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Video Game Design Foundations
A fax machine prints at 300 dpi.
A standard laser printer prints at
600 dpi. A photographic or fine-
quality printer might print as high as
1200 dpi or higher. The
clarity
of an
image is directionally proportional
to the dpi. The smaller the pixel
point, the more dots per inch can be
generated and the clearer the picture.
However, the image being printed
must have a corresponding dpi.
You cannot simply take a low-resolution image and make it bigger. If you do,
the image will become blurry, or
pixelated,
as illustrated in Figure 4-11. The reason
pixelation occurs is the process of interpolation that the computer performs. By
breaking apart the word interpolation, you can construct the correct meaning: inter is
the space between and polation is a polishing or finishing. Therefore, the definition of
interpolation
is a refining of the spaces between the points or pixels of an object.
CHEAT CODE: CLARITY
When designing digital images,
clarity refers to how clearly images
are defined with either line or pixel
density. Blurry, faded, too light, too
dark, or pixelated images are not clear or have poor
clarity.
Figure 4-11. An image that is low resolution cannot simply be increased in size. As size
goes up, resolution goes down. This can cause an image to become blurry.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher; image: Shutterstock.com