Difference between interactive and passive computer graphics

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Pictures give us in depth details of what we are thinking. Good or bad picture change our mind. When we are reading some texts then we often see images that give more details of what we are reading. Sometimes images explain us more than written texts. We read newspapers and images in newspaper tells us what the story is. In information technology, we use different types of graphics which are mentioned below:-

  • Graphics in user interfaces like in mobile apps, desktop apps etc.
  • Data charts that present our data more clearly
  • Used in weather forecasts as we see on mobile devices or on TV
  • Geographical maps which represent different locations on the screen
  • Pictures, images on websites, apps, touch screen or any other digital devices
  • Any moving objects, the example of this is moving objects in TV commercials or any kind of animation
  • Graphical representation of tools that helps us in communication
  • Different types of advanced animation used in entertainment movies
  • Simulation of objects or any character
  • For designing cars and material design. For example, in CAD (computer-aided design) we design automobiles or any other object like aircraft design.
Interactive computer graphics vs passive computer graphics
Interactive computer graphics vs passive computer graphics

Graphics are of different types like 2D, 3D, 4D objects. Graphics are used in realistic or symbolic version. There are two main types of graphics i.e. interactive and passive graphics that are described below:-

Interactive computer graphics

The graphics which include animation are known as interactive computer graphics. We often visit websites that include animation of pictures or buttons. When we hover over any button or image then its shape is changed i.e. it is interactive in nature by which users can feel interaction. Similarly, there are numerous other graphics which shows the animation when we perform any action on it e.g. on scrolling browser window the image change its size or location.

Example of interactive computer graphics

  • Animation of button or graphics on mouse hover
  • Animation of the picture or graphic objects on the scroll of the window or mobile screen
  • Drawing on touch screens
  • Display of weather forecast or any other moving charts/graphs on the screen
  • Animating pictures or graphics in movies
  • Graphics animation in video games

Passive computer graphics

The graphics which not change its shape on display are known as passive computer graphics. The images or graphics objects are used in all the computer application e.g. in word documents, ebooks, websites, presentations, emails etc.

Passive computer graphics gives details to the texts and it makes our reading more interesting. Also, note that some graphics make the websites slow to load due to the high quality of the image. To solve the problem of the large size of the image, we use jpg on websites. Another technique is that you can make different versions of images by decreasing its quality. So for tablet and mobile devices, low-quality images are displayed on the website and for a large screen, high quality of images are used. This makes the website load more quickly.

Example of passive computer graphics

  • Data representation through charts
  • Graphics elements used in the presentation, emails, word documents, and pdf
  • Static images used in websites and mobile apps
  • Graphics used in business e.g. graphic used in brochure, business cards, hotel menus



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Junaid Rehman

I am a blogger and freelance web developer by profession. I love to blog and learn new things about programming and IT World.