Vector or Raster Images: Chose the Right Format
If you don’t have much knowledge about the difference between vector or raster images then you have certainly landed in the right place. In this post, we are going to tell you about the difference between vector or raster images and when you should use them. You must know that as a visual content creator it is important to provide the most professional and high-quality products to your audience. If you are saving your visual content in the wrong image formats then it is simply going to ruin the overall quality and appearance of the content. This is because every image format is designed to serve a specific purpose. You must pick the image format which aligns with the purpose of your visual content.
What are vector images or graphics?
First, you should know that vector graphics are also commonly known as scalable vector graphics or SVG. SVG images are the ones that consist of a design anchored by dots. The dots are connected with lines and curves. The lines and dots in the SVG images show that they don’t use pixel blocks. This is the reason that vector images are also independent of resolution issues. The lack of pixels and dependency on resolution makes them scalable without any restrictions.
You can infinitely scale an SVG image and this is because of its sharp lines. You can scale the images without compromising their quality, detailing, size or appearance. An important thing that you need to know about SVG images is that they are also independent on devices. This means that the quality of the image would not be compromised or changed no matter on which device you open them. This is because the quality or the structure of the dots and lines in the image are not dependent on the screen resolution of the device. This is a big advantage of using vector graphics.
The most common vector image file formats include SVG, AI, and EPS. These formats are used for multiple purposes in different industries across the globe. The vector graphics can easily be created on professional software programs like Adobe Illustrator. The common usage of the vector images includes:
- Fonts
- Logos
- Coin designs
- Laser engravings
- Shorts and patches
- Digital printing
- Business cards and billboards
- 2D and 3D animations
The biggest advantage of scalable vector graphics in our opinion is that they are smaller in size. You don’t have to worry about any increase in size when saving your content in vector formats.
What are raster images or graphics?
Raster images are entirely different from that vector graphics and there is no similarity between vector or raster. You must know that raster images are the ones that are made up of pixels instead of any dots or lines. The raster images use pixel blocks instead of colors and tons to produce an image. The pixels which are used in the raster images appear in the same way as squares appear on graph paper. You must know that raster images are not the ones that are made on professional design tools rather these images are created and captured on digital cameras.
Each raster image contains a standard number of pixel counts. The important thing is that the number of pixels in the image would determine the quality of the image file. If the number of pixels is low then you would see that the quality of the image would be compromised. This phenomenon is also known as resolution.
More pixels consequences in a higher quality of the image or would give the same view as the original; However, this additionally will increase the scale of the document and the quantity of area it takes to save the document. The decrease in the range of pixels decreases the resolution. Resolution limits the scale the picture may be scaled up without being capable of seeing pixels. If you want to get the image printed then you need to get high-quality images. An important thing that you need to know is that raster images are dependent on the resolution of devices.
The common raster image formats which are being used today include Bitmap, GIF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF. Here you must know that if for some reason you want to convert your raster images to scalable formats then you can use online tools like the online bitmap to PDF or SVG converter.
The common uses of raster images in photography and also in print materials. One can create these images on raster-based software like Photoshop. The images can be taken from cameras or can also be scanned with OCR.
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In this post, we have discussed the most common differences between the two commonly used graphic formats of vector or raster. Both of them have their pros and cons plus different purposes. This is why it is important that you choose the right format for your visual content between vector or raster.
