Multimedia Elements – Graphics
Chapter 4
Instructor:Ilham Muse Nour
Graphics
• Include illustrations, charts, maps, diagrams, icons and photographs
• Graphs and charts - can accurately convey information if well
designed
• Diagrams - combine text, data and some sort of visual element. Useful
for pointing out detail or meaning
• Maps used to designate location but can also be used for navigation
• Icons are special symbols that are used to identify places, things or
attributes. They must be carefully designed in order to cater for cross-
cultural understanding
• Photographs can evoke powerful emotional responses; captions can
help users focus on details;
Graphics in Multimedia Applications
• Graphical images - used to add emphasis,
direct attention, illustrate concepts, and
provide background content
• Two types of graphics:
1) Draw-type graphics or vector graphics –
represent an image as a geometric shape
2) Bitmap graphics – represents the image as an
array of dots, called pixels
Draw Type Graphics
• Draw type or vector graphics
– Geometric shape stored as set of instructions
– Smaller than bitmap
– Resize, rotate, no distortion
– No photo quality
Draw-type Example
Bitmap Graphics
• Bitmaps – array of dots or pixels
• Color depth per pixel
• High quality pictures
• Photo realistic
• Larger than draw-type
• File size = pixels x color depth / 8
Bitmap File Formats
Format Description
BMP (Bitmap) a graphics format native to Microsoft Windows, BMP is widely used on PCs for icons
and wallpapers.
PICT (Picture) this is the native format defined by Apple for use on Macintosh computers.
TIFF (Tagged image file format) TIFF is a bitmap format defined in 1986 by Microsoft and Aldus and
used on both Macs PCs. Used when exchanging bitmap files that will be printed or edited
further.
JPEG (Joint photographic experts group) is often abbreviated as JPG this bitmap format is common
on the world wide web and its often used for photos and other high resolution images.
GIF (Graphics interchange format) Like JPEG images, GIF images are often found on world wide web
pages. Unlike JPEG images, GIF can contain only 256 or fewer unique colors.
EMF (Windows enhanced metafile) this format was originally developed for the Microsoft office
suite od applications.
Graphic Image File Sizes
• Image file sizes can become
large, you must balance the
need for quality images with
the need for small file sizes
Graphics Software
• Since even the most sophisticated graphics program can
not perform all the operations that may be required for
some types of graphics, designers frequently use more
than one of the five major categories of graphics
software to achieve their goals, including
Paint programs
Photo editing programs
draw programs
computer aided-design (CAD) programs
3-D modeling and animation programs
Paint Programs
• Paint programs are bitmap-based graphics
programs. You already may be familiar
with a paint program, like Windows Paint.
Paint programs range from the very simple
to the very complex, with tools that have
names such as paintbrush, pen, chalk,
watercolors, airbrush, crayon, and eraser.
Draw Programs
• Draw programs are vector based graphics
programs that are well suited for work when
accuracy and flexibility are as important as
coloring and special effects.
• Simply by clicking and dragging in a draw
program, you can change a shape into a different
shape, move it, or copy it. Paint programs don’t
provide this flexibility because they don not
recognize lines, shapes, and fills as unique objects.
Photo- editing programs
• Photo-editing programs edit images at the pixel
level, they can control precisely how a picture
will look. They also are used to edit
nonphotographic images and to create images
from scratch.
• Photo-editing programs are used most often for
simple jobs such as sharpening focus, adjusting
contrast, or removing flows from digitized
images.
Computer-Aided Design Programs
• Computer-aided programs (CAD), also called
computer computer-aided drafting or
computer-aided drawing, is the computerized
version of the hand-drafting process that used
to be done with a pencil with a pencil and
ruler on a drafting table. CAD is used
extensively in technical fields such as
architecture and in mechanical, electrical, and
industrial engineering.
3-D and Animation Software
• Fast workstations or PCs coupled with 3-D
modeling programs can lend realism to even
the most fantastic objects.
Graphics Programs Features
• Graphics types
• Compatibility
• Graphics files – tiff,
jpeg, bmp, gif …
• Layers
• Image enhancement
• Selection tools
• Color adjustments
Graphics Programs Features (Cont.)
• Image manipulation
• Filters
• Antialiasing
– Smoothes edges by
blending colors
• Text support
• Hardware support
• Open architecture
Using Graphics on the Internet
• Techniques to speed transfer times
– File compression – reduces the file size of a
graphic
– Load images in stages
– Use thumbnails
– Use image editing programs
The End
