Type of Graphics and its Advantages

An article by Mindscreen    3 Comments

The Internet universe has become a larger place over the years due to its growing level of sophistication of many websites and the interactivity they provide. Many developers turn to the Flash platform to create Web applications which helps to make the Web world come alive.  Graphics can also be imported from other files.

There are two different types of graphics:

1. Raster or Bitmap graphics.
2. Vector or Object-oriented graphics and

Lets see the difference between the above 2 types of Graphics.

Raster/Bitmap Graphics

There is a little difference between Bitmap graphics and vector graphics.

Bitmap graphics contain a set of bits in the computer memory. These define the color and intensity of each pixel in an image. The pixels are displayed as a matrix of dots. If an image is 100 pixels by 100 pixels, then the computer stores the color value of each of the 10,000 pixels i.e. multiplication of the pixels. Hence the size of the files becomes larger.

Bitmap graphics are not resolution-independent like vector graphics. The image gets distorted if they are scaled to any desired dimension. This phenomenon is called as Pixelization. The advantage of Bitmap graphics instantly appears on the computer screen and looks real if their resolution is not scaled.

Vector Graphics/Object-oriented Graphics

Vector graphics are made up of lines and curves which are defined by mathematical objects called Vectors. It helps in describing the object with the help of its Geometric characteristics.

People prefer Vector graphics for representing bold graphics, like, logos. Certain advantages of vector graphics are as follows:

Firstly, they are resolution-independent i.e. they can be scaled to any size and resolution without losing any detail or clarity, and secondly, the file size remains small

Most of the graphics created in Flash are based on vectors. Despite of the advantages of vector Graphics, they appear a bit unrealistic on our computer screen.

Following are a few good tutorial sites available on the web -

http://www.ultrashock.com/

http://www.virtual-fx.net/

http://www.flashlite.net/

Applying Gradient Fills and Solid colors

Using the Color Mixer, solid colors and gradient fills can be created and also edited. The modifications done in the Color Mixer are automatically applied to the selected object on the Stage. RGB or HSB color modes can be chosen or the color panel can be expanded to use hexadecimal mode in order to create colors using the Color Mixer.

The degree of transparency for a color can be specified with the help of an Alpha value. Also a specific color can be chosen from the Colors palette along with the Alpha value.

The Color Mixer can be expanded in order to display a larger color space. This displays a split color swatch showing the previous and the current color as well as a Brightness control panel. It helps in modifying the brightness of colors in all the modes.

Importing Raster/Bitmap Graphics

Flash has made it easier to import bitmap graphics from other files. Following are the types of bitmap graphics that can be imported -

• A series of still images extracted from the frames of a video.
• A photograph (scanned and saved).
• Images with special effects (like fire, water, clouds or even the other natural effects) that cannot be archived with a vector tool.

The different types of file formats supported by Flash are .jpg, .png,  .bmp, .pct or .gif.

Converting a Bitmap to a Vector Graphic

We can also convert a Bitmap to Vector graphics. It depends on 2 common situations – firstly, when there is a raster file, which is more suitable as a vector graphic, and secondly, while creating special effects, like a poster look or an outline effect.

When we convert a bitmap graphic to a vector graphic, the latter is no longer linked to the bitmap symbol.

There can be a possibility of the converted vector graphic to have a large file size if the imported bitmap graphic consists of several colors and complex shapes. This file size can be larger than the original bitmap file.

However, it is preferable to create graphics in Flash rather than importing them.

If any one has more information on this, most welcome!!