ABOUT DIGITAL IMAGES

Computer graphics or images fall under two main categories--bitmap and vector. Both can be
used in designing projects in most graphic application software even though they have their
peculiar characteristics. Understanding the difference between the two categories helps as you
create, edit, and import artwork.

BITMAP IMAGES
Bitmap images technically called raster images use a grid of colours known as pixels to
represent images. Each pixel or grid of colour is assigned a specific location and colour value.
The pixels appear as mosaic design when the image is zoomed or scaled beyond its dimension.
When working with bitmap images, you edit pixels rather than objects or shapes. Bitmap tools
are the most common electronic medium for creating continuous-tone images or images with
tonal gradation, such as photographs or digital paintings. This is because they can represent
subtle gradations of shades and colour.

Bitmap image with Pixels

Bitmap images are resolution-dependent. This is because designers rely on resolution to

increase or decrease the number of pixels per inch of length in the picture dimension to enhance
or weaken the sharpness, clarity and brilliance of the colours of the image. When an image is
created at low resolution, it can lose colour details and appear jagged if it is zoomed in beyond
proportion on the screen. When an image is printed at a lower resolution than it was created
with, it can also appear jagged.

VECTOR IMAGES
Vector images or graphics are made up of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects
called vectors. Vectors describe an image according to its geometric characteristics for example,
if an image looks like a circle, the metadata would be interpreted in the mathematical definition
of a circle drawn with a certain radius, and filled with a specific colour. You can move, resize, or
change the colour of the circle without losing its quality.

Vector graphics are resolution-independent that is, images created with vector tools can be done
without consideration for any specified resolution. This means that they can be scaled to any
____________________________________________________________________________________
Compiled by Dr Godfred Annum of KNUST Gh page 1
Updated 25/05/2023 11:26 PM
size and printed at any resolution without losing colour detail, sharpness or clarity. As a result,
vector graphics are the best choice for representing bold graphics like Alphabets that must retain
crisp lines when scaled to various sizes. For example, logos, calendars and letter heads are
created using vector tools.

Vector image without pixels

NOTE however, that because computer monitors output images by displaying them on a grid,
both vector and bitmap images are displayed as pixels on-screen.

IMAGE SIZE AND RESOLUTION

In order to produce high-quality images, it is important to understand how the pixel data of
images are measured and displayed.

IMAGE RESOLUTION
The number of pixels displayed per unit of printed length in an image, usually measured in pixels
per inch (ppi). The minimum resolution of an image should be 72 ppi. This means in 1 inch, we
should see 72 grids of colours. In Photoshop, the resolution of an image can be changed.

0 1
72 grids of colours in 1 inch

PIXEL DIMENSIONS
This is the number of pixels along the height and width of a bitmap image. The display size of
an image on-screen is determined by the pixel dimensions of the image plus the size and setting
of the monitor.

In Photoshop, image resolution and pixel dimensions are interdependent. Image resolution
controls the pixel dimension while the amount of details in an image depends on its pixel
____________________________________________________________________________________
Compiled by Dr Godfred Annum of KNUST Gh page 2
Updated 25/05/2023 11:26 PM
dimension. You can modify an image's resolution without changing the actual pixel details in the
image. In this case, only the printed size of the image is changed. You can also modify the
resolution to cause a change in the total number of pixels in the image. This will maintain the
same output dimensions proportionate to the resolution change.

ABOUT BIT DEPTH

Bit depth is also called pixel depth or colour depth--measures how much colour information is
available to display or print each pixel in an image. Greater bit depth (more bits of information
per pixel) means more available colours and more accurate colour representation in the digital
image. Common values for bit depth range from 1 to 64 bits per pixel.

In most cases, RGB, grayscale, and CMYK images contain 8 bits of data per colour channel.
This translates to a 24-bit RGB bit depth (8 bits x 3 channels); an 8-bit grayscale bit depth (8 bits
x 1 channel); and a 32-bit CMYK bit depth (8 bits x 4 channels). Photoshop can also read and
import RGB, CMYK, and grayscale images that contain 16 bits of data per colour channel. For
Windows OS compatibility, 8 bits of data per colour channel is recommended.

MONITOR OR SCREEN RESOLUTION

This is the number of pixels displayed per unit of length on the monitor hence it is usually
measured in pixels per inch (ppi). Monitor resolution depends on the size of the monitor plus its
pixel setting.

Understanding monitor resolution helps explain why the display size of an image on-screen often
differs from its printed size. Image pixels are translated directly into monitor pixels. This means
that when the image resolution is higher than the monitor resolution, the image appears larger
on-screen than its specified print dimensions. Modern computer monitors are designed with
higher resolutions with higher pixel dimensions (higher pixels per inch (ppi) monitors) in order to
display images with more pixels per inch.

PRINT RESOLUTION
Print resolution measures the maximum number of droplets of ink a printer deposits in a square
inch of space in the image. This measurement is referred to as dots per inch (dpi). Print
resolution does not refer to an image’s size or image resolution. It only measures the density or
the volume of droplets of ink that the printer will deposit in a pixel space. Hence, the higher the
print resolution, the more droplets of ink will be deposited and vice versa.

PRINTING IMAGES
In printing, an image with a high resolution contains more pixels than an image with a low
resolution. For example, a 1-by-1-inch image with a resolution of 72 ppi contains a total of 5184
pixels (72 pixels wide x 72 pixels high = 5184). The same 1-by-1-inch image with a resolution of
300 ppi contains a total of 90,000 pixels. Higher-resolution images usually reproduce more
improve image quality with subtle colour transitions than lower-resolution images. However,
increasing the resolution of a low-resolution image only spreads the original pixel information
across a greater number of pixels; it rarely improves the image quality.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Compiled by Dr Godfred Annum of KNUST Gh page 3
Updated 25/05/2023 11:26 PM
Using too low a resolution to print an image results in pixilation (output with large, coarse-looking
pixels) even though it prints faster. Using too high a resolution (pixels sizes smaller than the
output device can produce) increases the file size and slows the printing of the image.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Compiled by Dr Godfred Annum of KNUST Gh page 4
Updated 25/05/2023 11:26 PM