Unit 30 M1
Hardware
The most important piece of hardware for creating graphics images is a graphics card, which is the piece of equipment that renders out all images and sends them to a display. This would aid the creation of graphics images as it displays the images that you want to use. However these can be very expensive which is a limitation.
A monitor is a vital piece hardware, it provides an electronic visual display for computers. When creating graphic images the images you are creating can be seen on the monitor screen. If you did not have a monitor, the designs you create on a graphics tablet will not be displayed on a screen to visualize. The only slight limitation is that the good monitors can cost up to £200.
You will need a keyboard in order to type up words that you would like to create a graphics image with, and these words can be seen on the monitor screen. If your graphics designs include words, you will need a keyboard. They are cheap and there is no limitations of a keyboard.
A mouse is a very important piece of hardware, it allows you to move around the monitor screen and provides you with the ability to open software programs with just a click of the mouse which justifies why i have included a mouse. They are also relatively cheap.
Hardware input
A digital camera would be ideal when creating graphic images, you can take photos with the camera and sync them to your computer and use the image to create a graphics image. You can edit the photos, use them in designs etc. A justification of including a digital camera is that you can take brilliant quality photos with a high megapixel camera, however for a high megapixel camera the cost will be very high.
A graphics tablet enables a user to hand-draw images, animations and graphics on the tablet, this would be ideal for creating graphic images because it allows you to draw them as if putting pencil to paper, and the image that you draw is then displayed on the computer monitor screen. A justification is that you can accurately and precisely draw an image instead f creating it on the computer. A top quality graphics tablet can cost up to £500 which is therefore a limitation depending on the quality of graphics tablet you purchase.
Scanners can be utilised when creating graphic images, you can place an image on a piece of paper onto the scanner, and the image will be scanned, read and copied. The image from the paper will them be displayed onto the monitor screen ready for you to use when creating a graphics image. These are a great hardware input to have because it allows you to put any image you desire into the computer. A scanner is very expensive though, up to £400.
Hardware output
Printers allow you to have a hard copy of the graphics images you have designed on your computer, they will copy the exact image you see on the monitor screen onto an actual piece of paper. This is useful as it means you do not have to log onto a computer and load up the graphics image to show someone, you can hand them your hard copy that you have printed instead. I can justify why i included a printer, because it allows you to print your graphic designs out to have a hard copy of the image. However if the printer isn't a top quality, the image printed can be blurred, smudged or distorted slightly, meaning you will have o purchase an expensive, high quality printer.
Projectors can allow you to produce a larger image that renders what you visualize on your computer screen, which can allow you to present to an audience to describe and explain the graphics image you have created. My choice of including a projector can be justified because it allows you to show a group of people your designs that you have created. However projectors are expensive and would also require you purchasing a whiteboard to project the image onto which means further costs.
Vinyl cutters allow you to control the machine via the computer, the computer dictates the movement of a sharp blade. which cuts out images from a piece of material. If you are making signs, banners etc a vinyl cutter is vital. Computer designed vector files with patterns and letters are directly cut on the roll of vinyl. Vinyl cutters are mainly used when making signs, banners and advertisements. Advertisements seen on the side of vans, lorries etc. These are brilliant because they allow you to cut out hard copies of graphic designs and use them to your advantage, placing them up on walls, banner etc. The limitation of a vinyl cutter is again the price, the cheapest vinyl cutters that are a high quality are at least £1000.
File storage devices are the data storage devices that are used in the computers to store the data. Without them the digital data you have on your computer wouldn't be saved, unless you had a memory stick. This is essential when creating graphics images because the image you are creating cannot be saved to the computer without storage devices. Depending on the amount of storage you need, the more it will cost, some can be quite expensive and they could also run out of storage requiring you to purchase a new one.
Software
Photoshop is very useful when creating graphic images because it allows you to edit images exactly how you desire. You can also use images loaded from the internet and upload them to photoshop and use the image to merge into your graphics image. I can justify my choice as photoshop allows you to edit the images in any way, it has so many functions within the software it is incredible. The only limitation is that it will cost at least £300.
Adobe illustrator is a vector graphics editor that can be installed onto a computer system to aid the creation of graphics images. It provides a more efficient way to design graphics images. Adobe illustrator will also cost you at least £300, but it is worth it if you are looking to create top quality graphics images.
Serif is a great software available to download, it allows you to precisely draw graphic images, use painting techniques, and easy to use graphic tools for making logos, graphic images etc. These reasons justify why i have included Serif, however the best version of Serif that you can purchase costs nearly £3000, but it will aid the creation of graphics images substantially.
