![]() ![]() ![]() However, even grasping some of the basics will help expand your digital capabilities. ConclusionĬreating professional-looking graphics takes time and dedication. If you get really proficient, you can help the project by contributing user guides or even extending the code. You’ll find heaps of tutorials on the website. It doesn’t boast all of Photoshop’s features, but that actually makes it easier to use. The most popular is GIMP (click the link, don’t Google it), which works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Happily, there’s are some free alternatives. Again, this is an expensive option if you don’t have access through your university. There’s a lively Inkscape community and plenty of tutorials to help you get going.įor creating and editing bitmap images, you’ll want a tool like Adobe Photoshop. ![]() You can use it to trace existing bitmap images and make them more flexible. It does take a while to learn, but there are good tutorials online, especially on .Ī worthy alternative is Inkscape, a free open-source vector graphics editor that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Although it’s expensive to buy, you might have access to the Adobe Creative Suite through your university. The best-known editor is Adobe Illustrator, which has become the industry standard. If you require this level of control, you’ll need a dedicated vector graphics editor. However, you can’t download this image as SVG, or increase the size dramatically. So, the background image might be a bitmap, then you use vector to overlay it with text and shapes. Tools such as Canva use both bitmaps and vector. The Inkscape logo (created in Inkscape, of course) This is the ideal format for company logos, as you can easily scale the artwork from a letterhead through to a billboard poster. The standard file format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Consequently, this type of image is completely scalable and won’t look rubbish, even if you make it three-feet wide. High-resolution means there are more dots, so it won’t get distorted when you change the dimensions.Ī vector image uses geometrical formulas to create paths and shapes. This is why you need a high-resolution version to achieve good quality across different sizes. The greater the magnification, the more pixellated (or dotty) the image appears. If you’ve ever zoomed into a photo, you’ll have seen how this works. A bitmap image (also referred to as a raster image) comprises a pattern of dots. If you want to create more sophisticated images – especially for print – then you’ll need a full-featured graphics tool. Before making a choice, it’s important to understand the difference between the two types of image: bitmap and vector. You can use the space for whatever you like: images from your research, a photo of you working hard, or an inspirational quote. Canva is available as an iPad and Android app, too. Using a Canva template for your Twitter or Facebook header can make your social media presence look more professional and consistent. It’s much more conspicuous than a text-based tweet and is far likelier to get retweeted. Here’s an example of a social media image that took seconds to produce. Once you’re happy with the result, you can share it on social media, or download the file for use elsewhere. There’s a good choice of free images, or you can pay a small amount of money - typically $1 - to use a premium image. Through the simple interface, you drag and drop components and incorporate stock images to build your design. This free online app allows you to create images based on a range of templates, such as Twitter headers, flyers, and ebook covers. It’s fair to say that Canva has greatly improved web graphics over the last few years. Let’s investigate a few of the tools and explore the possibilities. You can use them to liven up your writing, to promote your work on social media, or to complement your other digital activities. Even if you’re not particularly artistic, some of the 21 st-century tools can help you produce eye-catching graphics in a matter of moments. As you’ll have seen, it’s easy to produce some great content with a little bit of time and effort. In last week’s Thing, we looked at creating videos. #9: Finding, Organising, and Curating Images.Using Zotero to Manage Your Bibliographic References.UK Parliament Online Training for Researchers.Producing Digital Resources from Your Event.Preparing for the Final Year of Your PhD.Module for Supervisors: Supporting PhD students.Becoming an Effective Doctoral Researcher. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |