Composite Image Progress Update

[Photo]Monorail in Strand Road Version 1
[Photo]Monorail in Strand Road Version 2
[Photo]Train on Derry Walls Version 1
[Photo]Tram in the Guildhall Version 1

6) Using a TABLE, compare and contrast the features available in these 3 graphics packages?

	Microsoft Paint	PhotoShop	GIMP
Cost	FREE	Normal=£569.88 Extended=£887.12	FREE
Tools	Selection Tools, Eraser Tool, Fill Tool, Eyedropper Tool, Zoom Tool, Pencil Tool, Paint Brush Tool, Airbrush Tool, Text Tool, Line Tool, Curve Tool, Shapes Tools	Elliptical Marquee, Rectangular Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Slice, Healing Brush (Photoshop7), Brush (Paintbrush), Clone Stamp, History Brush, Airbrush, Background Eraser, Paint Bucket, Blur, Smudge, Dodge, Horizontal Type, Horizontal Type Mask, Direct Selection, Pen, Add Anchor Point, Convert Point, Rounded Rectangle, Polygon, Custom Shape, Colour Sampler, Notes, Hand, Colour Selecting box, Mode Selector	Selection Tools, Brush Tools, Transform Tools, Color Tools, Path Tool, Color Picker Tool, Magnify Tool, Measure Tool, Texttool
File Formats	BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG	PSD, BMP, GIF, EPS, JPEG, PCX, PDF, PCT, PXR, PNG, RAW, SCT, TGA, TIF	XML, GIF, JPEG, JNG, MNG, PNG, SVG, TIFF, XMP, DNG, XCF plus many more.
Where to Buy	Free with Windows Operating Systems	Online or Local Retailer	Free online under GNU Documentation.
User Friendly	Easy but basic	Slightly complex	Easy to use but the GUI is not so nice.

5) What are the characteristics of the following graphics file formats?

5) What are the characteristics of the following graphics file formats?
Bitmap: A pixel based image which is of low quality but are also easy to use and manipulate

GIF: A 256 colour or 8 bit image format with a 72dpi resolution. Supports transparent backgrounds.

PNG: Two versions are availabe, Flattened PNG or Fireworks PNG, Flattened PNG does not support layers or transparent backgrounds whereas Fireworks PNG does. Fireworks PNG shows up incorrectly in Internet Explorer 6.0 and older although a javascript fix is possible for versions 5.5 and 6.0. Internet Explorer 7.0 supports this file format much better and Windows Vista uses this file formats compression to allow zoomable icons while still using reasonably low file sizes.

JPEG: JPEG maintains a higher resolution/standard of color. When uncompressed, JPEG can be used for high-quality printing,storing and reproducing images on the internet. Widely used in digital cameras.

XCF: A GIMP image file format that is unsupported by web browsers. It can save layer information and other information that you may want to use again, e.g. text layer.

PSD: A bitmap file format used for Adobe Photoshop. PSD stands for PhotoShop Data. Widely used on both Macintosh and Windows Operating Systems. Supports layers with masks, color spaces, ICC profiles, transparency, text, alpha channels and spot colors, clipping paths and doutone settings.

SVG: An XML markup language for describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and animated. Can be used both by Web browsers and desktop publishing to produce vector graphics which are very fast and easily transmittable files.

(Sources: www.google.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org)

4) What is an alpha channel? How can this be useful in your coursework project?

4) What is an alpha channel?
An alpha channel is basically a mask that specifies how the pixel's of one image should be merged with another pixel from another image when the two are overlaid, one on top of the other, allowing transparency
(Source: www.merging.com)

How can this be useful in your coursework project?
Alpha channels can be helpful and useful in my coursework as it allows me to merge two or more images together to create a realistic image, e.g. placing a tram system from Germany into the Guildhall, by making certain parts of the tram system transparent and placing it in another image with the guildhall as the background.

3) What does “RGB” have to do with graphic files?

3) What does “RGB” have to do with graphic files?
RGB = Red-Green-Blue. Computer monitors use RGB to define the colours that appear on screen. Each color in the RGB combination is measured from 0 - 255. An example would be the colour blue, the RGB combination for this colour would be 0-0-255.
(Source: www.artisan-ds.com)

2) What is the difference between VECTOR and BITMAP graphics? Explain both terms.

2) What is the difference between VECTOR and BITMAP graphics? Explain both terms.
Vector: A graphical image that is made up of shapes and lines called paths. Vector graphics appear smoother and crispier regardless of how magnified an image is on screen. Therefore they can be enlarged as big as you want without distorting the image.
(Source: www.adigitaldreamer.com)

Bitmap: A graphical image that is made up of pixels (see below for definition). Bitmap graphics are the opposite to Vector graphics, ie, they are resolution dependant. If the bitmap image is magnified, you will begin to get jagged edges and a distorted image.

1) What is a pixel?

1) What is a pixel?
A pixel is a dot which makes up a Digital Image. This dot gives the image it's colour and brightness, it is also used in measuring image size and resolution, ie, 640 x 480 is the pixel resolution of most VGA Monitors. A pizel exists in both a video (shaped as a rectangle) and an image (shaped as a square)
(Source: www.photoshopelementsuser.com)

Google Sketchup

Google Sketchup
Today we where introduced to a new application that we will be using for our Module 10 Coursework. The program is called Google Sketchup which is a 3D modelling software.