Digital Graphics

File Formats
Katie Hair

Raster Graphics

Raster Graphics are a form of digital file that is made up of bitmaps.

Bitmaps are graphics that consist of pixels which record information
from a section of an image. Each pixel contains the colour information
from the image. The quality of the image depends on the amount of
pixels per square inch of the image relative to its size. Increasing the
size of a Raster image may cause it to distort and lose definition as the
same amount of pixels are projecting a larger area of colour
information.
Raster Graphics are often larger than Vector Graphics and can suffer
when certain file types are compressed repeatedly. This type of
graphics is most commonly seen on websites - most images posted and
shared across the internet are Raster Images because certain raster file
formats are open able on most platforms and easy to save

Vector Graphics

Vector graphics are often referred to as paths or strokes as they are

digital paths of data with a start and an end point. Vector images
are created through various equations allowing various shapes,
angles and curves to be formed within the vector path. As the
information for an image is stored within the vector equation, they
can be scaled to any size with virtually no loss in definition (Making
them ideal for logos which may be blown up for a poster or shrunk
down for headed documents)
Vector graphics can be rasterised as a raster file is easier to send
and open in different programmes as Vector graphics are larger.
Vectors are commonly used by animators and graphic designers as
they produce a high quality image.

Raster Graphics

JPEG
Stands For

Joint Photographic Experts

Group

Used For/Example

JPEG is a format that is used

across many media platforms for
images for expert graphic design
to simple photosharing. For
example, a photo shared to
facebook is most likely to be a
JPEG image.

Advantage

JPEGs are useful as they can be

opened in almost any programme
and are a fairly universal image
format. They are also good as
they are a small file type and will
take up less storage space than
another format might.

Disadvantage

JPEG images may lose quality

when sent and edited multiple
times as the file gets compressed
and decompressed each time it is

TIFF
Stands For
Used For/Example

Tagged Image File Format

TIFF files are often used for
desktop publishing and are
ideal for graphic design.

Advantage

These files are good for works

that are still being edited as
they allow the designer the
option to save multiple-page
documents to a single file.
TIFF files dont lose quality
through compression so they
can be opened and edited
repeatedly without distorting
the image.

Disadvantage

As TIFF files can save multiple

layers they are known for
taking up a lot of space as
they are large files. Not all
programmes will open TIFF

GIF
Stands For

Graphics Interchange Format

Used For/Example

GIFs are used for short digital

animations and videos. They
are a series of images played
in a loop to give the
appearance of a moving
image.

Advantage

Gifs are relatively small files

and can be used instead of a
video to convey the same
information faster. Gifs
usually load quickly and are
often of reasonable quality so
they can be used on
professional websites as well
as social media sites where
they are popular for short
comedic posts.

Disadvantage

Gifs are often low quality as

they have a smaller colour
range than other formats.

Stands For
Used For/Example

Advantage

Disadvantage

BMP

Bitmap Image File

BMP format files are used
much the same as JPEG and
TIFF files, by graphic designers
and for digital images. BMP
files have been used for as
long as digital images have
been created and are now
considered fairly outdated in
comparison with other
formats.
BMP files have no loss of
quality through compression
and are generally available to
open in most programmes.
They are good for icons and
small images.
They are less reliable than
JPEGs and are often not the
best quality files. BMP files are
also very large and take up a

Vector Graphics

PSD
Stands For

Photoshop document

Used For/Example

They are used for image

manipulation and page formatting
information. Often used by
graphic designers and digital
artists.

Advantage

PSD files are editable and allow

the user to save multiple layers of
information within a file.
Photoshop files support
transparency which means that an
image can be transferred and
used without a background.
Photoshop documents are usually
high quality (depending on the
images being edited within)

Disadvantage

As many layers of information are

being stored, PSD files are often a
large file type. Files in this format
can only be opened in Photoshop

AI
Stands For

Adobe Illustrator

Used For/Example

Adobe illustrator is mostly used

for artwork, graphics and creation
of logos. It is used by digital
artists.

Advantage

AI files can be altered and scaled

big and small with virtually no loss
in definition. They are similar to
PSD files and allow the user to
save multiple layers of
information. Adobe Illustrator can
be used to create and edit high
quality vector images.

Disadvantage

AI files have similar issues to PSD

files as they are very large and
can only be opened by Illustrator
or similar programmes such as
Adobe Freehand TM.

FLA
Stands For

Flash File

Used For/Example

Flash files are used to create

games and animation. They are
used by animators, digital artists
and game designers.

Advantage

Flash files are used to create high

quality animation and games that
can include video and sound.
Flash files usually small file types
so they are easy to save and
download. Flash file are effective
and easy to use.

Disadvantage

Flash requires frequent updates

and not updating can cause the
flash player to be slow or not open
at all. Flash files have a capacity
limit which means that files too
large have to be shortened to
save properly. Flash files can only
be viewed if the recipient of the

WMF
Stands For
Used For/Example

Windows Metafiles
WMFs are similar to AI files but
are a lot older and mostly only
used for Logos and clipart files.

Advantage

Clipart images in WMF format can

be scaled to any size with minimal
to no loss in definition. WMF files
can contain bitmap and vector
images and usually require less
memory than other file types as
WMF files are simpler images.

Disadvantage

WMF files are fairly outdated and

may not provide the best image
quality as bitmap files are known
to distort in this format. They can
only be opened by a Microsoft
Programme.

File Format
Capture and
Optimising

Compression
Definition

Advantage

Disadvantage

This is the way in which files

are made smaller to be stored
and sent easily. This is done
by reducing the amount of
information that is saved
within the image
Compressed files send faster as
email attachments and will be
easier for the recipient to open.
Compression makes the file
smaller therefore taking up less
space on a hard-drive or storage
device. It is ideal for word
documents and spreadsheets.
Repeated compression and
decompression of a file may
reduce the quality of the file and
could eventually distort an image,
making it less ideal for JPEG and
GIF files. Compressing a large file

Image Capture
Method
How is it used for image
capture of graphics

Method
How is it used for image
capture of graphics

Scanner
Scanners give the user the ability
to digitise a physical image or
media product. They are used by
scanning the image and sending
the information to a computer to
be saved or edited as desired.
Camera
Cameras are used to take digital
photographs which can then be
downloaded to a computer via a
SD card.

Method

Graphics Tablet

How is it used for image

capture of graphics

A graphics tablet is a piece of

technology that allows the user to
create digital work by hand
through control of a mouse like a
pen. It can be used for selection,
drawing and digital handwriting.

Optimising

Why would you optimise?

Images are usually optimised to make

them easier to view and access on the
web. Optimising an image may also
make it easier to store and share.

How can you optimise?

You can optimise a file by reducing the

image size to below 500 pixels as
larger images take much longer to
download. Another way to optimise
would be to reduce the bit depth of an
image which cuts down the amount of
colour information per pixel. Reducing
the resolution of an image actually
reduces the amount of pixels in the
image and can further optimise the
image. Compressing an image can be
used as a form of optimisation.

Advantage to optimising

Optimising an image makes it easier to

view and share. Optimised images
often take up less space

Disadvantage to optimising

Optimising a file may lead to a loss of

detail and overall quality of an image.
Specifically, reducing bits will make an
image less vivid and reduction of

Storage

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

Having a lot of layers and information in a

document will make the document
considerably larger. The content of the
document will directly affect the size of the
file (The amount of content within the
document is directly proportionate to the
size of the file Having a lot of images and
text takes up more space than a singular
image). Saving a PSD document will take up
a lot more space over saving it as a JPEG
because the multiple (editable) layers are
saved in one file.

How could you reduce the file

size of a Working Scale
document without affecting
quality?

Saving the document in a format of lossless

compression such as a TIFF or ZIP file could
compress the file without losing the
documents definition. It is difficult to
reduce a file size without affecting the
quality of the document as in order to make
the file smaller it needs to be optimised or
saved as a smaller file type. Both of these
options involve loss in pixel information
which in turn reduces the quality of the
documents contents. Merging layers in the
document will reduce the size of the file
without affecting quality but it these layers
would no longer be editable separately.

What is an advantage of
scaling up images before

Images that are scaled up before being

exported can be easily resized without
losing quality.

File Naming Conventions

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

Why is it a good idea to

accurately name your assets?

Video game and story assets

can easily be categorised by
each character or image
featured in the project. For
example, a character might
feature in several design
documents as it the project
develops so the a folder for that
character might include files
named Character-Front and
Character-Side so it is obvious
what the content of the file is
rather than having a lot of
documents with similar or
vague titles.
Accurately naming the project
assets saves time as you dont
need to go through an entire
folder to find the right file if it is

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

Folders separate files in an orderly

fashion and make it easier to find
the file youre looking for.
Organised folders allow anyone to
quickly see the users work
without going through every
single saved file.

What folders would you create

and what would you save
within them

On my memory stick I have a

folder for each rotation of the
course and folders within each
one for sub-projects and
documents to allow me to find
work when I need to hand it in
or use it in lesson.