Unit 2

Pixel

(or picture element) is the smallest physical point of color in a bitmap graphic. The size or resolution of a bitmap is measured by how many pixels are in the image.

Fill and stroke

After creating an object, you can assign a fill, stroke, or both to it. By default, most vector editors use a black stroke and a white fill. Stroke is effectively the outline or path color. Fill is the color on the inside of the defined object. o A completed vector polygon can be filled with color in three ways:A solid color can be picked as a fill with the color pickerA color gradient can be used as a fill, where a range of colors fills the object based on position. Gradients can be linear (color is based on position on a line) or radial (color is based by position on a circle)A pattern can be used as a fill; patterns are usually made of vectors themselves, recurring in a specific order dictated by the pattern options. o Colors, gradients, and patterns can be saved as swatches to reuse on multiple objects.

Artboards and Layers in Vector Editors

An artboard in a vector editor is your workspace where you may place and arrange vector objects. Typically, the artboard is a digital representation of the paper or media in which you will produce your final product, whether it is a billboard or a business card.o Layers are a way to organize and keep track of all the items in your vector document. Layers are like large folders that keep the order of the items inside, but can be reordered, moved, locked from editing, or hidden from view, affecting all items inside of them.

Pathfinder Tools

Another way to edit elements are the pathfindertools, sometimes called Boolean tools. These tools allow two overlapping objects to be combined into a new result object. There are four main ways to do this:Union, which adds the objects together into a larger object. Subtraction, sometimes called Minus-Front or Minus-Back which subtracts one object from the other, where the order mattersIntersection, where the resulting object is made from the overlap of the two objects.Exclusion, where the resulting object is made from the parts of the two objects that are not overlapping.

Warp

Another way to effect objects is with Envelopes. Envelopes are effectively a rectangle or other shape that is overlaid over your shapes or groups and then is Warped into another shape. Vector editors are popular with designers because envelopes and warping make it very easy to visually edit text and still be able to edit that text. Like distorts, envelope effects have specific parameters that let you control their strength.

Create and edit lines and shapes

Basic object creation in a vector editor starts with simple lines and shapes created by tools such as the line segment tool, rectangle tool, and ellipse tool. Other more complex shapes including rounded rectangles, stars, polygons and grids are often included as well.o To use these tools, you can either drag with the tool to create on the spot, or use the tools parameters to create a specific size or shape.o The shapes can be further edited using the direct selection tools and moving anchor points or edges.

Description of Bitmap Graphics

Bitmap Graphics (or Raster Graphics) are computer created images made from a grid of pixels. All the pixels, when viewed or printed together, are called continuous tone images (contones) and make a complete picture.Bitmap Graphics primarily refers to 2D graphics made with this system usually created with a corresponding bitmap editing program such as Adobe Photoshop.Image creation or printing of Contones is effectively the opposite of line drawing or printing, meaning that Bitmap graphics are the opposite of vector graphics.

Working with outside images

Bitmap Images may be converted into vectors using image tracing features. The vector editor will attempt to turn the pixel-based image into the lines and shapes of a vector. If a photo-realistic image is used, the resulting image will have less colors and often less detail, and smoother edges and shapes. There are many possible results from image tracing based on the options and presets that are picked.Bitmap graphics are resolution dependent, meaning they are designed for a specific print or viewing size. This means if they are printed at a size they were not created for, they may appear pixelated, blurry, or lose their detail.Bitmap files are often larger size files, as the file must contain information about each pixel in the image.Performing a transformation on a bitmap graphic, such as making it much larger or rotating it, may degrade or distort the quality of the image.Bitmap graphics are typically not easily converted into vector graphics without a change in appearance.

Layer Styles and overlay modes

Bitmap editors have many effects that can change how layers behave visually when they overlap each other. These are useful as they are non-destructive, meaning the layer is still the same and still editable, it just appears differently. In this way, it is like object effects in vector editors.Common layer effects include drop shadows, glow, and outline strokes.

Distort and Transform

Effects are an easy way to quickly change and manipulate shapes. In vector editors, effects are "live" meaning they are active effects on the object. While visually we see the results, the effects are applied in a "stack" to the object which is still unchanged, unless the appearance of the object is "expanded" which accepts the effects and created new anchor points to control it.Effects can be easily controlled with parameters and toggled on and off just like layers and objects.Some of the most basic effects are distort and transform, which change the outside path of a shape based on specific parameters. Some are shown below.

Selection Tools and Groups

Selection Tool which selects single objects or entire groupsDirect Selection Tool which selects parts of objects (anchor points, edges) or an individual object within a groupGroup Selection Tool which selects groups within groups (nested groups), or whole objects within groups.

Symbols

Symbols in vector editors are objects that are defined such that they can be instanced. This means they can be repeated over and over without increasing the size of your file because all the copies are just referencing the original. Symbols are therefore most useful when you know you will be repeating similar objects over and over, think sesame seeds on a bun, or freckles on a face.o Symbols often have their own tools allowing all the same basic translations (move, rotate, scale, etc.) onto the symbol set.

Type Tools

Text in vector editors produces vector type. This is useful as like all vectors they can be resized indefinitely. o Point Text and Area TextThere are two main types of text in vector editors, point type and area type. Point type is text that is attached to a specific anchor point on your artboard. When resized or moved it is always within reference to that point and will change the font size. Point type is typically used for titles, quotes, and short bits of text that may need to be resized and moved around in your composition. Area type is text that is defined by an object or box on the artboard and the text resides in that space. When moved or resized, the text "flows" to fill the space naturally while remaining the same size. Area type is typically used for paragraphs and text that needs to remain together.o GlyphsGlyphs are the individual letter or symbols in a font.Vector editors allow these glyphs to be expanded into editable vectors individually. This is a great way to quickly produce complicated shapes and compositions from existing icons.

Cropping and Resizing Images

The bitmap itself is the workspace of the bitmap graphic editor. To change the size of the workspace, the image itself must be resized, resulting in the editor making new pixels, and scaling up and down the existing content using image size tools.The canvas size is a way to change the size of the image workspace and create or remove pixels along the outside while leaving the current content the same. Image size changes the size of your workspace by scaling the content and the pixels of your image up or down.

The marquee tool

The marquee tool allows you to select a group of pixels within a shape such as a rectangle or circle.

Create and edit using the pen (Bezier) tool

The pen or Bezier tool is used to create control points that define the lines or curves connecting them. A path or closed object will be the result. The pen tool can be used to draw straight lines, or curved smooth lines that are defined by control points - called Bezier curves. Bezier curves were widely publicized in 1962 by the French engineer Pierre Bézier, who used them to design automobile bodies at Renault Automotive. o The pen tool is probably the most versatile way to create objects in a vector editor. Like shapes, an object made with a pen tool can be further edited and refined with the direct selection tool.

Bitmap Editors - Application Selection and selection tools

There are many ways to select groups of pixels on bitmap layers, and a variety of selection tools. Selection does nothing to pixels on its own, however it allows changes to be made to those pixels, such as transformations or adjustments, without changing the non-selected pixels.

One particularly useful overlay mode is Multiply

This makes the layer selected multiply it's colors with the layer beneath it and then divide by 255. The result is like the image being printed on a slide and placed on top of the other image. With this mode, white lets all the layer beneath show through. It is very useful for combining images.

Vector Editors - Disadvantages

Vector graphics are not typically used for photo-realistic images, as the method for filling color only allows for solid fills, gradients, or patterns rather than a full photo-accurate range of color.Vector graphics usually require a specific application to edit and view on a computer.

Vector Editors - Advantages

Vector graphics are resolution independent, which means they maintain the same look at any printed size.Vector graphics editors typically allow a variety of edits and translationsincluding:o Rotation (changing the angle of an object)o Movement (changing the position of an object)o Mirroring (reflecting an object over an axis)o Stretching or Scaling (changing the size of an object, uniformly or non-uniformly)o Shearing or Skewing (moving the side of an object laterally while keeping the other sides stationary)o Alignment and distribution (Lining objects up on a line, or equally spacing objects in a selection)o Arraigning of Z-order (arranging what is in front and what is behind)o Combining primitives into more complex objects using union, subtraction, and intersection, and exclusion.Vector files can have smaller files sizes because less information is needed to define the image and the physical size of the image does not affect how the image is stored.Performing a transformation on a vector graphic, such as making it much larger or rotating it, will not degrade or distort the quality of the image.You can zoom into a vector graphic indefinitely, and the lines and curves will always remain smoothVector graphics have transparent backgrounds unless defined with a filled shape.Vector graphics can be easily converted to bitmap graphics.

Align, distribute, and arrange elements

You use the Align tools to line up individual objects in a selection. You can align the objects within that selection, or to an artboard, or a key object. A key object is one specific object you choose in a selection. You use distribute tools to spread out objects along an exact distance. Similar to align, you can distribute within the selection, the artboard, or around a key object. In addition, you can also distribute with a specific amount. Arranging elements is how you move objects front and back in relation to each other on the artboard. Objects can overlap, and then their order matters. Picture the objects as construction paper cutouts and you are reordering them in the stack on your paper. You can send to the back, or just send backwards one space and send to the front or just send forwards one space. You can also just reorder the objects on your layers tab.

Anti-Aliasing

a method of reducing the prominence of this effect by fading pixels on these edges to make them appear smoother

The color range option

allows you to select all pixels of a color in your image. This is extremely useful for masking and removing backgrounds such as when an actor is photographed in front of a green screen.

Desaturating

an image will make it grayscale. And changing the color tone of an image can make a large change in its overall feeling, especially on photographs

Masks

are a way to hide portions of a layer and reveal portions of the layers below. You can create two types of masks: Layer masks and Vector masks.o Layer masks are bitmap images that are edited with the painting tools.o Vector masks are created with a pen or shape tool.Like our other powerful bitmap editing tools, masks are also nondestructive, so you can go back and re-edit the masks later without losing the pixels they hide.

Vector graphics, or vector images

are computer created images made from polygons and lines rather than pixels. These images are made of vector lines which connect to control points. Control points have a specific position on your work area or art board and determine where the vector lines go. The stroke (or thickness), color, and curve of the path can be changed, along with the fill (color, gradient, or pattern) of the resulting shape.

Bitmap Editors Advantages

are easily used in many software applications and converted to different formats. Common bitmap formats include JPEG, GIF, and PNG, all of which display natively in internet browsers can be photorealistic and have a near-unlimited range of colors.

Layers in bitmap editors

are like layers in vector editors in that they can be toggled on and off and rearranged. However, unlike layers in vector editors, which can be full of multiple objects stacked in specific orders, layers in bitmap editors are more like panes of glass the whole size of your workspace, that have each pixel on or off and colored a specific color. You can reorder the layers themselves, but any shapes on a layer are in the same space, to order them they would have to be in different layers.

Adjustments

are powerful tools in bitmap editors that allow you to change, correct, and fix the color or tone of an image. These include changing the brightness, contrast, tone, and color of an image. Adjustments can also be made as Adjustment Layers which are layers that apply adjustments to the layer or layers beneath them. Similar to blending styles, these adjustment layers are also non-destructive as the original is still accessible, whereas regular adjustments replace the color information in the existing layers.

Bitmap Editors Disadvantages

are resolution dependent, meaning they are designed for a specific print or viewing size. This means if they are printed at a size they were not created for, they may appear pixelated, blurry, or lose their detail. are often larger files sizes as the file must contain information about each pixel in the image. Performing a transformation on a bitmap graphic, such as making it much larger or rotating it, may degrade or distort the quality of the image.Bitmap graphics are typically not easily converted into vector graphics without a change in appearance.

Groups

are user defined selections of objects that allow the editor to treat multiple objects as one object for the ease of organization or editing. In addition, groups can be renamed for additional organization. For example, a student creates all the shapes for a character's head and groups them together into a group named "head." That group can now be easily moved, rotated, resized, or any other translation without having to select all the parts each time.

Navigation Tools

change how you look at your artboards, rather than changing your artwork. The main navigation tools are: Zoom tool which allows you to zoom your view of the artboard in and out. Hand tool which allows you to slide or "pan" your workspace around to the left, right, up or down to get a better view.

The Clone Stamp tool

copies a part of your image onto another part of the same image. You can also paint part of one layer over another layer. It is useful for duplicating objects or removing a defect in an image.

The polygonal lasso

draws polygon selections with straight lines, and the magnetic lasso tool tries to sense the edge of groups of pixels, that may be different by color.

Unsharp Mask

filter is used to sharpen images by overlaying a negative of a blurry edge

Patch tool

grabs a selected area and lets you replace or "patch" it with pixels from a similar area on the same image. Like the Healing Brush tools, the Patch tool matches the texture, lighting, and shading of the source.

The Spot Healing Brush

grabs pixels sampled from near your brush and matches the pattern color and texture as best it can. This tool is best used to removes imperfections in your photos including skin blemishes, dirt, or other errors.

Filters

in bitmap editors are large effects that you apply over your image. The can heavily change your image or help hide changes you may have made. Examples include blurring and sharpening, lens flare, adding noise, speckles, or dirt, or even making it appear as if your image was a painting or sketch.

Gaussian Blur

is a notable filter that applies a blur to an image as a result of a Gaussian function. It is useful as it smooths out edges and reduces noise and detail.

layer's opacity

is how see-through it is to the layers below it. By default, layers have 100% opacity (making them 0% see-through.)

The brush tool

is the basic painting tool of a bitmap editor. It works like the traditional painting tool—a brush. It adds a shaped mark of pixels on a layer and will continue to add more marks as you continue to click or hold down your mouse button. As you drag your mouse across a canvas the brush will continue to draw. You can change a brushes diameter (or size) and its hardness which controls how the brush fades at its edge. There are often many preset brushes of different shapes and sizes, and brushes can have the same blending modes that layers can, as well as having opacity settings like layers as well.Flow is the rate at which your brush is applied to the canvas. One of the most powerful features of the brush tool is the ability to create custom brushes, and you can use images as a source. Similar to vector editors symbol tool, this allows for controlled reproduction of multiples of a shape or a design with ease.

composite

is the result of combining images together, and is a crucial part of the 2D and 3D design pipeline. Whether you are overlaying images from a photograph or a render from a 3D editor, masking is one of the best ways to successfully combine the images into a functional final product.

The crop tool

is used to quickly change the size or remove portions of a bitmap image by creating new boundaries for the image and removing the pixels that are outside of these boundaries.

Offset filter

is useful for creating seamless textures as it shifts the image so that you can view how its opposing edges would line up.

The Rule of three

learned in elements of design can be turned on while cropping, making it easy to retroactively focus the subject of an image along the rule of three gridlines.

The lasso tool

lets you draw a shape to select pixels. The regular lasso tool draws shapes with freehand lines.

The Dodge tool and the Burn tool

lighten or darken areas of the image. The more you paint over an area with the Dodge or Burn tool, the lighter or darker it becomes. This is useful for fixing small areas that are overexposed or too dark on the image.

Vector Graphics

primarily refers to 2D graphics made with this system usually created with a corresponding vector graphic editing program such as Adobe Illustrator.

The magic wand tool

selects all pixels of a color that are touching each other, the strength of which can be controlled by tolerance.

Aliasing

the jagged, stair-stepped edges that occur when zooming in on lines that are not right angles in a bitmap. This causes images to appear "pixelated."

Layers in bitmap editors can also be merged, and are automatically when you save as a bitmap format

they become one layer, and in each individual pixel space, whichever on pixel on the topmost layer becomes the pixel in any given spot

Healing Brush

tool does the same thing; however, you must pick where it samples from.

The quick selection tool

tries to understand what you are trying to select based on the content of your image.You can add or subtract to any selection by making new selections while holding the shift or alt keys.