Text Fonts and Formatting

• Text Fonts Formatting

Fonts

• Serif fonts have small lines tailing from the edges of letters and symbols.
• Sans Serif fonts don't have small tails and heads; it is usually used for body text.
• Decorative fonts look elaborate and are usually for titles or headings.

Formatting

• Formatting text can involve bolding, italics, underlining, and alignment.
• Leading is the space between lines, to allow the designer to alter the density of blocks of text.
• Kerning is the space between individual letters which allows manual adjustment.
• Tracking applies a universal spacing between all characters.
• Indents are 0.5 inches from the left margin using the tab key.
• Other formatting options include bullet points, numbers, size, and colour.

Stroke and Fill

• Stroke refers to the outer edge or border of text.
• Fill refers to the colour of the text.
• Fill is mainly used to add more decorative flair to your text.

Heading and Subheadings

• Headings and subheadings provide a visual representation of information organization in a paper.
• Headings tell the reader what is in each section.
• Headings creates a visual hierarchy to guide the reader through a project.

Formatting Paragraphs and Documents

• Paragraph alignment determines how the lines in a paragraph appear in relation to the left and right margins.
• Line space is the amount of vertical space between lines on text, also known as leading.

Pagination

• Pagination is the process of separating digital content into discrete pages.
• Pagination provides a better experience for the reader
• Pagination also refers to the process of organizing information on web pages.

Graphics: Vector vs Bitmap

• Vector-based images contain well-defined elements such as curves and shapes of various colours.
• Vector images are more suited for illustrations rather than photorealistic images and do not contain well-defined shapes and curves
• Bitmap images are mapped into a grid and formed by pixels.
• Bitmap images are suited for photo-realistic images that require complex colour variations.

Retina Display

• Resolution is the number of pixels in an image, often identified by the width and height of the image, as well as the total number of pixels in the image.
• The iPad Mini with Retina Display has a resolution of 2048×1536 at 326 pixels per inch (ppi).

Image Size

• Higher resolution means better image quality.
• ppi means pixels per inch.
• dpi means dots per inch.
• For printer-based graphics, 300 dpi is recommended for a decent print.
• Pixelization occurs when resolution of a bitmap image is enlarged beyond its intended original size.

Colour Depth

• Colour depth is the number of bits used to represent a colour.
• More colour depth equates to a wider colour range and better quality.

Binary Digits

• A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest unit of information in a computer, used for storing information.
• A bit has a value of either 0 or 1, generally used to store data and implement instructions into groups of bytes.
• 24 bits is known as true colour; anything above 30 bits is known as deep colour.

File Formats

• TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) can be uncompressed, lossless, or lossy. It is universally accepted with a large file size
• BMP (Bitmapped image) is uncompressed or lossless and has wide acceptance across Windows, also featuring a large file size, which can be uncommon
• PCX/PIXT (Mac picture format) is lossless, allows interchange between vector and bitmap, lacks support
• JPEG (Joint Photographers expert group) is lossy and has small file size, good for photos with lots of colour tones, but is not as crisp as png
• GIF (Graphics interchange file) is lossless and has a small file size, good for images with limited colours, with limited 8-bit palette
• PNG (portable network graphics) is lossless and has Small file size, supports transparency, supports 8, 24 and 48 pit palette, Nothing notable

Ways to Source Images

• Clip art - Vector graphics.
• Screenshots, an image file that shows the content of a computer screen.
• Scanning - Captures images from the source and then converted into digital format.
• Graphics tablet - Converts analog information into digital form and converts graphics into binary data.
• Cameras
• Image libraries/stock photographs

Image Editing

• Object layering is important in the design of static and motion graphics.

Image Enhancements

• Common image enhancements include filters such as retro, black and white, grey scale and special effects such as outer glows, drop shadows, bevel and emboss etc.
• Anti-aliasing occurs when image resolution is too low and smooths out jagged edges in digital images by averaging the colours of pixels at a boundary.

Image Manipulation

• Image manipulation includes stretching, which extends the height or width of an image and skewing, which is neither parallel nor at right angles to a specific or implied line, forming an oblique angle.
• Image manipulation can also done through rotating, moving the cause to move a circle round an axis or centre or colour adjustment, altering the ways colors appear.

Audio: Sound Waves

• Audio recordings come in two basic types: analog and digital.
• Analog refers to recording audio in a format of continuous vibrations analogous to original sound waves.
• Digital audio is recorded by taking samples or the original sound at a specified rate. This recording is produced by converting the physical properties of the original sound into a sequence of number (binary). CD's and Mp3 use these digital mediums.

Volume

• Volume refers to the intensity of sound through the power of its waves.
• Volume is measured in decibels (dB).
• The louder a sound is, the more energy it has, meaning louder sounds have a larger amplitude.

Frequency

• Frequency refers to the number of soundwaves that pass a given point each second.
• Frequency is measured in Hertz.
• One hertz equals one cycle (vibration, or sound wave) per second.

Sound: Mono Sound

• A mono (monophonic) sound is that which coming through one channel or source
• All information in mono is sent together and played as one.
• Telephones, loudspeakers, and microphones all use mono sound.

Stereo Sound

• Stereo (stereophonic) refers to sound coming out of two channels.
• Stereo is used to create the illusion of directionality.
• Songs may have different instruments playing out of specific speakers to create the illusion that different instruments are in different parts of the room.
• More realistic stereo sound is provided as humans have two ears.
• Stereo requires double the storage space as mono files
• Headphones, speakers systems and TV speakers use stereo sound

Surround Sound

• Surround sound involves the use of multiple speaker systems (usually at least four) to create an immersive environment.
• The more channels required equals an increase in the amount of information and file size.
• 5.1 (six channels) surround sound is the most common home theatre configuration, where .1 refers to the subwoofer.
• Cinemas, home theatre systems and IMAX all use surround sound.

Converting Analogue to Digital

• Analogue-to-digital converter (A/D) can be used to convert analogue sound to digital.
• It converts a continuous physical quantity to a digital number that represents the quantity's amplitude.
• A sample sound is captured via a microphone at regular intervals; the sample consists of an electrical signal determined by its pitch and volume, the signal is then binary number to represent it.
• Accuracy is determined by the sample rate and sample (bit) depth

Sample Rate

• Sample rate indicates the number of digital snapshots taken of an audio signal each second.
• Sample rate determines the sound frequency range (pitch) that can be represented in digital waveform.
• A higher sample rate means the shape of the digital waveform is closer to that of the original analogue waveform.
• A lower sample rate limits the range of frequencies that can be recorded, resulting in a poor recording of the original sound.
• Common sampling rates include: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz and 192 kHz

Sampling Size

• Sampling size dictates how much information is take in each sample.
• 8 and 16-bit audio are the most common sample sizes.
• A higher sample size provides better sound and more precise information (higher storage).

Bit Rate

• Bit rate tells us how many bits of data are processed every second.
• Bit rate is measured in kilobits per second (kbps).
• Important when compressing audio for playback.
• Bit rate = Frequency/sampling rate × bit depth × channels.

File Size and Compression

• Lossy compression compresses data by discarding some of the audio, aiming to minimize the amount of data that needs to be held, handled, and/or transmitted by a computer.

Lossless

• Lossless compression is a class of data compression algorithms that allows the exact original data to be reconstructed from the compressed data.

File Formats

• WAV (Wave Audio Format) is uncompressed with high quality featuring a large file size.
• AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is uncompressed with high quality featuring a large file size
• MP3 (MPEG 1 or MPEG 2 Audio Layer III) is lossy compressed with good quality for its compact size, however, features less Quality compared to WAV or AIFF.
• WMA (Windows Media Audio) has a small file size, can be lossless or commonly lossy with an inferior sound quality.
• MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) uses digital code, tiny file size, suitable for instrumental music, cannot be used to record human voice.
• FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is lossless and free, but not widely used.

Video

• An analogue video is captured frame by frame on a tape and stores continuous waves of red, green and blue intensities, with a fixed number of rows and no real columns and maximum detail is determined by the frequency response of the analog system.
• A digital video is recorded digitally as binary and can be recognized and edited by a computer.

File Size Considerations: Frame Rate (fps)

• Frame rate is the frequency in which frames are captured or displayed per second.
• Videos are usually shot in 24fps.
• FPS is also expressed in progressive scan monitors as hertz (Hz) and is the refresh rate
• 30fps = 60Hz

Image Size

• Imgage size is the size of a video image/resolution.
• Defined by the number of pixels that make up its width and height
• Higher resolution = higher number of pixels, more data saved = larger file size.

Colour Depth

• Colour depth is the number of bits per pixel on a monitor to represent a specific number.
• Most digital video formats use a minimum of 8 bits per colour channel.
• RGB images are described by the total bits used per pixel: 8 bits per channel × 3 channels = 24 bits.
• More bits provide higher colour variety and quality of monitor.
• There are three colour channels as digital video uses RGB for colour encoding.
• All bits are to a base of 2.

Video Compression

• Lossy compression discards parts of a file, resulting in a smaller file size and lower quality.

Lossless

• Lossless compression allows the exact original data to be reconstructed from compressed data, is higher Quality but has a larger file size

Image Quality

• Image quality takes into account sharpness, noise, exposure range, tone reproduction, contrast, colour accuracy, distortion, vignetting, and exposure accuracy.
• Image quality is affected by frame rate, image size, and colour depth.

File Types

• MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group):
  • The format uses lossy compression and can compress data to form bits that can be transmitted and then decompressed.
  • This format achieves high compression rates by storing changes from one frame to another
  • It is an old file format used by VCDs
• AVI (Audio Video Interweave):
  • The format uses lossy or lossless compression, depending on the codec.
  • Uses a simple architecture and runs on different systems (Windows, Mac, Linux)
  • Supports most web browsers, and has a large file size
• MP4 (MPEG 4 (H.264)):
  • The format use lossy compression -A widely used video format that has high quality and a small file size -This format is difficult to edit or update
• FLV (Flash Video):
  • The format uses lossy compression and has a small file size
  • Quality is inferior compared to MOV
• WMV (Windows Media Video):
  • The format uses lossy compression, has small file size, and is used for web-display purposes
  • There can be compatibility issues with non-Windows based computers (e.g. Mac)
• MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie):
  • The format uses lossless compression, can be lossy when using JPEGs and has a high quality video file
  • It can insert text and still animation. Has a large file size

Video Editing: Import/Export

• Allows different computer programs to reach each others files
• Import = bring a file from a different program
• Export = save a file in a way that a different program can use it

Transitions

• Refers to the process of changing from one image/slide/frame to another.
• Uses techniques such as fade in/out, slide, rotate, and zoom in/out.

Special Effects

• Components added in post-production that make footage more appealing to viewers.

Technique Definitions

• Colour Correction: Matches the colour of various clips to achieve consistency across different scenes.
• Colour Grading: Adds a particular coloured style to a film to convey a particular mood, theme, or genre.
• Slow Motion: Captures footage at higher frame rates and plays them at normal speed. E.g., footage captured at 240fps and played at 24fps slows it down 10x.
• Time-Lapse: Compresses the time of the video playback.
• Other: Other techniques include twisting, zooming, rotating, and distorting

Video Filters

• Colour Balance: The global adjustment of the intensities of the colour (typically RGB).
• Brightness: The intensity of energy output of a visible light source.
• Contrast: The separation between the darkest and brightest areas of the image, where increasing contrast makes highlights brighter and shadows darker.
• Saturation: The separation of colours, where increasing saturation will increase colour intensities.
• Sharpness: The contrast of the edges, where increasing sharpness increases the contrast along/near edges.
• Blurring: Sharpness and contrast.
• Morphing: Changing from one image to another seamlessly.

2D Animation

• The creation of moving based pictures in a two dimensional environment.
• This is done through sequencing frams that stimulate motion by each image showing the next

Cel Animation

• Cel animation is also known as the traditional form of animation used for the production of cartoons and animated movies.
• It is drawn by hand.

Path Animation

• Path-based animation is the simplest form of animation and the easiest to learn.
• It moves an object along a predetermined path on the screen.
• The path can be a straight line or include curves.
• The object does not change but can be resized or reshaped.

Behaviour Animation

• This is a type of procedural animation (computer animation).
• An autonomous character determines its own actions to a certain extent.
• Gives the character some ability to improvise and allows multiple components to be animated automatically.

Morphing and Tweening

• Two techniques used to effect change in a object and the its motion
• Morphing refers to the procedure where one face changes into a totally different face in a seamless transition.
• In-betweening or Tweening is the process of generating intermediate frames between two images to give the appearance that one image evolved smoothly into the second image

Frame Rates

• The number of frames captured or played per second
• Videos have a frame rate of 24 fps but can go up to 300 fps
• FPS is also expressed in progressive scan monitors as hertz (Hz); Is also known as the refesh rate
• 30 fps = 60 Hz

Transitions

• Refers to the process of changing from 1 image/slide/frame to another
• There are a variety of techniques that are used such as fade in/out, slide, rotate, and zoom in/out etc

Looping

• Refers to the a continual repetition of an animation to create continuous effect on an animated subject
• Can be applied to sounds and video

3D Animation

• The animation is digitally modeled an manipulated by an animator
• The animator creates a 3D mesh to manipulate
  • Mesh = geometric configuration that gives the physical appearance to form a 3D object of environment
  • A mesh can have multiple vertices, which are geometric points; which are given an interval digital structure called an armature, this can be controlled with mesh weights

Modelling

• Modelling refers to the process of mathematically representing a 3D surface or object
• All 3D models can be divded into two categories, which includes solids, or shell and boundary
  • Solids represent the volume of the object with is used in nonvisual situations due to difficulty to build which is similar to medical engineering simulations
  • Shell or boundary represents that surface as its volume is used in games

Wireframe

• Wireframe references to the visual presentation of a 3D object which specifies each edge of those physical objects It’s called a wireframe which gives visualization to the underlying design structure, and it is simple

Rigging

• Rigging references the digital skeleton which bounds to the 3D mesh
  • Character technical designers or riggers can create the system joints, and control handles, and joint hierarchy, and degrees of freedom and constraints and points of motion, which would need to be considered

Motion Capture

• Describes that the record live people who can move objects in 2D or 3D spaces.
• Advantages can include efficient and complex movements.

Virtual Reality Simulators

• Equipment may include human immersion with various purposes like a scenarios

Web

• In simulations it’s possible to make navigational simulations or walk throughs in different kinds of work places or spaces.

Appropriate Usage

• Usage the internet would research and share your ideas, while inappropriate things to do is have illegal content

Audience and Controls

• The audience has drastically increased through the times
• The main websites are set for each targeted market

HTML and CSS

• HTML - hypertext mark-up language is a set of codes used to construct content for a World Wide Web;
• CSS - cascading style sheets is a sheet that gives the styling of that page that is used by a computer

Graphics

• Image file size and compression is optimal to the website in image qualities; GIF or JPG of PNG is used to compress the file system

Progressive Images

• Interlaced Gif- are files that are opened and seen in display more slowly with a blinds effect.

Animated Gif

• Animated Gifs allow movement through animation

Thumbnails

• Thumbnails are reduced versions of photos that require less data

Video and Sound

• Must be optimized for the web (smaller storage) such as MP3 lossless compression

Audio and Media

• Streams through radios or audio based apps
• Streams allow the use of audio and media streams through certain players like time players