Digital image formats fall into two main categories: raster and vector. The raster format lends itself to continuous tone images such as photographs. This document introduces the vector image format which is more suited to the defined lines, curves and shapes of charts, logos, web graphics, technical drawings, cartoons and fonts.
Read full advice document...The Portable Network Graphics or PNG format is a versatile file format that is an open standard and provides many advantages.
Read full advice document...Our camera offers so many file formats, which one should we use?
Read full advice document...The Raw file format is the native format offered by most digital SLR cameras. The format can offer greater levels of control over the conversion of capture data to more widely accepted formats such as TIFF or JPEG formats. This document is an introduction to the format and how to make use of it.
Read full advice document...The 35mm slide has long played a key role for delivering images in the teaching and learning environment. However, recent improvements in capture and delivery technology have seen digital images virtually replace analogue media. Many slide collections now have to be converted to a format which can more easily be incorporated into the modern workflow. This document explains the process of converting analogue slides into digital images and preparing them for delivery.
Read full advice document...This document provides a guide to good practice in still image capture to help the user to design a workflow for capture and optimisation. The document highlights the main points that should be considered to ensure the highest quality output from your equipment.
Read full advice document...The choice of file formats can often prove overwhelming for someone new to the world of digital imaging. The aim of this document is to explain some of the factors that should be considered before choosing a format and suggest suitable file formats for specific applications.
Read full advice document...I need to create a copy of our master archive for online delivery. I understand that I will have to convert the high resolution TIFFs to JPEGs, what is the advantage?
Read full advice document...Choosing a file format can prove overwhelming for someone new to the world of digital video. The aims of this document are to discuss some of the key factors that should be considered before selecting a file format and to suggest suitable choices for specific applications
Read full advice document...A guide to the creation and use of AAC compressed audio resources. AAC is the successor to the popular MP3 format, and this document explains its advantages over MP3, as well as its place within the wider MPEG-4 media family.
Read full advice document...This document summarises the main features of uncompressed audio file types, including WAV, AIFF and Broadcast WAV (BWF). It gives an overview of these ‘raw’ formats, and a simple explanation of the common options they will offer the user when creating or working with digital audio. It also looks at lossless compression tools for subsequently reducing the size of these files which will allow reconstruction of their original audio data sonically unaltered. Several sections include links to further resources covering specific relevant topics in more detail, so this is a good place to start if you want to learn more about any of these formats.
Read full advice document...A guide to the creation, manipulation and use of audio flies in the popular MP3 format, including a close look at the many audio and metadata options which MP3 offers, and its use within teaching and learning.
Read full advice document...The choice of file formats can often prove overwhelming for someone new to the world of digital audio. The aim of this document is to discuss some of the key factors that should be considered before choosing a format and suggest suitable file formats for specific applications.
Read full advice document...This document looks at the theory of file formats and the common methods of data compression.
Read full advice document...Being able to manage a digital image workflow is a vital skill for both individuals and institutions in today’s market place. This course considers a simple digital photography workflow from the ground up. You will first capture a series of images in raw and then import them into Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 - a popular and powerful Image Management System (IMS) and editing tool for photographers. Here you will employ appropriate image editing processes and learn how to successfully leverage the power of an IMS in order to quickly find the images you need. You will then produce content appropriate for onscreen and print use.
This course will also explore the considerable advantages of utilising camera raw/DNG file formats.
Read course description...A new advice document covering Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), an audio compression method designed to replace MP3.
Read blog entry...We’ve just published a new advice document covering uncompressed audio file formats.
Read blog entry...A new advice document looking at use and management of the popular MP3 audio format. From its suitability for use delivering audio in teaching and learning, to how to use ID3 tags to identify, catalogue and manage your MP3 resources, we look at all aspects of this most well known of sound file types.
Read blog entry...Following our recently updated advice on File Formats and Compression, we have just released an updated Introduction to the Vector Image Format.
Read blog entry...We’ve just released a fully updated version of our advice document on File Formats and Compression.
Read blog entry...The keen-eyed among you will have already noticed we have just released details of our new training programme for September to December.
Read blog entry...We’ve just released four fully updated advice documents on vector graphics.
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Choosing a Digital Video File Type is a new advice doc that takes a look at different files types and how they might be used for different purposes. Suggestions are made for creating, capturing, archiving, and delivering digital video. Please comment if you have had any experiences (good or bad!) of using these or other file types.
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