short
animations. Use lossless
compression which is good
because no image quality is lost.
Have transparent backgrounds
which looks professional on
websites and they have small file
sizes.

Disadvantage

However GIFs produce a low

quality animation if a lot of
colours are in/used in the clip. This
is due to the colour depth of 8 bits
(256 colours per channel) and
leads to blocky/lower quality
images.

BMP
Stands For
Used For/Example

Bitmap Image File

Used to store images (bitmap files)
and is very similar to JPEG and TIFF.
Often used for printable images.

Advantage

Some advantages of BMP files is that

they use lossless compression. This
means no image quality or data is
lost so that they can produce high
quality images.

Disadvantage

However they have a large file size

(takes up a lot of space on hardrive)
due to the fact that they cannot be
compressed because they use
lossless compression; particularly if
there is a lot of colours. Resizing the
image also causes issues and usually
results in a distorted image due to
the bitmap/raster graphic file format.

Vector Graphics

PSD
Stands For

Photoshop Document

Used
For/Example

Used by magazine creators

and publicists to create
front covers, logos and to
manipulate photos

Advantage

With PSD files you can save

multiple layers and page
formatting information
which means they are good
for working products. They
use lossless compression so
no image quality is lost.
Finally they supports
transparent
images/backgrounds

Disadvantage

However they are not

suitable for final product
due to a large file size. Also
they are only compatible
with Adobe file
formats/programs meaning

AI
Stands For

Adobe Illustrator
Art

Used
For/Example

Commonly used by
digital artists to
create for example
logos

Advantage

AI files use vector

so images can be
scaled to be either
large or small and
no image quality
will be lost. Again, it
uses lossy
compression so no
data or image
quality is lost.

Disadvantage They are not as

widely compatible
because its a very
specialist software
and will only, really,

FLA
Stands For
Used For/Example

Flash File
Used to create basic games and
animations, for example mini clip
flash games

Advantage

FLA files allow for high quality

images/animations can be
created. They are ideal for the
web due to small file size and they
can support video and sound.

Disadvantage

However they are difficult to

create and execute because of
complex commands. They need a
high level of knowledge on the
software to execute. So this
means they require specialist
software.

WMF
Stands For

Windows Metafile

Used For/Example

Used to create company logos by

digital artists and companies.
Similar to AI files

Advantage

WMF can contain both bitmap and

vector images which means users
have a choice on which one they
want to use. If they use vectors,
they will be able to scale images
up or down and no definition will
be lost.

Disadvantage

However they can result in low

resolution image which will mean
a poor quality image when resized
as a raster graphic. Also they are
limited to only Microsoft programs
to load up metafiles; they are not
widely compatible.

File Format
Capture and
Optimising

Compression
Definition

Advantage

Lossy compression reduces the file

size significantly by deleting data
which is irrelevant therefore
compressing the image. Whereas
lossless compression reconstructs
the file making it smaller but not
deleting redundant data.
An advantage if compressing an
image is that it reduces the file size
so it takes up less space on the hard
drive. Also it means the image is
more suitable for the web because it
is uploaded and downloaded quicker.

Disadvantag However, due to data being deleted

e
the image quality is lost because
pixels have been removed/deleted.
Each time the file is opened more
pixels are removed and over a
period of time the image begins to
become pixelated; this is especially
if the image is resized because the

Image Capture
Method

Scanner

How is it used for image

capture of graphics

A scanner shines light on an image (photos,

sketches, writing) and directing the light,
using mirrors, onto a photosensitive film or
material. The image is then digitised. The
digitised image is then saved on the
computer.

Method

Camera

How is it used for image

capture of graphics

Cameras are used to capture

images by light entering the
camera lens and the camera
saves the data of each pixel using
a sensor. Higher the megapixel,
the higher quality image.

Method

Graphics Tablet

How is it used for image

capture of graphics

Graphics tablets allow users to directly

draw onto the tablet or they a pen and
display the image on a screen. The
tablet captures this image and then it
is saved as a digital image and saved
onto the hard drive.

Optimising
Why would you optimise?

Images are optimised to reduce the large

file size which is often a problem when
using Photoshop. Usually this is done so
images can be uploaded and downloaded
from websites quick; quicker loading time
on web pages.

How can you optimise?

Usually this is often done through lossy

compression, which means to remove all
the unnecessary data from the file resulting
in image quality loss. Images can be
optimised by changing the image size in
Photoshop. This includes changing the
colour depth, resolution. Finally you can
optimise also by removing white space and
use file formats which have a lower colour
depth.

Advantage to optimising

Optimising an image results in some

advantages. They will have smaller file sizes
which reduces the time it takes for the
image to be uploaded and downloaded. Also
they use less space on your hardrive and
are easier to share/send to people due to
the small file size.

Disadvantage to optimising

However when images are optimised image

quality is lost because the resolution will be
lowered and if lossy compression was used,
data will have been deleted from the image.

Storage

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

If the document has a lot of layers then the file size

could be quite large. A high image resolution means
there are more pixels per inch, this also results in a
larger file size. Also whether unnecessary parts of
layers are cropped or not could be a dependant
factor when determining the file size. Rasterising
smart objects can determine how large or small the
file is. Finally a larger colour depth means there will
be a wider range of colours available for the image,
so this will make the file bigger or smaller
depending.

How could you reduce the file

size of a Working Scale
document without affecting
quality?

Using vector graphics so when resizing would

reduce the file size without affecting the quality
because vector graphics do not lose or gain quality
depending on size. This is because they are a series
of connecting lines and not just pixels. You could
also merge layers together and delete excess data
which is redundant.

What is an advantage of
scaling up images before
exporting?

An advantage of scaling image up are you get a

larger image which means easier viewing and that
the image doesnt need to be scaled up after
exporting because it is already large. This means
the pixels will not be stretched, so no image quality
loss. Also you get a consistent/same image quality
(no quality/data lost).

What is a disadvantage of
scaling up images before
exporting?

A disadvantage of scaling up an image before

exporting is that you get a larger file size which can
affect loading time on the internet. Although no
data is lost, pixels may be stretched because
theyre being manipulated bigger. The outcome of
this will be a lower quality, stretched image which
is not attractive to look at.

File Naming Conventions

What naming conventions
could you use when creating
your video game assets?

A naming convention you could use when

naming these assets is to not use
overcomplicated file names and possibly
abbreviate words. You could use dates when
the file was created or last edited.
Use hyphens to separate each detail of the
file (date, content) and dont use spaces. If
there is numerous file version, number
which version it is and the date is was
created/modified. Also store each different
asset of you video game in named folders,
for example you could store all the different
positions for one character in a folder called
Character [name].

Why is it a good idea to

accurately name your assets?

It is a good idea to name your assets so you

can find certain files easily and efficiently.
You can do this by searching for the file
name/what your need and, if named
correctly, you should find the asset. Also
this means you will know exactly what is in
your file if it is named correctly and you will
know what youre looking for.

Asset Management
Why would you use folders
when storing your assets?

Using folders, when sorting assets,

increases efficiency when finding particular
files and means your files will be organised
and easier to navigate. This is because you
can save files in folders and subfolders
which are named appropriately. For example
in your pictures folder you could have a
subfolder called Photoshop so you can
easily access/find all your Photoshop files.
Within that folder you could have subfolders
for you individual projects. Finally, it also
means you can directly search for specific
files in these folders.

What folders would you create

and what would you save
within them?

In documents I would have a folder named

Media Coursework and within that folder
Id have folders named after each project.
Within that folder Id have each different
coursework Id been given and it would be
named after that piece of coursework. For
example, Id have a folder called Print
Based Media. Within this folder there will
be subfolders containing each different part
of the project (research, design, product).
These files will all be named appropriately
and be named after the folder theyre in e.g.