P2 File Handling and Graphic Images

Relation of Graphic Images to File Formats

Types of File Formats

JPG – These are the most common image file type in use today. The main advantage of using JPGs as a file formats is that they don’t lose image quality when they are reduced in size.  Their most common use for uses of web pages as they are relatively good quality.  JPG’s also have a very small file size as they are compressed.

GIF – This stands for Graphical Interchange Format and is a compressed file format used on web pages that moves. One of the main reasons of its creation is to be able to upload videos in image format onto the internet and to provide an element of interactivity to a website. They are a somewhat small file size as they are video clips in image format.

PSD – This is the file type used only in the image editing software, Photoshop. This file format can only be used inside Photoshop and the only use for it is to edit images. It is an incredibly large file which means when editing has finished, it is important to change the format to something like a JPG before its taken anywhere else.

PNG – This stands for Portable Network Graphics and they were originally created in 1996 as an improved replacement for the GIF. Both are lossless file formats but because PNG’s are an improved version, they can be compressed a lot more than the GIF.

Bitmap – Bitmap images are usually photographs and scanned images and are composed of individual pixels, all of which the computer stores data about. As there is often many pixels on an image, bitmap graphics are very large, especially if the image is of high quality. When users zoom-in and re-size bitmaps, the quality of the image in often downgraded because the pixels are becoming larger. Bitmaps are useful when presenting images but not for editing.

Vector – Vector graphics consist of different objects which are made of mathematical calculations. Users are able to edit each individual object such as the size, shape and colour. As vector graphics do not use pixels, the file size is often very small. Also, they do not lose quality when they are re-sized. The best use for vectors is is editing due to the small file size and good quality.

 

What is the Difference between Compressed and Uncompressed File Types?

The main difference between compressed and uncompressed file types is that the size of them. Compressed file types are made a lot smaller when they no longer need to be edited. Uncompressed file formats still contain all the information about everything on the image, this is so they can still be edited. An example of a compressed file format could be a JPG, they are small in size and need to be small for their main use which is a file type for use on webpages. An example of an uncompressed file type could be a PSD, This is the file type used in Photoshop which means that image can only be opened and edited in it. It is a very large file so it only useful for modification purposes.

How to Convert Files

Converting the file format of images is very simple to do and there are two main ways of doing it:

– When editing the image or when you save it, there is a drop down menu (shown in the screenshot)where you can change the file format of the image. You are able to choose from a number of different options depending the purpose of the image.

– Another way of changing the file format of an image is by finding an on-line converter or a downloadable version. Many different options are shown in the screenshot below.

Why is it Important to Create Sensible Folder Structures?

There are many advantages of creating a sensible folder structure for not just graphics designers, but for everyone with a large number of files stored on a computer or an external drive. The first advantage is that it makes it much easier to find files and documents, this means that they are not lost. This can be done by giving folders and documents sensible names and save them in logical areas. Creating sensible folder structures for files and documents is useful as more time can be spent productively as opposed to wasting time finding what you are looking for.

Differences between Bitmap and Vector Images

A main difference between Bitmap and Vector graphics is that bitmaps lose quality when they are resized, vectors do not. Also, bitmaps are very large in size as the computer stores details about individual pixels. Vector images are stored mathematical formulas, which does not require much memory. Generally, vector images are better quality than bitmaps. Vectors are not as easy to edit compared to bitmaps as they use more processing power, bitmaps use considerably less. Bitmaps are much more suitable for webpages as JPG and GIF are both bitmap formats because they are much smaller in file size. Vector images are not supported by these image formats which makes them difficult to use on the web. However, this means that vector formats are much more suited to editing images before uploading them. Examples of software programs that uses these graphical formats are Adobe Illustrator for Vector and Adobe Photoshop for Bitmap.