My IST Blog :): April 2011

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Buying A Scanner

DPI: Dots per inch determines the resolution of printers and scanners.
Optical Resolution: The optical resolution refers to the number of separate readings taken from the original, when compared to the subsequent rise in resolution created by the software interpolation.
Colour Depth: The colour depth refers to the bit depth which is the number of bits used to describe the colour of the pixel. The greater the bit depth, it allows a greater range of colours to be represented by a pixel.

FINAL RESULT

Describe what software you used and why you chose it.

The software that I used was called Inkscape, an editing software.

Describe the creation process you followed.

First, I experimented with the program and saw how you do certain things with specific tools.

Second, I tried experimenting by doing a vector image light bulb. Due to some technical problems, it couldnt work so I saw how some things dont work as well as you expect.

Third, I looked at how we have to do our assignment and what its based on. Our assignment says that we have to create an animation showing our homeroom spirit.

Fourth, I thought of different characters which are green and things that symbolise my homeroom. I thought of tinkerbell, shrek and the clover which symbolises Coolock.

Fifth, I decided how I'm going to set up the animation and what I'm going to put on it.

Sixth, I saved each picture as a png, and put them together in Windows Movie Maker.

What image format were you saving your work in during development of the frames?

Since I was having some trouble exporting the images, I tried doing it another way. I went on 'Save as' and then went on the drop down menu where it says save as an inkscape file, there was an option where it shows save as png. Thats how I saved it. Although if I had to log off or go, then I would save it as a svg file so I later can edit it.

What is the final size of your animation?

The final size of my animation is 849 KB (kilobytes)

What difficulties did you encounter and how did you overcome them?

One difficulty that I encountered was the fact that while I was exporting my work, half of the things didnt save so I decided to just do it again. That took alot of time seeing as our had 58 frames but I had to overcome it and by doing nothing about it doesnt help. Another difficulty was when I didnt know how to do certain things, I would overcome it by asking my teacher, Mr Cavill for help and he would help me.

Buying A Digital Camera

What resolution am I looking for?
The highest resolution that I have seen is 12 megapixels, but if I had to look for one that is the most recommended I would say 8 megapixels, specifically 3246 x 2448.
What type of memory is available?

The most common memory cards are SD and SDHC also known as Secure Digital and Secure Digital High Capacity. From the help of research, my conclusion is that as the pixels of the image increases the capacity of the image decreases.

TWO CAMERAS AND THEIR DETAILS

Panasonic DMC-TZ10 Digital Camera

In my opinion, I think this is one camera I would recommend. First becaus its Camera Resolution is 12.1 Megapixels. The Optical Zoom is 12x. The media type is SD and SDHC. I also like the design, its small and light, making it easy to take every.

Samsung PL150 Digital Camera - Purple In my opinion, I think this camera is the camera I would prefer the most. First of its unique design, of having a screen at the front of the camera showing the person how the photo looks. The Camera Resolution is 12.4 megapixels. The Optical Zoom is 5x. Media Type is Micro SD and Micro SDHC.

How could a card reader be useful to me?

The card reader allows me to transfer data from the card onto the computer. This is crucial since when transferring large numbers of photos it can risk crashing your transfer if the battery is depleted. Card readers also allow you to save data to the card, which means you can carry them on your memory card and easily transfer to another computer. If you have lost your camera USB cable, card readers are cheaper to afford so its better for you.

Animator

What is an animator?
An animator creates animations. An animation is created by animators through making multiple frames of movement which when combined together will create an illusion of movement also known as animation. An animator has many roles which they can attain as a career.
Where would you see an animators work?
The work of animators is mostly seen on the television and the internet. Many advertisers feature animations as well.
What training is needed for becoming an animator?
The person who wants to become an animator needs to have the extensive knowledge in basic drawing skills as well as colour design and computer programs as well as applications. If trained in either film or computer generation, it would be easier for you.
What kind of software do animators use?
Software include, Cinema 4D, Inkscape, Softimage, Light image and 3D Studio Max

Careers in Digital Graphics

What is a graphic designer?

Graphic designers are responsible for arranging and using elements on different types of media (for example a poster or a website, most likely with the use of a graphic software program)

Where would you see this person's work?

Media such as magazines, internet, logos, business cards, billboards, posters and newspapers.

What training do you need in order to become a graphic designer?

In order to become a successful graphic designer, you have to have a command of tools and materials, you also need to know how to use the specific tools and have experience. You also require the knowledge of different aspects of their industry such as letter form, typography, publication, print design, computer graphics and advertising design.

What kind of software and hardware do graphic designers use?

Majority of the designers use double monitors, some may even have a graphic tablet. Although many graphic designers decide to be simple and use programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.

GRAPHIC TABLETS

The Intuos4 Wireless pen tablet with Bluetooth wireless technology lets you relax in your favorite working position or move about freely up to 33 feet (10 meters) from your computer. Enjoy the freedom of working "unattached" from your Mac or PC and reducing cord clutter.

Intuos4 Wireless connects to Bluetooth-enabled computers including those that are enabled with external Bluetooth USB adapters. It conveniently charges through USB and continues to work while charging.With 40 square inches of working area, this ambidextrous, medium-sized tablet provides ample workspace for most tablet users and features the same productivity features as other Intuos4 tablets including: eight customizable ExpressKeys with illuminated displays that provide easy reference for assigned functions, a finger-sensitive touch ring that controls up to four different functions per application, and best-in-class integration with popular software applications

3). Explain in terms we can understand what is meant by

a) Pressure levels (how many does the scanner have, what does it mean)

This product has 2048 pressure levels means, since the device is touch screen, it means how lightly or heavily you press on the screen.

b) Resolution (what resolution does the tablet have)

Resolution of the device N/A.

4). What is the cost of the tablet?

The cost of the tablet is $494.

GRAPHIC TABLETS

A graphics tablet is a computer input device. It allows individuals to make good use of it by allowing them to hand draw images and graphics, similiar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets can also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures.

Image File Types

GIF FILES
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. GIF is a bitmap image format, this was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and since then is used everywhere on the world wide web. The format supports atleast up to 8 bits per pixel thus allowing a single image to reference a palette of up to 256 distinct colours.The colors are chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space.
JPEG FILES
JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital photography also known as image. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality. JPEG compression is used in a number of image file formats.
ANIMATED GIF
An animated Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) file is a graphic image on the Web which moves. It is used to create a twirling icon or a banner with a hand that waves or letters that magically get larger. This sort of file is specified as GIF89a that contains a single file with a set of images that are presented in a specified order. An animated GIF can loop endlessly or it can present on or few sequences and then stop the animation.
MPEG
MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group. It is used to refer to the family of digital video compression standards and file formats developed by the group. MPEG generally produces good quality in video format. MPEG algorithms compress data to form small bits that can be easily transimitted and then decompressed. MPEG achieves its high compression rate by storing only the changes from one frame to another, instead of each entire frame. This video information is then encoded using a technique called Discrete Cosine Transform. MPEG uses a type of lossy compression, since some data is removed. However this removal of data is barely noticeable by the naked eye.
SHOCKWAVE
Shockwave has the elements of generating, importing and editing of movies. Shockwave was originally defined with one primary objective: to create small files for displaying entertaining animations.
WHAT IS A VECTOR IMAGE ?
Unlike the other types of files listed above Vector images are not made of a gride of pixels. Instead Vector Graphics are comprised of paths which are defined by a start and end point, along with other points, curves and angles along the way. A path can be a line, a square, a triangle or even a curvy shape. These paths can be used to create simple drawings or complex diagrams. Paths are even used to define character face types.

Digital Media

Forms Of Digital Media

internet
video games
mobile phones
computers
television

What number system is digital data based on? What two digits are used to code all digital data?
The binary system is a communication that takes place inside every computer. These are expressed by the digits 0 and 1. All the numbers expressed in the binary system is a combination of these two digits.
What is a bit? What is a byte?
A byte is known as a sequence of 8 bits and a bit is a a binary digit that is represented as a 0 or 1.
What is “sampling rate”? Find an image that explains how sampling works

The number of samples per second (or per other unit) taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal.

How does Colour Depth (Color Depth) or bit depth effect the appearance of an image?
Find some images to illustrate the effect.

Colour depth is used to describe the maximum amount of colours that have been used in the image. The higher the numbers are of the colours, the more realistic the image will look. With bitmap images, the chosen colour depth will affect the file size.

Difference between Sampling rate and Colour Depth

Sampling rate only affects video since it takes the sample per second, a video is a moving image so therefore the sampling rate would take the images per second. However colour depth only affects still and video digital media. In still images, nothing is being produced so therefore a sampling rate is not affected.

DIGITAL ART

I had created this artwork using the website queeky.com. This was one tool that I found quite different and interesting. This tool is called the "Web" tool. It makes the artwork look like a spider web which in my opinion it did its given job. There were the normal basic tools as well such as fill in, airbrush, the polygon tool, etc.

DISCUSSION !

Is digital art a valid form of art?

In my point of view I think it is a valid form of art. My definition of art is expressing your imagination in the form of a painting, sculpture, anything for that matter. Its YOUR IMAGINATION, its YOUR IDEAS and YOUR INSPIRATION, it doesnt matter how you draw it. Your artworks show who you are and what you are all about. I think digital art is a valid form of art. In my view, even if someone paints on a canvas, there isnt much difference in what your art is all about. Digital Art should be a valid form of art.

Advantages of digital artwork

Some advantages are that you have an easier way to create your artwork. If your lacking something such as paint, etc, then you already have it on the program. You dont have to do as much hardwork as it would take if you were drawing it.

Skills needed

The skills you need is first a broad knowledge of the program, how it works, what tools do what job, etc. Prefferably, you should be a person who is comfortable with computers.