Page 69 - DCAP109_GRAPHIC_TOOLS

Graphic Tools

Notes Squint at the image, or step back from your monitor and you will see it is a close up image of an
eye. In real bitmap images, the pixels are tiny dots so the illusion of a smooth and realistic image
is created:

Figure 3.8: The Squint Image of the above

Vectors
Programs like Flash draw using vectors. A very simple vector drawing might look like this:

Figure 3.9: A Simple Vector Image

In a vector drawing, you create control points. The lines in a vector drawing are created by the
software and join up the control points that the user has drawn. There are 4 control points in the
drawing above (3 are little white squares, the last one is dark to indicate that it is being worked
on). There is far more to be explained about vector graphics, but hopefully the illustration above
will be enough for you to see immediately how vector graphics differ from bitmap graphics.
That concludes our brief look at the difference between bitmap and vector graphics.
Be aware that although almost every graphics program you encounter will be primarily a
vector (“drawing”) or bitmap (“painting”) program, it will probably offer both types of graphic
and the chance to mix them together.

3.2.4 Resolution and Size

Resolution, or DPI refers to the number of dots, or pixels, on a linear inch of an image. The web
displays graphics at 72 DPI, yet sometimes your client will hand you a 450 dpi image. PhotoShop
can help you make the transition from a clunky, slow downloading file to speedy 72 DPI.

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