BASIC CONCEPTS IN COMPUTER
GRAPHICS
PIXELS
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF
IMAGES
DEFINITION:
THE SMALLEST UNIT OF A
DIGITAL IMAGE, REPRESENTED AS
A TINY SQUARE OF COLOR.
GRID FORMATION: IMAGES ARE
COMPOSED OF A GRID OF PIXELS.
EXAMPLE: A 1920X1080 IMAGE
HAS 2,073,600 PIXELS.
RESOLUTION
DETAIL AND CLARITY
DEFINITION:
THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL AN
IMAGE HOLDS, DETERMINED BY
THE NUMBER OF PIXELS.
COMMON METRICS:
WIDTH X HEIGHT (E.G.,
1920X1080 PIXELS)
IMPACT ON QUALITY:
HIGHER RESOLUTION = MORE
DETAIL, BUT LARGER FILE SIZE.
COLOR DEPTH
RICHNESS OF COLOR
DEFINITION:
THE NUMBER OF BITS USED TO
REPRESENT THE COLOR OF A
SINGLE PIXEL.
COMMON DEPTHS:
1-BIT: BLACK AND WHITE
8-BIT: 256 COLORS
24-BIT: TRUE COLOR (16.7 MILLION
COLORS)
IMPACT ON QUALITY :
HIGHER COLOR DEPTH ALLOWS FOR
MORE COLORS AND SMOOTHER
GRADIENTS.
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
RESOLUTION:
NUMBER OF PIXELS IN WIDTH
AND HEIGHT (E.G., 1920X1080).
RESOLUTION:
NUMBER OF PIXELS IN WIDTH
AND HEIGHT (E.G., 1920X1080).
RESOLUTION:
NUMBER OF PIXELS IN WIDTH
AND HEIGHT (E.G., 1920X1080).
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
ASPECT RATIO:
IS A FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT IN
COMPUTER GRAPHICS, DESIGN,
AND MEDIA THAT DESCRIBES THE
PROPORTIONAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE WIDTH AND
HEIGHT OF AN IMAGE, SCREEN,
OR DISPLAY.
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
COMMON ASPECT RATIOS
4:3 (STANDARD DEFINITION (SD)).
DESCRIPTION: OFTEN USED IN
OLDER TELEVISION SCREENS AND
COMPUTER MONITORS.
RESOLUTION EXAMPLES: 800X600,
1024X768.
USE CASE: OLDER TV SHOWS AND
SOME COMPUTER MONITORS.
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
COMMON ASPECT RATIOS
16:9 (HIGH DEFINITION (HD))
DESCRIPTION: THE STANDARD
ASPECT RATIO FOR WIDESCREEN
DISPLAYS, INCLUDING HDTVS,
COMPUTER MONITORS, AND MOST
MODERN TELEVISIONS.
RESOLUTION EXAMPLES: 1920X1080
(FULL HD), 3840X2160 (4K UHD).
USE CASE: MODERN TVS, STREAMING
CONTENT, AND MOST VIDEO GAMES.
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
COMMON ASPECT RATIOS
21:9 (ULTRA-WIDESCREEN)
DESCRIPTION: WIDER ASPECT
RATIO USED FOR CINEMA AND
ULTRA-WIDE MONITORS.
RESOLUTION EXAMPLES:
2560X1080, 3440X1440.
USE CASE: CINEMATIC FILMS,
ULTRA-WIDE COMPUTER MONITORS
FOR ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY
AND IMMERSIVE GAMING.
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
COMMON ASPECT RATIOS
1:1 (SQUARE)
DESCRIPTION: EQUAL WIDTH
AND HEIGHT, RESULTING IN A
SQUARE IMAGE.
RESOLUTION EXAMPLES:
1080X1080.
USE CASE: SOCIAL MEDIA
PLATFORMS LIKE INSTAGRAM.
RESOLUTION AND ASPECT RATIO
COMMON ASPECT RATIOS
16:10 (WIDESCREEN)
DESCRIPTION: SLIGHTLY TALLER
THAN 16:9, OFTEN USED IN SOME
COMPUTER MONITORS AND
LAPTOPS.
RESOLUTION EXAMPLES:
1280X800, 1920X1200.
USE CASE: LAPTOPS AND
MONITORS WHERE ADDITIONAL
VERTICAL SPACE IS USEFUL FOR
PRODUCTIVITY.
HOW ASPECT RATIO AFFECTS MEDIA AND
DISPLAYS
IMAGE AND VIDEO DISPLAY:
FIT: WHEN AN IMAGE OR VIDEO IS DISPLAYED ON A SCREEN WITH A
DIFFERENT ASPECT RATIO, IT MAY BE SCALED, CROPPED, OR
LETTERBOXED (BLACK BARS ADDED TO FIT THE SCREEN).
LETTERBOXING/PILLARBOXING
LETTERBOXING: BLACK BARS ADDED TO THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE
SCREEN TO FIT A WIDER IMAGE ON A TALLER SCREEN.
PILLARBOXING: BLACK BARS ADDED TO THE SIDES OF THE SCREEN TO
FIT A TALLER IMAGE ON A WIDER SCREEN.
HOW ASPECT RATIO AFFECTS MEDIA AND
DISPLAYS
CONTENT CREATION
CONSISTENCY: MAINTAINING A CONSISTENT ASPECT RATIO IS CRUCIAL
FOR CREATING CONTENT THAT LOOKS CORRECT ACROSS DIFFERENT
DEVICES AND FORMATS.
DESIGN: ASPECT RATIO INFLUENCES DESIGN DECISIONS FOR VISUAL
CONTENT, SUCH AS LAYOUT AND COMPOSITION.
HOW ASPECT RATIO AFFECTS MEDIA AND
DISPLAYS
DISPLAY DEVICES
COMPATIBILITY: DEVICES AND APPLICATIONS NEED TO HANDLE
DIFFERENT ASPECT RATIOS TO ENSURE THAT CONTENT IS DISPLAYED
PROPERLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, A 16:9 VIDEO MIGHT BE DISPLAYED WITH LETTERBOXING
ON A 4:3 SCREEN.
ANTI-ALIASING
SMOOTHING EDGES
DEFINITION:
TECHNIQUE TO REDUCE THE
VISUAL DISTORTION KNOWN AS
"ALIASING" (JAGGED EDGES) BY
SMOOTHING OUT EDGES.
HOW IT WORKS:
BLENDS THE COLORS AT THE
EDGES TO CREATE A SMOOTHER
TRANSITION.
TYPES:
FXAA (FAST APPROXIMATE ANTI-
ALIASING)
MSAA (MULTI-SAMPLE ANTI-
ALIASING)
FAST APPROXIMATE ANTI-ALIASING (FXAA)
(FXAA)
IS A POST-PROCESSING TECHNIQUE USED
IN COMPUTER GRAPHICS TO SMOOTH
OUT THE JAGGED EDGES, OR "ALIASING,"
THAT CAN OCCUR IN DIGITAL IMAGES,
PARTICULARLY IN 3D GRAPHICS.
FXAA
IS A SHADER-BASED TECHNIQUE
DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE APPEARANCE
OF JAGGED EDGES (ALIASING) IN IMAGES
RENDERED BY GRAPHICS HARDWARE. IT IS
CALLED "FAST APPROXIMATE ANTI-
ALIASING" BECAUSE IT AIMS TO BALANCE
PERFORMANCE AND IMAGE QUALITY,
OFFERING A RELATIVELY SIMPLE AND
FAST WAY TO ACHIEVE ANTI-ALIASING
COMPARED TO MORE COMPLEX METHODS
LIKE MULTI-SAMPLE ANTI-ALIASING
(MSAA).
FAST APPROXIMATE ANTI-ALIASING (FXAA)
(FXAA)
IS A POST-PROCESSING TECHNIQUE USED
IN COMPUTER GRAPHICS TO SMOOTH
OUT THE JAGGED EDGES, OR "ALIASING,"
THAT CAN OCCUR IN DIGITAL IMAGES,
PARTICULARLY IN 3D GRAPHICS.
FXAA
IS A SHADER-BASED TECHNIQUE
DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE APPEARANCE
OF JAGGED EDGES (ALIASING) IN IMAGES
RENDERED BY GRAPHICS HARDWARE. IT IS
CALLED "FAST APPROXIMATE ANTI-
ALIASING" BECAUSE IT AIMS TO BALANCE
PERFORMANCE AND IMAGE QUALITY,
OFFERING A RELATIVELY SIMPLE AND
FAST WAY TO ACHIEVE ANTI-ALIASING
COMPARED TO MORE COMPLEX METHODS
LIKE MULTI-SAMPLE ANTI-ALIASING
(MSAA).
MULTI-SAMPLE ANTI-ALIASING (MSAA)
MSAA
STANDS FOR MULTI-SAMPLE ANTI-
ALIASING. IT ’S AN ANTI-ALIASING
TECHNIQUE THAT AIMS TO REDUCE THE
VISUAL ARTIFACTS OF ALIASING BY
SAMPLING MULTIPLE POINTS WITHIN
EACH PIXEL TO DETERMINE THE FINAL
COLOR . THIS TECHNIQUE HELPS IN
PRODUCING SMOOTHER EDGES AND
BET TER OVERALL IMAGE QUALITY
COMPARED TO SIMPLE SINGLE-SAMPLE
METHODS.
VECTOR VS. RASTER GRAPHICS((BITMAP)
RASTER GR APHICS (BITMAP)
IMAGES MADE OF PIXELS.
EXAMPLES : JPEG, PNG.
CHARACTERISTICS:
RESOLUTION-DEPENDENT, CAN BECOME
PIXELATED WHEN ENLARGED.
VECTOR VS. RASTER GRAPHICS(BITMAP)
VECTOR GRAPHICS
IMAGES MADE OF PATHS DEFINED BY
MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS.
EXAMPLES : SVG, AI
CHARACTERISTICS:
RESOLUTION-INDEPENDENT,
MAINTAINS QUALITY AT ANY SIZE.
VECTOR VS. RASTER GRAPHICS((BITMAP)
VECTOR GRAPHICS
IMAGES MADE OF PATHS DEFINED BY
MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS.
EXAMPLES : SVG, AI
CHARACTERISTICS:
RESOLUTION-INDEPENDENT,
MAINTAINS QUALITY AT ANY SIZE.
RENDERING
CREATING IMAGES FROM MODELS
DEFINITION :
THE PROCESS OF GENERATING A VISUAL
REPRESENTATION FROM A 3D MODEL.
TECHNIQUES:
RASTERIZATION : CONVERTS 3D
OBJECTS INTO 2D IMAGES
RAY TR ACING: SIMULATES THE WAY
LIGHT INTERACTS WITH OBJECTS FOR
PHOTOREALISTIC EFFECTS.
TEXTURES AND SHADING
C R EAT I N G I M AG E S F RO M M O D E L S
T E X T U R E S : I M A G ES A P P L I E D TO 3 D M O D E L S
TO G I V E T H E M S U R FAC E D E TA I L S ( E .G . ,
WO O D G R A I N , FA B R I C ) .
S H A D I N G : T EC H N I Q U ES U S E D TO S I M U L AT E
L I G H T A N D S H A D OW O N 3 D M O D E L S TO
E N H A N C E R EA L I S M .
TYPES OF SHADING
F L AT S H A D I N G :
S I M P L E S H A D I N G BA S E D O N L I G H T S O U RC E .
PHONG SHADING:
S M O OT H S H A D I N G T H AT I N T E R P O L AT ES
C O LO RS A C RO S S S U R FA C E S .
FRAME RATE AND PERFORMANCE
FRAME RATE (FPS):
THE NUMBER OF FRAMES DISPLAYED
PER SECOND IN ANIMATION OR VIDEO
(E.G., 30 FPS, 60 FPS).
IMPACT ON QUALITY:
HIGHER FRAME RATES RESULT IN
SMOOTHER MOTION.
PERFORMANCE FACTORS :
HARDWARE CAPABILITIES, SOFTWARE
OPTIMIZATION.
