Theory of Digital Graphics: Types of Graphics and File Types

Types of Graphics

HUD

HUD's or as they are also known Heads Up Displays are used in games to give the player information about what is happening in the game, these things tend to be a mini map of an area they are in, the vitals of the player such as health and stamina, in some games such as shooters it gives the player information about the weapons they are using and how much ammo they have left for each weapon. In some games they have unique features that are only in a specific game for example: The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a feature that lets the player know when they are close to one of the shrine puzzles the game includes. Another game that has a unique feature is a game called Sunset Overdrive which has a feature called a style meter that tells the player what style level they are on depending on how the player moves around the game world. 

Logos

Logos are used for companies so that there brand are easily recognisable to the customers. Logos are not just used for companies they are also used in the music industry to distinguish the bands and make them unique from each other. for example one company that has an iconic logo is Nike as it uses the Nike tick which sets it apart from other brands. Games also use logos on the box covers and on the consoles themselves. one example of this is Destiny as it uses its own logo to make it stand out from other games.

Branding

Branding is how a company advertises and promotes their product to help it sell, they use branding strategies to put their brand logo and slogan on products and other marketing objects like billboards so people see them 

Website Images

website images are used to entice more people to the website by using images and gifs which makes the website more shareable and drives the business forward to make their brand more well known, one example of this is the website lad bible as it uses images to entice viewers to the website and increase their popularity.

File Types

File Extensions

When saving images, only certain file types will be able to be seen on digital devices. For example, Apple devices do not support Flash, so any .fla flies wont function on Apple devices, which may a problem if a site runs on flash. Another example is if you have to edit or open a .psd file on a computer which doesn't have Photoshop installed: you won't be able to open the file, which may cause some problems. The best way to avoid this would be to save the image as a more common file type, such as .jpg, .bmp or .png. 

.bmp

.bmp, or Bitmap, is a common image file format and is compatable with most computers. It is a raster type format, so that means that it retains it's sharpness when 'blown up'

.png

.png, or Portable Network Graphic, is a file type which is not as common as the other file types, as it is not as widely used. You may need to install a programme to open and edit these files, as the programmes pre-installed will not open these files. One common factor about .png files is that they have a transparent background (a grey and white blocked background), so they are more commonly used in the industry for media.

.gif

.gif, or Graphics Interchange Format, is a file format which lets you show a small animation from either a video clip or an animation. .gifs are mainly used for online purposes, but they have a limited colour palette so they may not be suitable for some professional companies.

.tiff

.tiff, or Tagged Image File Format, is a file extention mainly used by professionals, photographers and graphic artists, but can be opened on most computers.

.jpg

.jpg is probably the most common image file type, as you can open and edit these file types on any computer. .jpg's aren't widelt used in the media industry as such, as when you 'blow up' jpg's, you can see the pixels more clearly, so it looks blurred.

.psd

.psd, or Photoshop Document, is a file type which can only be opened in Adobe Photoshop. This is because the file will contain all the layers of the image, which can only be edited in Photoshop. this type of file format will be more commonly used in the industry due to its relation with Photoshop and its large pixel count.