The Importance of Resolution in CG - An Introduction to Computer Graphics for Artists - page 95

Table 7.4 Output resolution
Output resolution X resolution Y Resolution Pixel count

Print (varies) 4,800 2,100 10,080,000

Film (varies) 2,048 3,024 6,193,152

HD 1,920 1,080 2,073,600

TV (PAL) 768 576 442,368

TV (NTSC) 646 485 313,310

The near objects require a higher level of curve detail to look smooth, far objects
have a low level of curve detail because there aren't enough pixels available to
represent the curve detail.

7.8.1 Print

The highest level of detail from the incomplete list given above is for a double-page
print advertisement. An example of this type is an advertisement for a car or
truck. With over eight million pixels available and no animation, these models can
be, and are, very high resolution, with a very high level of curve detail. CG models
of vehicles for this type of image are normally provided by the manufacturer and
can be several million polygons in size. For a one-shot high profi le render, this is
completely acceptable. These are usually combined with a live action background
plate, but in those rare cases where a fanciful CG background is used instead, the
high render resolution justifi es a correspondingly high poly count. If the same
setting is used for a broadcast TV commercial, the objects would have to be
optimized for that medium.

7.8.2 Film

The next level of detail is for fi lm. Here, there is a large difference from print, even
though the total number of polygons per frame, about six million, isn't a great deal
different. There are several reasons for this. If you have a car that must appear on
screen at a very far distance and then advance directly into the camera until the
entire screen is fi lled with a very small detail of the car (Fig. 7.4 ), you will have
the following situation: your object will occupy a minimum of one pixel, and
then advance to full screen, or about six million pixels. You may think that you can
use six million (or more) polygons for this object. This is not true. In practice, an
average size vehicle in a feature fi lm is between 10,000 and 30,000 polygons.