Graphic Design - MAC Lab at Cal U of PA

High Resolution Graphics: Why They Are Important and How To Get Them

As a graphic designer, I have come across many jobs that came attached with graphics that are unusable. Unfortunately, the technology to clearly stretch a 100×100 JPEG to the size of a billboard does not exist. High resolution graphics are very important because that could make the difference of your design work looking professional or not. Probably the best word in high resolution is vector. Vector basically means instead of remembering each pixel, it only remembers the points of change in a shape. For example, on a square it remembers the four corners and the fill of the object. Other things that graphic designers like are .EPS files and any adobe based format. A common misconception though is that just because it is in that format that it is perfect. Taking a 72 DPI (dots per inch) image into Photoshop and changing it to 300 DPI does not make it high resolution. Fortunately, vector and high resolution images are very easy to come by these days. The easiest way is a simple search engine like Google. A search for vector graphics will come up with countless results. You can narrow down these results by getting more specific, such as “cloud [...]

Vector vs. Pixel Program

A vector program versus a pixel program.; What are they advantages, disadvantages, and the ins and outs? A vector program, like Adobe Illustrator, is a program that uses vector graphics. A vector graphic is a computer image that is stored in memory as lines rather than a series of dots, allowing it to be rotated or proportionally scaled. A vector program is ideal for printing large scale (especially type) because vector graphics aren’t made up of pixels and will not lose quality when scaled. Another benefit of a vector program is designing logos. A logo requires the range of large format, to be placed a billboard, or smaller format, or added on a business card. A pixel program, like Adobe Photoshop, is a program that uses pixel graphics. Pixel art is a form of digital art, created through the use of raster graphic software, where images are edited on the pixel level. A pixel program is used to edit and manipulate photos or images. Photoshop is also a good tool for illustrators and animators. Using a mouse, or often times a tablet, you can actually draw or sketch directly into Photoshop and manipulate what you draw. Many designers will manipulate their images in photoshop and [...]

Safari Books Online

I love information, therefore I love libraries. Cal U’s Manderino Library, for example, has an exciting new collection of books available online for computer science and information technology buffs: Safari Books Online. You can find the list of the library’s 100 hand-picked, full-text e-books by visiting thelibrary’s website, clicking ‘S’ under Browse the library’s alphabetical list of resources, then finding Safari Books Online, the first item under the Subscription Resources section, or simply clicking here. I was blown away by the titles, many of which are on the Mac Lab’s bookshelf (and in desperate need of updating). Titles such as, PHP and MySQL Web Development, Microsoft C#, HTML and CSS in 24 Hours and Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development in 24 Hours. Tip: Don’t stay logged on when you are finished reading a title. The service can only support 4 simultaneous users at once! Thanks to Alyssa Archer, Manderino Library, for sharing this invaluable resource!