Teacher Gaming Institute/Pixels, Programming and Play
Pixels: Visual Assets
Instructor: Susan Meyer
Vocabulary Terms:

two-dimensional - having height and width.

line - 1. a point in motion.  2. a series of adjacent points.  3. a connection between points.  4. an implied connection between points.

plane – 1. an area that is essentially two-dimensional, having height and width.  2.  a flat or level surface.

shape – an enclosed area created when a line connects to enclose an area, or an area of color or texture is defined by a clear boundary.

scale – scale is established when associations of size are created relative to some constant standard or specific unit of measurement relative to human dimensions.  For example, the Statue of Liberty’s scale is apparent when it is seen next to an automobile.

contrast – the degree of difference between compositional parts or between one image and another.

composition – an arrangement and/or structure of all the elements that achieves a unified whole.
 
figure/ground – forms and shapes can be thought of as positive or negative.  In a two dimensional composition, the objects constitute the positive forms or figure, while the background is the negative space or ground.
figure – The focal point of a composition.
ground – The area surrounding the figure.

negative space – any clearly defined area around a positive shape.  A shape created through the absence of an object rather than through the presence of an object.

symmetrical refers to an even distribution of visual weight on either side of an axis.

asymmetrical refers to an uneven distribution of visual weight on either side of an axis.

proportion – the relationship of elements within a whole – for example, the relationship of your hand to the rest of your body.

repetition – involves the use of patterning to achieve visual movement.  This repetition may be a clear repetition of elements in a composition, or it may be a more subtle repetition that can be observed in the underlying structure of the image.  Repetition can take the form of an exact duplication, a near duplication, or duplication with variety.

movement is the suggestion or illusion of motion in a painting, sculpture, or design. For example, circles going diagonally up and down from right to left could show that the design moves up and to the right or down and to the left.

magnification/cropping involves expanding or reducing the picture plane for composition effect.

balance – a sense of equilibrium achieved through implied weight, attention, or attraction whether it be symmetrical or asymmetrical.

emphasis – special attention given to some component of a composition, which gives it prominence.

rhythm - a visual tempo or beat; refers to a regular repetition of elements to produce the look and feel of movement.

value – the relative lightness or darkness of a hue, or of a neutral varying from white to black.  The gradation of tone from light to dark, from white through gray to black.

depth (illusion of) – the illusion of distance downward or inward within a composition.

space (illusion of) – the illusion of distance between one element and another and between figure(s) and ground within a composition.

perspective – a technique used to project an illusion of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface that helps to create a sense of depth through the illusion of receding space.

symbol – a form or image that stands for something more than its obvious, immediate meaning.  An image or sign that represents something else, because of convention, association, or resemblance.

concept – a well developed idea or a comprehensive generalization.

context – the circumstances or events that form the environment within which something exists or takes place.

organic – a shape or form relating to those found in the natural world or suggestive of living organisms (also referred to as biomorphic.)

geometric - a shape or form derived from or suggestive of mathematics, characterized by crisp precise edges and consistent curves.

association – a connection of ideas, memories, or feelings with each other, events, objects, or sensory input.

metaphor – a word or phrase applied to someone or something which is not intended literally, but to make a comparison (for example, to say that someone “is a snake.”)

representational – a visual depiction of someone or something which refers to the original and is recognizable.

abstract – based on generalizations and not specific details – a simplification that aims to depict an object by focusing on an essential aspect of its form or structure.

hue – the actual name of a color, such as red or yellow, that distinguishes it from others and assigns it a position on the color wheel.  Hue is determined by the specific wavelength of the color in a ray of light.

saturation – the lightness or darkness of a hue.  Also referred to as chroma, intensity, or brightness.

primary hues - the three most basic hues – red, yellow, blue – that make up all of the other colors.

secondary hues – colors made by mixing equal parts of two primary hues together.

monochromatic – a single color that includes the full range of tints, tones, and shades of that color.

tint – the hue plus the addition of white.

tone – the hue plus the addition of gray.

shade – the hue plus the addition of black.

analogous colors – three hues that are next to each other on the color wheel.  On very large color wheels (forty eight steps or more), four hues that are next to each other may be used.

complements – complementary colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.

subtractive color – as light hits an object of varying hues, the wavelengths are subtracted or removed and what we see is what remains – the reflected color.

pixel –short for picture element, a pixel is a single point in a graphic image. Graphics monitors display pictures by dividing the display screen into thousands (or millions) of pixels, arranged in rows and columns. The pixels are so close together that they appear connected.

bitmap/raster images – bitmap images use a grid of small squares known as pixels to represent the visual information.  Each pixel has a specific location and color value assigned to it.  Thus when the size of the image is altered so is the size of the pixel.  This can result in distortion of the quality of the image.  Bitmap images are resolution-dependent.

vector images – vector images are made of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects called vectors.  Since these vectors are based on a mathematical formula and not the resolution of the screen, resizing the image does not alter its quality.  Vector images are resolution-independent.

resolution – the clarity detail that can be distinguished in an image.

image resolution – The number of pixels displayed per unit (e.g. 72ppi = 72 pixels per inch) in an image.  Printed images should be created at high resolution, at least 300 ppi.  Screen-based images are created at a lower resolution, usually 72ppi.

x-axis – the width of the screen.  The horizontal plane.

y-axis – the height of the screen.  The vertical plane.

z-axis – the depth of the screen.  The illusionary perspective plane.