Photography for Game DesignSetup, operation, and troubleshooting a computer
Hardware vs Software
•Hardware – the physical components of a computer• Ex: hard drive, monitor, mouse
• Software – a collection of code installed on the hard drive• Ex: Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, Photoshop
Hardware needed for a video game
• Computer processor (CPU)
•Memory (RAM)
• Video Card
•Hard Drive
•Output devices
• Input devices
Software needed for a video game
•Operating System
• Runtime Environment • Ex: Java, C, C++
• The game
Computer Parts
• CPU – brain of the computer where most calculations take place.
• Motherboard (mobo) – main circuit board of a computer
• Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) – the memory available to programs• must be refreshed (powered) thousands of times per
second or the data will be lost
• Video Card – expansion card that allows the computer to send graphical information to a video display
• Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) – handles most graphics used for 3-D applications and other mathematically-intensive tasks to help free up the CPU
• Hard Disk Drive (HDD) – main data storage device that uses magnetic charges
• Does not need constant power to store data
• Solid State Drive (SSD) – similar to HDD but has no moving parts
HDD vs SSD
SSD
• Usually 10 times faster
• No moving parts
• Uses less power
• No noise
• Available in smaller physical sizes
• Generates less heat
• Not affected by magnetism
HDD
• Cheaper price especially for drives over 500GB
• Largest storage capacity at several terabytes of space
Components inside the case
Below: System board (Motherboard) Below: Central
Processing Unit (CPU)
Components inside the case (continued)
Above: Random Access Memory (RAM)
Right: GPU
Below: Video Card
Components inside the case (continued)
Below: Power Supply Unit (PSU)
Above: Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
Computer Maintenance
• Keep anti-virus and malware protection up-to-date
• Install updates for the Operating System
• Clear the cache and delete temp files
• Keep the keyboard clean by using compressed air and rubbing alcohol
• Keep drinks away from the computer
Computer Maintenance (continued)
• Never use cleaning supplies on the monitor or tower unless it is designed for the monitor type
• Never spray liquids at the monitor directly
• Use an anti-static wipe to dust the case
• A can or compressed air can be helpful to remove dust from the case and fans
• Never obstruct an air vent or fan on the tower
Good Computer Habits
• If it is important, save it (back up) in multiple locations• Ex: External Hard Drive, Flash Drive, Cloud
• Use maintenance tools to help a slow computer• Defragmenter• Cleanup• Recycle Bin
Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows
•Copy Ctrl + C
•Cut Ctrl + X
•Paste Ctrl + V
•Undo Ctrl + Z
File Systems
• Folders can be used to organize the files on a computer
• Libraries can be used to group similar folders together
Parts of a window
Parts of a window (continued)
• Navigation Pane – used to access libraries, folders, and drives
• Back and Forward Buttons – used to go back and forward to folders that you have already opened
• Toolbar – contains tools to perform common tasks
• Address bar – navigate to a different folder or go back
• Library Pane – customize the library or arrange files by properties
Parts of a window (continued)• Column headings – changes how the files are organized
• File list – shows the files in the folder or library
• Search box – searches in the current folder or library
• Details pane – shows the details of the selected file
Photography for Game DesignBasics of Photography
Vocabulary for Photography
• Depth of Field – distance that the subject of a photo appears sharp
• Resolution – the detail an image holds (how good the picture looks)
• File Compression – minimizing the size of a file without degrading the quality of the image
• Emphasis – area that first attracts the viewer’s attention
Rule of Thirds
• Proposes than an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and 2 equally spaced vertical lines.
• Important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.
Top Left: Example of Depth of Field
Top Right: Example of Emphasis
Bottom: Example of Rule of Thirds
Do’s of digital camera care
• Regularly clean the camera
• Take care of the lens by never touching it and putting on the lens cap
• Handle all moving parts with care
• Turn off the camera before removing the battery or memory card
• Keep your camera dry
Do’s of digital camera care (continued)
• Store your camera correctly if not going to be used for a long time• Keep away from magnets• Use silica gel• Remove batteries• Keep in cool, dry place away from windows,
furnaces, and damp basements
Don’ts of digital camera care
• Subject your camera to…• knocks• Magnets• Smoke• Water• Steam• Sand• Chemicals
Don’ts of digital camera care(continued)
• Store your camera in humid, dusty, or dirty places
• Subject your camera to extreme hot or cold temperatures
• Place your camera in direct sunlight for prolonged times or in a car when it is hot
• Scratch the camera with hard or sharp objects
• Drop your camera in water
• Use canned air (most cameras are not airtight)
Basic Parts of a Camera
1. Lens – Usually made of glass, focuses and directs the incoming light
2. Aperture – part of the lens that controls the amount of light that reaches the sensor
3. Shutter – controls the amount of time that the sensor is exposed to light
4. Image Sensor – consists of a grid with millions of light gathering elements (pixels)
• One million pixels in a Megapixel
Basic Parts of a Camera (continued)
5. LCD Screen – allows you to view your subject before taking the picture
6. Viewfinder – same as the LCD Screen but is designed to be held up the eye
7. Memory Card – stores all of the image information
8. Flash – provides extra light during dim, low light situations
9. Body – the physical case that houses the parts
10.User Controls – allows the user to customize the picture with various settings
Left: Lens Aperture DiagramBottom: Camera Lens
Above: Image Sensors
Below: LCD Screen and Viewfinder
Right: Memory Cards
Raw Image Format (.raw)
• Description: digital negatives; contains minimally processed data from the image sensor
• Benefit: • Many more shades of colors
• Bypasses undesired steps in processing
• Large transformations results in fewer visible artifacts
• Drawback: • Large file size
• Not widely accepted
• Requires extra time to process the image
Bitmap Image File (.bmp)
• Description: way to store a raster image (image made of pixels in a grid)
• Benefit:• Stores color data for each pixel in the image without any
compression
• Crisp, high-quality graphics
• Used more for printable images
• Recognized by many programs on Macs and PCs
• Can be compressed using lossless data compressions
• Drawback:• Large file sizes
JPEG and JPEG 2000 (.jpg and .jp2)
• Description: mainly a lossy compression method for bitmap images
• Benefit:• Works best on realistic scenes with smooth variations of tone and color
• Allows the user to balance file size and resolution
• Most common format for storing and transmitting photos on the World Wide Web (Internet)
• Drawback:• Does not work well for line drawings, text, or icons
• Should not be used in scientific or medical images
• Not useful if constantly editing the files
• Does not support transparency
Graphics Interchange Format(.gif)
• Description: bitmap images compressed with lossless techniques; created by Steve Wilhite of CompuServe
• Benefit:• Supports transparency
• Suitable for sharp-edged line art with limited number of colors
• Used to store low-color sprite data for games
• Small animations and low-resolution film clips
• Graphics load fast on websites
• Drawback:• Limited to 256 colors (8-bit images)
Portable Network Graphics (.png)• Description: lossless bitmap compression; improved, non-
patented replacement for GIF;
• Benefit:
• Supports transparency
• Most used lossless image compression format on the Web (Internet)
• Small file sizes with good resolution
• Drawback:• Does not support non-RGB (CMYK) color space
• Does not allow animation
Tagged Image File Format (.tiff)
• Description: stores raster (bitmap) images; commonly used by graphic artists and photographers
• Benefit: • Useful for printed images
• Allows for different compression techniques
• Preserves layers, transparency, and other features from Photoshop
• Great for archiving intermediate files (introduces no compression artifacts)
• Drawback:• Large files
Portable Document Format (.pdf)
• Description: used to present documents on any device; developed by Adobe Systems; frequently used in legal documents, informational documents, and forms
• Benefit:• Preserves the graphic appearance of documents (files retain the
same formatting)
• Prints the exact same on any computer (given the same parameters)
• Drawback:• Cannot be easily edited (usually must be recreated)
• Requires Adobe Reader to view
PhotoShop Document (.psd)
• Description: Photoshop’s native format; layered image file used in Photoshop; usually used when still editing photos
• Benefit:• Preserves layers, transparency, masks, and all other effects in
Photoshop
• Drawback:• Hard to open without Photoshop
• Proprietary file type
• Usually converted to a different type (JPG, GIF, TIFF) to share the image
• Cannot be converted back into PSD after flattening the layers
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