Unit 30 Task 1

Digital Graphics

Converting files• Data Conversion is the use of changing the physical data format of a file to

another for example software and hardware on 2 different computers might be different so the data will have to be converted to be readable.

• Some implications in creating and manipulating graphical images is that some websites are unable to display certain image types causing people to convert files so that the respected image can be displayed on said website. A couple of benefits of converting the files is that JPEG’s don’t have white backgrounds which makes it easier to edit images, converting to PNG’s is also useful as they’re smaller files allowing for websites to contain more images or to allow better data storage.

• On the other hand sometimes Human intervention is needed because in situations where information is being added for example converting an image to grayscale is simple but converting a grayscale image back to colour is impossible without Human intervening by choosing where the colours need to be placed on the image. This technique is called Up sampling.

Compression

• Data Compression is the art of reducing data bits which are representing a piece of information. This is achieved by eliminating the recurring identical bits of data in graphs, audio/video. Some examples of this is include the white spaces in text and large pixels of the same colour in pictures being reduced or eliminated and this is done by using a program with a compression algorithm along side it. It is also possible using the same program to decompress the graphic to be seen in its original data form.

• Compression can be used in creating and manipulating by making file and image sizes smaller and more compact allowing to free up more space, however this does have some down sides such as the overall quality can end up being reduced and it can be expensive for the hardware.

Hardware• Hardware are physical parts/components of a computer which can be

physically touched.• Some Hardware is capable of use in graphic design these are some

examples I will be talking about• Graphics cards• Graphics tablets• Digital cameras• Printers• Monitors• CD-ROM• HDD• Memory SD cards

• Otherwise know as Video cards work by the CPU working with software sent information in the form of binary data of an image to the graphics card which then decides how to use the pixels on the screen so it is able to create the correct image, it then transfers the information to the monitor. You generally need a couple of key components to achieve this such as a motherboard, processor, memory and a monitor.• The use of graphics cards in graphic design is to simply

render the digital images on the screen for use.

Graphics CardsHardware

• The Pen with a tablet has a digital chip, a modulator and a transmitter built in. This uses a magnetic field which reacts with a sensor board allowing it to track the pens location pressure and speed causing it not to need electrical power in the pen. This is known as EMR (electromagnetic resonance technology).

• This has many uses in graphic design because it makes it possible for the user to write on digital software just like you would with a Pencil and paper so you can easily capture hand written notations and designs, this is all done by the pressure-sensitive system letting the user determine how think lines need to be and giving overall precision. The Device also allows graphic designers to digitalise hand drawn work and manipulate digital images using a pen.

Graphics tabletsHardware

• A digital has a series of lenses that focus light onto a semiconductor device that records light electronically, After a computer breaks the information down into digital data so it can be read by a computer and viewed.• This allows for people to take high quality images and

store them either on the camera or directly store vast quantities of them on a computer. In graphics design this is used to easily capture images to edit or fuse together on a computer.

Digital CamerasHardware

• A Inkjet printer places very tiny (between 50 and 60 microns in diameter) ink droplets onto a piece of paper to create an image with the dots being placed very precisely with resolutions up to 1440x720 dpi. These dots can have different colours and can be combined to create photo quality images.• In graphic design this helps the user to “print” a

physical copy of a digital image to display, show off or use in a variety of different manners.

PrintersHardware

● Most modern monitors use a LCD (liquid crystal display) display. This is made up of two pieces of polarized glass which have a liquid crystal material between them. A backlight will create light which passes through the first slate but at the same time electrical currents cause the liquid molecules to align to allow varying light levels to penetrate through to the second slate which creates the colours and images on screen.

● This is a great piece of hardware in graphic design as it allows the user to display digital images on screen so they can manipulate said image using software available.

MonitorsHardware

● Data on CD-ROM’s (Compact disc) are stored in a series of very tiny bumps and lands just like on a vinyl, these each read either 1 or 0 in binary with 1 being a bump and 0 being a land or flat surface. They’re microscopic and require a fine laser to read and this is done by the laser following the data stream of bumps and lands from the inside of the disc in an outward spiral direction, the resulting reflections allow the disc to be read. The CD-ROM drive monitors the laser as this happens and adjusts it to follow the correct path for the right data path.

● CD-ROMs are useful in a variety of ways such as being able to transport graphic images or other types of media and play them on other devices.

CD-ROMHardware

• A HDD (Hard disc drive) Is comprised of platters (like discs) which are on top of each other and a few millimetres apart, These are incredibly smooth and can hold large amounts of data. To compliment this an arm is attached which reads and writes data on the platter by stretching out and moving over it from the centre to the edge reading and writing by its fine tiny heads which just hover over the platter. The average arm can oscillate around 50 times per second but can reach into the thousands on more sophisticated drives. Drives also use magnetism to store information. When the arm writes data onto the platter they spin at high RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) generally around 4,000. The platters are separated into different sectors and tracks to allow files to be separated.

• When being used the hard drive must find the specific files ask for and it achieves this by the CPU telling it what to look for and then the hard drive spins very fast (can find an image in 1nano) which then sends it back to the CPU (The time it takes is called “Real time”) to send the image to the screen.

• A HDD is very useful in Graphic design and manipulation because it enables the designer to store large amounts of media files and software useful to a designer and it is easy to access your saved graphic manipulations

HDDHardware

• Secure digital/SD cards are a type of flash memory which can store many forms of data. These differ from other storage media devices as they do not require power to keep their content and can be written thousands of times, they are also complimented by being strong and small which makes them perfect for portable electronics such as digital camera.

• These are Perfect for use in graphic design as they are used in most digital cameras and can come in different shapes and memory sizes allowing people to take vast amounts of pictures and transfer them onto a computer for manipulation or storage.

Memory SDHardware

Software

• Computer software is a set of machine-readable instructions which are usually in the form of programs, these direct the computers processor to perform specific operations at a given time.

• Software takes a big part in creating or manipulating graphic design because of programs which are able to edit, create, add colour and change an image. Some of the software include; Photoshop, Gimp-paint and Paintshop.

• However the downside is these are generally expensive programs.

Software

Graphic Software What are they ? Pros Cons Price

Corel Draw (Vector graphic software)

It is a vector graphics editor which allows the user to manipulate and create images

Good range of tools and features.Can connect with the internet easily e.g Flikr.Good for small business designs

To do more advanced projects it has a steep learning curve.Doesn’t have some modules which others have..

£68-£323

Visio(Vector graphic software)

It is a diagramming and vector graphic editor. This can be used to edit/create images and create graphical diagrams.

Has a very good features such as master figures and stencils ect

Doesn’t have a form of graphic modules like Clipart and 3D shapes.

£249.00

Paint shop pro(Bitmap software)

This is a raster graphics editor which has recently evolved into a vector graphics editor as well.This allows people to edit/create images in many forms like Bitmap.

Has a large variety of tools.Is a good alternative price wise.

Is trailing behind others such as Photoshop because its not as smooth and lacks some big content Photoshop has.

£49.18

Paint(Bitmap software)

Paint is a very simple program designed to introduce people into designing art on a computer.

FreeSimple and easy to use for small things

It being simple poses problems for more advanced users.

Free with allWindowsOS

GIMP(Bitmap software)

Gimp is an image editing software which consists of simple tools like paint.

FreeJust a basic image editor

Lacks a lot of tools other bigger software has

Free opensource software

Photoshop(Photo manipulation software)

Photoshop is a graphics editing software which hosts a large amount of tools and variety in editing

Large range of toolsFlexibilityIndustry standardGreat for graphic design

Very steep learning curveVery expensiveTo get all the tools you will have to pay more.

£607.49

Graphic SoftwareSoftware

Best Graphic SoftwareSoftware

• The best software to us for creating and manipulating graphics design is Photoshop although it is a very expensive piece of software you are paying for the premium standard of photo editing. Photoshop beats all other Graphic software with its amazing range of tools and modules which is backed up by a sleek UI and its flexibility with time saving tools. Although the software has a steep learning curve there are many great books and guides on the internet which will be able to advice a person, this is mainly because that Photoshop is an industry favourite proving it to be the best Graphic creation and manipulation software on the market.

Format Files• A file format is the layout of a file and is how the data within the file is organised.

Certain programs are made to read different file formats for example a typical web browser is able to display the HTML file format but will be unable to display a file made for the Microsoft Excel format.

• Some of these include:• JPEG• PNG• GIF• BMP• Vector Graphics• Raster Graphics

Jpeg• What is it?- Joint photographic experts group is a commonly used file

format for digital graphics. • Advantages- The Jpeg is universally used and because of this it can be

opened and viewed with a lot of image viewing software, with this the Jpeg format is compatible with practically all devices such as printers and digital cameras.

• Disadvantages- Jpeg uses the method of lossy compression which loses a large amount of information when converted causing it to be a small file but at the cost of quality, it is also unable to support animation and only uses 8 bits for colour data when modern digital cameras use around 10-14 bits

• Use in graphic design- The Jpeg is very useful because the format can be easily shared with anyone and can be opened in all graphic manipulation software.

PNG• What is it?- Portable network graphics are the second most used image

format and are bitmapped images which has been made to replace the GIF format.

• Advantages- They use Lossless compression, this means the PNG image loses no image data when saving or viewing it causing there to be no loss in image quality. They are also good at adjusting their gamma based on the monitor settings and this is called gamma correction

• Disadvantages- It cannot support animation and do not work on most browsers well as they’re not supported.

• Use in graphic design- With the use of gamma correction it helps to precisely judge what colour something is even when on a different monitor allowing for good use on other computers. They are also useful as they don’t lose data during graphic manipulation.

GIF

• What is it?- Graphic interchange format which is the most popular image format used on the internet because of its size.

• Advantages- They support animation, use lossless compression (explained in PNG slide) and have a overall larger file size.

• Disadvantages- They have a low colour palette which comes short at 256 colours and have a low level of transparency.

• Use in graphic design- The Gif can be used on websites easily and support animation allowing for more graphical manipulation.

BMP

• What is it?- The Bitmap image is a raster graphic image used to store bitmap digital images.

• Advantages- They use solid colour pixels and are easy to use/come by.

• Disadvantages- however are not very good with upscaling and require higher resolutions for a smoother appearance.

• Use in graphic design- Since they have sold colour pixels it allows the image to easily be recoloured and changed making graphic manipulation easier.

Vector and raster• Raster graphics are images made up of individual pixels which

each have different colours that come together to form an image.

• Vector graphics are compiled of paths (lines) that have a mathematical formula which includes a direction and a scale and this describes what colour it is, how its shaped , ect.

• The difference is that raster graphics do not scale well as it loses quality due to the pixels not being able to hold their appearance as size is changed. However Vector graphics are able to hold their appearance when the size has been changed so it doesn’t lose its quality because the formula decides on how the image is rendered allowing it to be rescaled easily.

• Due to Vectors being able to retain their quality Logos are usually created in this format as they can be scaled onto posters, billboards ect.

• Raster graphics are usually created in Photoshop whilst Vector graphics are made by using illustrators like adobe illustrator.

Sources

10/9/2012

• http://blog.lotus-notes-export.com/data-conversion/

• http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/data-compression.html

• http://www.zicara.com/techbytes/web-design/advantages-disadvantages-bitmap-images11/9/2013

• http://www.howstuffworks.com/graphics-card.htm

• http://www.howstuffworks.com/tablets/wacom-tablets.htm

• http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cameras-photography/digital/digital-camera.htm

• http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cameras-photography/digital/digital-camera.htm

• http://computer.howstuffworks.com/inkjet-printer.htm

• http://www.howstuffworks.com/monitor.htm

• http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4572421_a-cdrom-work.html

Sources12/09/13

• http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/technology-explained-how-does-a-hard-drive-work-nb/

• http://www.ehow.co.uk/how-does_4967365_sd-card-work.html13/09/13

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CorelDRAW

• http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/1292575/coreldraw-graphics-suite-x6

• http://flowchart-software-review.toptenreviews.com/visio-review.html

• http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/productreviews/gr/Photoshop.htm

18/09/2013• http://www.zicara.com/techbytes/web-design/advantages-disadvantages-jpeg• http://www.zicara.com/techbytes/web-design/png• http://www.zicara.com/techbytes/web-design/gifgraphics-interchange-format• http://www.zicara.com/techbytes/web-design/advantages-disadvantages-bitmap-images• http://www.psprint.com/resources/difference-between-raster-vector/