Image optimisation and storage of image assets

It is important to save your files with appropriate names and organise your folders into a good structure.

Appropriate file names allow you to find exactly what you are looking for, this is especially useful when working with images that are all similar. For example if you had a Photoshop file of a vectored plane and you wanted to save it, then change the name from 'untitled' to 'plane vector'.

Folders should be organised into a good structure. This is very useful when working with many files as it allows you to locate files easily by categorizing them into folders. For example if you were organising photos of your baby over the years then you would start with a folder named ‘photos of baby‘, then inside that you would have ‘2000‘, ‘2001‘,‘2002’ etc

Image optimisation is another important thing to remember when working with images. This mean to change an image to make it better. For example changing the size of the image by cropping or changing the number of colours saved in the image, this can increase or decrease the size of the file depending on how you change it.

Scanners/Tablets/Cameras

A scanner is a machine that can take an image and scan it, and then put it on a computer to be saved or edited. The average cost of a  drum scanner is about £250-£5000 depending on the size and quality of the scanner you want. The cost of a flatbed scanner is about £40-£100.

A graphics tablet is a thing you can plug into your computer and use, in programmes such as Photoshop, to draw. It comes with a pad and pen, it can draw very detailed pictures and most tablets have a pressure sensitive surface, this means that the harder you press on the pad the thicker and darker the line on the screen. They come in many different sizes from A6 to A2. Prices range from £50-£1500. The difference in quality of graphics tablets it the sensitivity, on a more expensive tablet the sensitivity is a lot higher. Some of the more expensive tablets have screens on them so you can see where you are drawing easier.

Cameras are used to take pictures, most cameras are portable and take quick and easy photos. Some of the cheaper cameras have lower quality and use what is known as digital zoom, this is when the image isn’t actually zoomed in it is just enlarged making the image quality lower. More expensive cameras, like the ones paparazzi use, have optical zoom, this uses glass to  properly zoom in on the thing you are looking at. Digital zoom cameras are about £50-£250, whereas optical zoom cameras are around £500-£2000. The three types of cameras are DSLR, point and shoot, and camera phones. The resolution of a camera is measured in mega pixels. one mega pixel has one million pixels in it.

Lossy/Lossless/Image file types

Lossy compression is when an image file gets rid of some of the information it deems unnecessary  when saved, this makes the size of the image file smaller. This is only useful if you are only saving the file once and not using it again because each time it is resaved it loses more information.

Lossless compression is where the image file stores all of the original information on it, this means that the image quality is high but the file size is large.  This allows you to open and reopen the file without it losing quality.

JPG is used for images of high quality but small file sizes.  It is the most common type of image file around. It is a raster file type so it has high quality. The pros of this file type are that it delivers has resolution images and small file types which makes them good for photos. JPG's use lossy compression so they aren't good for saving and resaving a lot. 

GIF is also used for images and it is a raster file type. This has high resolution and large file sizes. The pros are that it has very high image quality. The cons are the large file sizes and it only uses 256 colours. GIF uses lossy compression. It can also use transparency and animation.

PNG is a raster file type, they are lossless and keep their image quality and they have large file sizes. They are good for photos. PNG also uses transparency.

PSD is used when saving images in Photoshop, these are high quality images but are extremely large file sizes. They are useful as Photoshop is industry standard and is commonly used so most people can use them. These are raster file types. It uses lossless compression. Photoshop files also save layers.

TIF is similar to PSD but the older version it is pretty much worse in every way, lower quality images and larger file sizes. It is a raster file type. It also uses lossless compression.

BMP is a raster file type. They don’t use any type of compression so they have large file sizes. Only used by Microsoft.

AI is a vector image type. This is mainly used by Adobe Illustrator. Which uses lossless compression. This type of image can be magnified thousands of times and never pixelate. They usually have average sized file types.

EPS image file types use lossless compression and is a vector file type.

Raster,Vector,Resolution and Pixel

Raster and Vector are types of image file.

Raster is sometimes known as Bitmap. Raster files are best for photos because they reproduce colour accurately.They are made from pixels, with each pixel coloured separately. This means that when you try to enlarge the image it becomes pixelated, meaning that the individual pixels are visible resulting in poor image quality.



Vector image files are made up of mathematical coordinates. The file sizes are smaller because only data is stored, and not individual colouring. Unlike bitmaps these images can be scaled up and down as much as you like and they will never lose image quality.



Pixel is short for picture element. Pixels are what make up a bitmap image file. They can create highly detailed pictures but aren't very good for resizing. Each pixel stores information on what colour it is and the size of it. Images made from pixels usually take up lots of space.



Resolution is the size of the picture. It also controls how much detail the image holds. Resolution is measured in DPI (dots per inch) this means how many dots are in a inch of the picture. High resolution images are highly detailed but take a long time to make. Low quality images usually have 72-100 DPI and are mainly used on the internet, high quality images have about 300 DPI but only when printed.

2D/3D sprites/Textures/In-game interfaces/Printed Media

2D sprites are 2D images or animations created with pixels in 2 dimensions. The purpose of this is to create images quickly for use in video games such as Pokemon.

3D isometric sprites are images made up of pixels, and are made to look 3D by specific angles. These are used in games to make them appear 3D without putting in the effort of 3D modelling. Games that use these include The Sims.

Textures

Textures are used in graphics, they are added to environments, models, and other 3D objects, textures are flat and are wrapped around 3D models to add detail and colours to models, making them look better. The purpose of textures are to make models and environments more interesting and unique. Basic textures can be found anywhere but most 3D games use their own created textures. Some examples are;

An in-game interface is what you see on the screen when playing games, they are used to display information about, for example; your current health, location in the game, equipped weapon etc. The purpose of an in-game interface is to help the gamer understand the game, allow them to succeed at playing the game and enjoy the game more.

Printed Media

Printed media includes box art which is used to entice the audience to buy a game and attract interest in the game.

                                                       

Concept Art

Concept Art is art drawn to give model designers and other people an idea of what to make for a certain game. A concept artist is similar to an architect in the way that they design the house but do not create it. They do it to make life easier for the people who make models and create levels. Without a concept artist, ideas in someones head would rarely turn out the same because the model designer could only have a very vague explanation to go by.

The purpose of concept art is to help everyone have a better understanding of what they are trying to make, this helps the game create an atmosphere and similarity in characters and level designs. It is very hard for someone to visualise what they are trying to create but having a picture in front of them helps dramatically. Concept art is mainly created for characters, environments, weapons and vehicles, as the images below show.

Game Art Styles

Photo Realism
This is where games try to look as real as possible and usually contains human characters.
They look as realistic as possible with shadow and lighting effects, and highly detailed surroundings.
Famous games in this art style include Call of Duty and Battlefield. Photo realism has only just started to appear in the games industry as companies have began to use more advanced technology in creating games.

Cel-Shading
This is a style where all objects in the game are surrounded by black outlines and are sometimes also cartoony. They look cartoony and all objects are outlined in black, they also are mostly quite simple looking.
Famous games in these styles are Borderlands and Afro Samurai.

Exaggeration
This is a style where characters are sometimes not humans and maybe have exaggerated eyes or ears, or other parts, and sometimes stupidly large weapons and shields. These often look cartoony and are popular with Japanese anime games. Examples of these games are Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Quest.

Abstraction
This is where shapes and characters in games are strange in shape and colours and never resemble humans.
They look like no other shape seen before they are unique and it is sometimes hard to make out what they are. One famous abstract game is World of Goo.

2D and 3D

2D means 2-dimensional meaning there is only a height and a width.
2D is typically used in old arcade games where the graphics weren't very good because the hardware wasn't as advanced as today. Most older games where made in 2D because it was easier, faster and cheaper.
The platforms that used 2D where some PS1 games and handheld games consoles such as the Gameboy Advance SP. Some famous 2D games are Pong and the early Mario and Sonic games.

3D is 3-dimensional, it has height and width but also depth and this enables players to move into the screen and look around objects.
3D is used in more modern games this means better quality games. However making 3D games is slower and more complex, meaning that the games usually cost more money to make and so more money to purchase.
3D games are made for the modern games consoles such as Xbox 360's, PS3's and  PC's.
Some famous 3D games are Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3.

My favourite box art

I like this artwork because it’s detailed but also simplistic. The artwork relates to the game by showing you who the main character is. In my opinion the artwork looks nice but doesnt really help to explain what the game is about. The target market for this game would be anyone who is 16 and above, and maybe has also played previous Final Fantasy games.

I think the artwork does a good job of ‘hitting’ the target market because it has the title surrounded by a swirly complex pattern that is always associated with these games so people will recognise the game easily. The one thing that i would change is the background. I would add something interesting in there like the other characters in the game or a battle scene.