A Report On Mobile Graphics And Animation

Introduction

This report contains a comparison of vector and raster graphics, file types, similarities and differences when working with screen and print media.

Vector and Raster Graphics

Raster graphics is an image that is made of pixels, the resolution of the image is dependent on how many pixels there are. Raster are images that are good for different things like shading, colour depth and an example is the processing of photographs that is used in Adobe Photoshop. Vector Graphics are made of small points that will merge to make images, Adobe illustrator uses vector graphics rather than raster the reason why is that it is easier to scale than raster. The difference between the two is raster graphics takes more space in terms of memory than the vector graphics. Also with a raster graphic if you increase the size the image loses its quality however, when the vector graphic is increased it will scale instead and is more flexible than raster but less colour depth.

File formats

Joint Photographic Group (JPG) is a raster image for photographs and Photoshop, which are optimized when you save them because of the file size and high quality. A negative of JPG is that you cannot have a transparent background as Portable Network Graphic (PNG) is good for designers when making logos because they have a transparent background and high quality unlike the JPG. AI is a vector file type for Adobe Illustrator only used to make logos and layouts for drawing purposes. Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is a raster file and because of this, it does not loss quality when processed similar to JPG, PNG however is bigger and takes longer to load on web applications.

Encapsulated Postscript Vector graphics (EPS) is a vector file, but is not just for Adobe as its good because it can be edited after you finish and can easily resize your image. Compression Compression has two different terms dependent on the compression of the entire given file. The previous data can be recovered when the file it is not being compressed. Lossless compression stores all the data from the file even after the file is uncompressed. Lossless compression is good for when dealing with financial data. The Graphics Interchange File (GIF) uses lossless compression. Lossy compression is different from lossless because lossy deletes information what it thinks is not important, as you can’t get it back. Lossy compression is for video, sounds, and is where most users will not be able to find the information as it gets removed.

Print Media

Print media is associated with printing different forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, billboards ect. The difference between print media and screen media is that screen media is on screens, print media printed out to the public. Print media has been around longer than digital media therefore the older generation will be more likely to read a newspaper rather than reading it online as it offers a different experience. However, print media and digital media tend to connect in some ways for example digital magazines just copy the print media version but is more customised.

Screen Media

Screen media is media that is on your screens that could be on your phone, computer ect. Screen media is more competitive than print media when it comes to businesses this is because more companies are going down this route. However, this is good for smaller business because it is cheaper to advertise something what is print media. In addition, people are more likely when looking at screen media to skim read everything and when researching, Varsani (2016) claims that a study by the national readership survey in 2016 found there was 107% more reach by mobile compared to 68% by magazines.

Interpolation Algorithms

Image Interpolation appears in photos, which are taken of digitally. Image interpolation takes place when you resize/enlarge an image from one pixel to another one. Image interpolation is needed when increasing and degreasing the number of pixels on an image. When resizing an image, it will not always have the same outcome as it’s calculated with maths by doing an interpolation algorithm. Multiple algorithms what are used when performing the processing; the most accurate one is known as the discrete replicating zoom what has many copies of every pixel in ROI. Nearest neighbour is the simplified method because it requires the least amount of processing because like other methods it only takes care of one pixel at a time. This method takes the pixel address by working it out and then discards it; it then proceeds to copy the pixel brightness from the image at the integral address and puts it in the zoomed image. When zoomed into an image for example 2X and 4X, nearest neighbour interpolation will produce the correct and same results.

Bilinear interpolation is different from nearest neighbour as it takes in consideration of 2x2 of pixels, which are known in the neighbour, and they go round the unknown pixel in the middle. Bi linear interpolation weighs the four pixels up to find a range to calculate the final value of the interpolation. The results of the bilinear interpolation are smoother than the nearest neighbour is and will look more professional. The four different cell centres from the input are close to the cell centre. This is because of the processing what happens when the cell is outputted, then is weighed up on averages/distance. The input of the four cells is a raster type in a bilinear interpolation.

Bi-cubic is more advance than bi-linear as it does not just take in consideration of 2X2 pixels but instead goes for 4X4 to the closet neighbourhood of pixels. Bi-cubic will produce smoother images than the last two as it deals with more pixels, this method is perfect and does not have a downside, as it has good processing time and output quality. Bi-cubic sets the standards for image editing therefore it is used for multiple uses for example it is included in Adobe Photoshop and camera interpolation. Image scaling will influence the design process when viewing an image on a website on your pc/mobile, as they will look different, because they need to be different sizes to fit on screen because of the pixels. Therefore, when designing developers will change the site to fit on different devices by scaling it differently.