30.1 - Part 2 (WIP)

In order to set up a successful graphics department, a few components are required. These components will be outlined within the content of this leaflet.

Graphics Card: A graphics card is an expansion card which generates a feed of output images to a display. Most offer various functions such as accelerated rendering of 3D and 2D graphics or the ability to connect multiple monitors. Video hardware can be integrated into the motherboard expansion ports. Modern low-end to mid-range motherboards often include a graphics chipset manufactured by the developer of the motherboard. This graphics chip usually has a small quantity of embedded memory and takes some of the system's main RAM, reducing the total RAM available. This is usually called ‘integrated graphics’ or ‘on-board graphics’ and is usually low in performance and undesirable for those wishing to run more high quality graphics. A dedicated graphics card on the other hand has its own RAM and Processor specifically for processing video/images and thus offloads work from the CPU and system RAM. A good graphics system is required as it will allow more complex and higher quality products to be made.

RAM: RAM (Random-Access Memory) is a form of computer data storage. A random-access device allows stored data to be accessed quickly in any random order. In contrast, other data storage media such as hard disks can only read and write data in a predetermined order (ie: consecutively) because of mechanical design limitations. Therefore the time to access a given data location varies significantly depending on its physical location. Today, random-access memory takes the form of integrated circuits and is often associated with volatile types of memory (such as DRAM memory modules), where its stored information is lost if the power is removed.

Processor: A CPU (Central Processing Unit) carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. In older computers, CPUs required one or more printed circuit boards. With the invention of the microprocessor, a CPU could be contained within a single silicon chip. Since the 1970s the microprocessor class of CPUs has almost completely overtaken all other CPU implementations. Modern microprocessors are large scale integrated circuits in packages typically less than 4cm², with hundreds of connecting pins. A computer can have more than one CPU; this is called multiprocessing. Some microprocessors can contain multiple CPUs on a single chip; those microprocessors are called multi-core processors.

Digital Camera Drivers: A driver is a small piece of software that tells the operating system and other software how to communicate with a piece of hardware. A digital camera driver will tell your software exactly how to translate image data across from the camera to the computer. This required otherwise captured images cannot be implemented with the computer design process.

Hard Drive: Data storage is the holding of data in an electromagnetic form for access by a computer processor. One of the most common methods of data storage is through the use of a hard disk (otherwise known as; disk drive, hard drive or hard disk drive). This method stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data. The information is stored on electromagnetically charged surfaces called 'platters'.

Graphics Tablet: A graphics tablet is an input device consisting of a flat, pressure-sensitive pad which the user draws on or points at with a special stylus, to guide a pointer displayed on the screen.

Printer: A printer is a peripheral which produces a representation of an electronic document on a physical medium, such as paper or transparency film. Many printers are connected directly to a nearby computer but are often designed to support both local and network connected users at the same time. Some printers can print documents stored on memory cards or from digital cameras and most modern printers include a scanner that can copy physical media and convert it to a digital format to be manipulated with particular software.

 

 

30.1 - Part 1 (WIP)

Difference between Vector and Bitmap:

A bitmap graphic is a dot matrix data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of colour, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium. File sizes for bitmaps are large as the computer stores details of every pixel.

Advantages of bitmaps:

·         in paint programs, you see what you are getting, usually in real time when wielding a “paintbrush”

·         when you use a scanner, the output will normally be a bitmap

·         much easier to create the appearance of “natural” media, such as areas of watercolours bleeding into each other

·         more universally available interchange file formats; most bitmaps can be read by most bitmap-based software and certain file formats such as jpeg and png can be read and written by every paint program. This is not, unfortunately, the case with vector file formats where many programs can only deal with their own file formats and a very limited choice of others such as eps may be available.

Vector graphics are the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygons, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics. File sizes for vectors are small, as the computer stores details of objects, which do not require much memory

Advantages of vectors:

·         pretty much resolution-independent. It is possible to rescale up a whole chunk of animation without the blockiness you would get from doing this with bitmaps

·         for painting, you can specify that the bounding lines are automatically closed even when not visible, so avoiding problems of paint flooding out

·         shapes easily edited

·         smaller output files for Internet use

·         shapes can be made to animate automatically from one to another, providing they have the same number of control points

31.6

A Rollover is a technique using JavaScript that lets you change a page element (usually a graphic image). The term rollover refers to the process of "rolling the mouse cursor over the button" causing the element to react (usually visually, by replacing the source image with another image). The part of the term 'roll' is probably referring to older mice which had a mechanical assembly consisting of a hard rubber ball housed in the base of the mouse (which rolls) contrary to the modern optical mouse, which has no 'rolling' parts. The term ‘mouseover’ is probably more appropriate considering current technology.

Some common uses of the rollover include; inviting user interaction by causing text elements in a menu to "pop up" or otherwise become lively as you roll the mouse over each line, causing a previously invisible graphic image or other element to suddenly appear when the user rolls the mouse over a particular page element, have one element on a page change color as you roll the mouse over other elements.

Animated rollovers are good for making a webpage interactive and can, if used correctly, make it look very professional. There are some disadvantages of using rollovers, such as; mobiles (especially apple products) won't be able to see the rollover if it is flash orientated.

An E-card is like a postcard or greetings card apart from the fact that it is created using digital methods instead of traditional materials like pen and paper. E-cards are made available by publishers on specific Internet sites where they can be sent to a recipient, usually hyperlinked or attached for download within an e-mail. It is also considered more environmentally friendly compared to traditional paper cards as the carbon footprint of the card production is generally much lower compared to paper card production. E-cards are more versatile than traditional greetings cards. For example; E-cards can be easily sent to multiple people at once, can be extensively personalized and digital video E-cards have even begun emerging. Typically, the sender chooses their E-card from an on-line catalogue on a publisher's web site. After selecting a card, the sender can personalize it (eg: by adding a message, photo, or video). Finally, the sender specifies the recipient's e-mail address and the web site delivers an e-mail message to the recipient on behalf of the sender.