Unit 11: Assignment 1:

Digital Graphics for Print - Unit 54:

Definitions of Raster, Vector, Metafiles and File extensions:

Raster:

A raster image is made up of  pixels, each a different color, arranged to display an image. Raster graphics can typically be scaled down with no loss of quality.

Vector:  In vector graphics, the file that results from a graphic artist's work is created and saved as a sequence of vector statements. For example, instead of containing a bit in the file for each bit of a line drawing, a vector graphic file describes a series of points to be connected. A vector image is made up of paths, each with a mathematical formula (vector) that tells the path how it is shaped and what colour it is bordered with or filled by.

Metafiles: Metafiles are in a sense a combination of bitmap and vector formats, many of the pros and cons associated with these formats also apply to metafiles. Your decision to choose one particular metafile format over another will depend on what kind of data (bitmap or vector) makes up the bulk of the file, and on the strengths and weaknesses of that particular type of data. 

• Although many metafile formats are binary, some are character-oriented (ASCII), and these are usually very portable between computer systems.
• Metafiles containing mixtures of vector and bitmap data can in some cases be smaller than fully-rendered bitmap versions of the same image.
• A piece of graphical information stored in a format that can be exchanged between different systems or software.

File Extensions:

• A string of characters attached to a filename, usually preceded by a full stop and indicating the format of the file.

• A file extension or file name extension is the ending of a file that helps identify the type of file in operating systems such as Microsoft Windows.

• File extensions are a way of letting the user and their computer know what type of program created any given file.
  Computer files have specific characteristics which depend on the software that created them. If you try to open a file using the wrong program, it will fail to open or sometimes even crash the program.
  
  
  Examples of Digipaks and Album Magazine Adverts:
  Digipaks:
  
  
  
  Album Magazine Adverts: