Overview 

This standard is about preparing assets for use in interactive media projects. This can apply to all assets required for interactive media projects apart from animated assets which are covered by a different standard.

This includes digitising and manipulating assets, producing assets for all required states of user interface, compressing and saving assets and providing assets to others for use in interactive media projects.

Interactive media projects can involve any type of interactive media content, products or services for multi-platform or multi-channel use, including, but not restricted to, games, websites, applications or online marketing campaigns and can also include the use of immersive technology. (Immersive technology can include, but is not restricted to, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR).)

This standard is for anyone who manages assets on interactive media projects.      

 

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. obtain required assets in line with project timescales and schedules
  2. digitise assets and scan images and save them in appropriate formats
  3. crop, resize, edit and change resolution of images and video to meet project requirements, parameters and constraints
  4. identify parameters and constraints that will influence your choices regarding file formats and compression techniques
  5. select or create appropriate colour palettes for images and video
  6. digitise sound and music at appropriate sampling-rates and bit depths
  7. digitise video at appropriate frame-rates
  8. manipulate audio and video files as necessary to fit required length, removing unwanted sections and adding transitions or other effects
  9. compress digital assets, balancing quality against file-size, data-transfer rates and other constraints
  10. analyse project information to identify technologies and approaches to be used to implement interface design
  11. slice and prepare interface components to optimise technical implementation and smooth and fast operation of finished user interfaces
  12. ensure component assets for all required states of user interface are created
  13. save files into appropriate asset pipeline or version control systems

 

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know abd understand:

  1. project parameters and constraints including target platforms and their capabilities for delivering assets
  2. how to liaise with others to ensure you obtain the assets you need at the right time and in appropriate formats
  3. industry-standard software tools and how to use them including digital image manipulation tools and video and audio editing tools
  4. the effect of image colour depth, resolution and dimensions on file size
  5. the effect of video and animation frame-rates and frame dimensions on file size and data-transfer rates
  6. the effect of audio sampling rates and bit depth on file size and data-transfer rates
  7. appropriate compression techniques and types of compression
  8. how to achieve small file sizes and low data-transfer rates while maintaining asset quality
  9. how to slice (cut up) visual designs to create component assets for all required states of user interface including buttons
  10. how to ensure assets are fit for purpose.
  11. how assets will be used in finished projects
  12. appropriate file formats for each type of asset and how they can be supported by target platforms and intended authoring tools
  13. any naming conventions, standards, guidelines or specifications that you need to follow, and any version control systems or asset pipelines that you need to use
  14. the requirements and expectations of other team members involved including designers, developers, producers and project managers.
  15. how content can be repurposed for different platforms