Computer Graphics

Instructor: Ms. Rabia Rauf

Computer Graphics is about animation (films)
 Computer graphics

• It is the creation and manipulation of graphic

images by means of a computer.
 Computer graphics started as a technique to
enhance the display of information generated by
a computer.
 This ability to interpret and represent numerical
data in pictures has significantly increased the
computer’s ability to present information to the
user in a clear and understandable form.
 Large amount of data are rapidly converted into
bar charts, pie charts, and graphs.
Pixel (picture element)
a pixel is the smallest piece of information in an
image.
 Pixels are normally arranged in a regular 2D grid,
and are often represented using dots or squares.
Pixel (picture element)
 Each pixel is a sample of an original image,
where more samples typically provide a more
accurate representation of the original.
 The intensity of each pixel is variable; in color
systems, each pixel has typically three or four
components such as red, green, and blue, or cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black.
 Resolution
• Resolution is the number of rows that appear
from top to bottom of a screen and in turn the
number of pixels or pixel elements that
appear from left to right on each scan line.
• Based on this resolution only the effect of
picture appears on screen.
• In other words greater the resolution greater
will be the clarity of picture. That is resolution
value is directly proportional to clarity of
picture.
• Actual resolution is determined by the video
controller.
– Most monitors can operate at several different resolutions.
They are
– 640 X 480
– 800 X 600
– 1024 X 768
– 1152 X 864
– 1280 X 1024
• As the resolution increases, image on the screen gets
smaller.
Resolution Settings
1) Image Resolution: It refers to pixel spacing. In
normal PC monitor it ranges between 25 to 80 pixels per
inch.

2) Screen Resolution: It is the number of distinct pixels in

each dimension that can be displayed.

For example, a computer with a display resolution of

1280 x 768 will produce a maximum of 98,3040 pixels on
a display screen. Each pixel has a unique logical address, a
size of eight bits or more and, in most high-end display
devices, the ability to project millions of different colors.
 Text mode

• Text mode is a personal computer display setting

that divides the display screen into 25 rows and
80 columns in order to display text without
images.

• In text mode, each box can contain one

character. Text mode contrasts with graphics
mode, which features an array of pixels instead of
text boxes.

• Text mode is also known as character mode or

alphanumeric mode .
Course Coordinator : Mrs Deshmukh A.P.
 Graphics mode
• Graphics mode is a computer display mode
that generates image using pixels.

• Today, most users operate their computer in a

graphics mode opposed to a text mode or
command line environment.
 A graphics pipeline
• A graphics pipeline can be divided into three
main parts: Application, Geometry and
Rasterization.
 Application
• The application step is executed by the software
on the main processor (CPU), it cannot be divided
into individual steps, which are executed in a
pipelined manner.

• In the application step, changes are made to the

scene as required, for example, by user
interaction by means of input devices or during
an animation.

• The new scene with all its primitives, usually

triangles, lines and points, is then passed on to
the next step in the pipeline.
 Geometry
• The geometry step is responsible for the majority of
the operations with polygons and their vertices ,
can be divided into the following five tasks.

• It depends on the particular implementation of how

these tasks are organized as actual parallel pipeline
steps.

object
 Rasterization

• Rasterization is the task of taking an image

described in a vector graphics format (shapes)
and converting it into a raster image (pixels or
dots) for output on a video display or printer,
or for storage in a bitmap file format. It refers
to both rasterization of models and
2D rendering primitives such as polygons, line
segments, etc.
 Bitmapped Graphics
• There are two basic types of graphics:
– Bitmapped and
– Vector
• Bitmapped graphics are much more common
• Often they are called raster graphics
• When you create a bitmapped graphic you are
basically creating a bunch of colored dots
 Bitmapped Graphics, cont.
• The bitmapped graphic is stored as an array of dots, or pixels
• Each pixel gets assigned a specific color
• The more pixels you have, the more detailed the image can be
– Imagine only have one pixel, all you get is a dot
• Some common bitmap graphics programs are:
– Photoshop
– Paint Shop Pro
– GIMP
– Photo-Paint
– Graphic Converter
• These are paint programs
Exaggerated Example of a Bitmap Image
 Vector Graphics
• The second major type of computer graphics
• Vector graphics are created and manipulated using drawing
programs (as opposed to paint programs for bitmapped
graphics)
• Instead of using pixels to describe the image, it describes the
image using shapes
– Circles
– Lines
– Curves
• Also has to store the color of these shapes
• A verbal example would be something like:
– “A yellow circle with a center here and a radius of x, a purple line from
here to here”
 Vector Graphics, cont.
• The programs used with vector graphics are drawing
programs
• Some of these programs include:
– Corel Draw
– Adobe Illustrator
– Acrobat
• Most of these programs allow the use of bitmapped
images as part of a vector image
– Does not make them paint programs
– Bitmaps are a type of object (like a circle) that can be
inserted into a vector image
 Bitmap vs. Vector Images
• Bitmap and vector images are obviously
different
• Both have strengths and weaknesses
• They don’t manipulate images in the same
way
• They don’t store images in the same way
• The images are edited differently
Applications of Computer Graphics
• Computer graphics user interfaces (GUIs) − A
graphic, mouse-oriented paradigm which allows
the user to interact with a computer.

• Business presentation graphics − "A picture is

worth a thousand words".

• Cartography − Drawing maps.

• Weather Maps − Real-time mapping, symbolic

representations.

• Satellite Imaging − Geodesic images.

• Photo Enhancement − Sharpening blurred
photos.
• Medical imaging − MRIs, CAT scans, etc. -
Non-invasive internal examination.
• Engineering drawings − mechanical, electrical,
civil, etc. - Replacing the blueprints of the
past.
• Architecture − Construction plans, exterior
sketches - replacing the blueprints and hand
drawings of the past.
• Art − Computers provide a new medium for
artists.
• Entertainment − Movies and games.
• Simulation and modeling − Replacing physical
modeling and enactments
 Raster Displays (Bitmap)
• Intensity for each pixel depends on the size of
frame buffer
– ex) Black & White system
one bit per pixel is needed
the frame buffer is commonly called
Bitmap