Unit 30 Task 8

Task 8b

Describe and evaluate the impact that file format, compression techniques, image resolution and colour depth have on file size and image quality.

(D2) 18th March.

GIF Images

In this section I have chosen to adjust the colour depth of the image to show the effect that image resolution has on an image. The image in the top left is the original image of a fairly high resolution. The image in the top right has been changed to a higher resolution so that the multiple colours in the image seem to blend better, whereas the image in the bottom left has been changed to a lower resolution than the original image, so the multiple colours seem more divided and block-like. The image in the bottom right has been set at a very low resolution so the colours are basically completely individual blocks of a single colour. As the image resolution is lowered, the file size becomes smaller too due to the lower quality of the image.

JPEG Images

In this section I have changed the compression technique to show how it effects the quality of the image. The top left is the highest resolution, with the top right being second highest, bottom left being third and bottom right being fourth. As you can see, as the resolution is lowered, the images don't seem as smooth and have become more pixelated. In this set of images, as the compression technique is lowered, the file size becomes smaller as the image is of a much lower quality.

Unit 30 Task 7

Task 7a

Describe and evaluate the ongoing developments in these printing/output techniques:

1. Vinyl cutters and laser cutters for signage.
2. Inkjet & wide format printing for bitmap displays and posters.
3. Laser printers for leaflets and flyers.

Make sure you cover how this has affected the creation of graphics.

(D1) 13th March

Printers

Printers are developing all the time, with new features and abilities always being built in to help the consumer. Older printers were very basic with a lot of limitations, but now printers can have attachments such as scanners and there are several different types of printers capable of different things, such as laser printers and inkjet printers.

Inkjet printers are used for printing posters mainly, with the use of bitmaps because they are capable of printing to a very high quality. If you are printing any image that requires a very high quality or on a very large scale then an inkjet printer should be used.

Laser printers are used for printing flyers and leaflets, as these don't require to be printed in a very high quality and can be printed much more quickly. This is a better option for leaflets because you will have to print hundreds of leaflets and the laser printer is capable of doing this much quicker.

Cutters

Vinyl and laser cutters are used for signage and can create very large detailed images. They are typically used by businesses to put on buildings and vehicles. Using cutters makes the designs for a business much more personal as well as making the creation of the design cheaper.

Unit 30 Task 6

Task 6

Explain some of the legal pitfalls in using and editing graphics.Essentially, this is about copyright issues and gaining permission to use copyright products.You also need to cover 'TradeMark' and 'Intellectual property'.

(P6) 7th March

Legal Pitfalls

If someone has taken a picture or video, made a movie or a drawing, or designed a graphic on their computer, then they own the copyright to that picture. When a graphic has been copyrighted then there is very little you can actually do with this graphic without having to contact the original creator of the graphic. Using one graphic from a collection or a low-quality part of the graphic complies with 'fair-use'. Going against the 'fair-use' and copyright policies will be classed as 'plagiarism', which is when you make your own version of a famous graphic and then attempt to pass it off as your own or directly copy the image. However, if a graphic is released into the public or it is released under a license which allows modification, then these pitfalls don't come into play.

TradeMark

Trademarks are used to obtain exclusive right and property of a product or service. However, if the trademark is deemed as offensive or false-advertising then the owner of the trademark could have serious legal consequences to face. A trademark must be legally registered first, and after this is done, if the trademark is plagiarised in any way then the owner will be able to take legal action for trademark infringement. Typical trademarks include names, words, phrases, logos, symbols, graphic designs and images.

Intellectual Property

This is a legal concept in which exclusive rights are recognised. Intellectual property (IP) is the umbrella term for many types, such as patent, copyright, industrial design rights and trademarks. Under this law owners are granted exclusive rights to their property, which can be things such as music, literature, art, inventions, images or graphic designs.