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
Used For/Example
Advantage/s
Disadvantage/s
Joint Photographic Expert
Group
JPEG is a file format commonly
used for images often posted
online or to be saved to a
computer. Eg. Facebook
uploads.
Small file size
Colour depth of 8 bits (256
colours per channel)
Universally compatible
Has a lossy compression
algorithm meaning when it
is compressed data is
deleted from the image.
However in comparison to
RAW files, they have a small
TIFF
Stands For
Used For/Example
Tag File Image Format
Commonly used in the
publishing/printing industry
Advantage
Option of lossless compression
algorithm meaning they loose
no data upon compression
Can store high quality images
without data being lost
Suitable to store the working
project without data being lost
Disadvantage
Large file size due to lossless
compression
Not suitable to store the
finished product
Not universally compatible/not
as widely accepted as JPEG
GIF
Stands For
Graphic Interchange Format
Used For/Example
Commonly used for short clips of
animations
Advantage
8 bit colour depth
Suitable for logos and images
with few different colours
Good for short animations
Lossless compression
Disadvantage
Low quality if high amounts of
colour are in the image
BMP
Stands For
Used For/Example
Advantage
Disadvantage
Bitmap Image File
Used to store images (bitmap
files) and is very similar to JPEG
and TIFF. Often used for printable
images.
Lossless compression so no
data is deleted
Produce high quality images
Large file which cannot be
compressed, particularly if
there is a lot of colours
Resizing the image 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
Can save multiple layers
and page formatting
information
Good for working
products
Lossless compression
Supports transparent
images/backgrounds
Disadvantage
Not suitable for final
product
Large file size
Only compatible with
Adobe file
formats/programs
AI
Stands For
Adobe Illustrator
Art
Used
For/Example
Commonly used by
digital artists to
create for example
logos
Advantage
Uses vector so
images can be
scaled to be
either large or
small and no
image quality will
be lost
Disadvantage Not as widely
compatible
Specialist
software (like
adobe products)
is needed
FLA
Stands For
Flash File
Used For/Example
Used to create basic games and
animations, for example mini clip
flash games
Advantage
High quality images/animations
can be created
Ideal for the web due to small
file size
Can support video and sound
Disadvantage
Difficult to create and execute
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
Can contain both bitmap and
vector images
Images can be scaled large or
small with no definition lost
using vectors
Disadvantage
It is a low resolution image and
is will create poor quality image
is resized as a raster graphic
Limited to only Microsoft
programs to load up metafiles
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.
Reduces the file size so it takes up
less space on the hard drive and
means the image is more suitable
for the web.
Disadvantag Due to data being deleted image
e
quality is lost because pixels have
been removed/deleted. Each time
the file is opening more pixels are
removed and over a period of
time the image begins to become
pixelated.
Image Capture
Method
How is it used for image
capture of graphics
Method
Scanner
A scanner shines light on an
image (photos, sketches, writing)
and digitises the image. The
digitised image is then saved on
the computer.
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. This is a digital image
and saved onto the hard drive.
Optimising
Why would you optimise?
Images are optimised to make for
viewing on the web easier and to
reduce the file size so download
time is shorter.
How can you optimise?
Images can be optimised by
changing the image size in
Photoshop. This includes changing
the colour depth, resolution and
using lossy compression to delete
data.
Advantage to optimising
Images, when optimised, will have
smaller file sizes and reduce the
time to it takes download the
image.
Disadvantage to optimising
However when images are
optimised image quality is lost
because the resolution will be
lowered and various other
components which make the
Storage
File Size
What could affect a Working
Scale (Photoshop) document
file size?
Number of layers and whether
theyre merged
Resolution of file
Whether unnecessary parts of
layers are cropped or not
Rasterising smart objects
Amount of colour/colour depth
How could you reduce the file
size of a Working Scale
document without affecting
quality?
Using vector graphics so when
resizing no image quality is lost
Merge layers together
Delete excess data which is
redundant
What is an advantage of
scaling up images before
exporting?
Larger image for easier viewing
Consistent/same image quality
(no quality/data lost)
What is a disadvantage of
scaling up images before
exporting?
Larger file size which can affect
loading time on the internet
Although no data is lost, pixels
may be stretched because
theyre being manipulated
File Naming Conventions
What naming conventions
could you use when creating
your video game assets?
Dont use overcomplicated file
names, straight to the point
Use dates when the file was
created
Abbreviate the file content
Use hyphens to separate each
detail of the file (date, content)
Dont use spaces
If there is numerous file version,
number which version it is and
the date is was
created/modified
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.
Asset Management
Why would you use folders
when storing your assets?
Using folders, when sorting
assets, increases efficiency when
finding particular files. 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. Also it means you can
directly search for specific files in
these folders.
What folders would you create In documents I would have a
and what would you save
folder named Media
within them
Coursework and within that
folder Id have folders named
after each project. Within each
folder there are subfolders
containing each different part of
