Vector graphics 

is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes

Vector graphics formats are complementary to raster graphics, which is the representation of images as
an array of pixels, as it is typically used for the representation of photographic images.[1] There are
instances when working with vector tools and formats is the best practice, and instances when working
with raster tools and formats is the best practice. There are times when both formats come together. An
understanding of the advantages and limitations of each technology and the relationship between them is
most likely to result in efficient and effective use of tools.

Facts About Bitmap Images

Bitmap images (also known as raster images) are made up ofpixels in a grid. Pixels are picture elements; tiny dots of individual
color that make up what you see on your screen. All these tiny dots of color come together to form the images you see. Most
computer monitors display approximately 70 to 100 pixels per inch--the actual number depends on your monitor and screen
settings.

To illustrate this, let's take a look at a typical desktop icon such as the one shown in the image here. The icons on your desktop
are typically 32 by 32 pixels. In other words, there are 32 dots of color going in each direction. When combined, these tiny dots
form an image. The icon shown in the upper right corner of this example is a typical desktop icon at screen resolution. As you
can see, when you enlarge the icon, as I have in this example, you can clearly see each individual square dot of color. Note the
that white areas of the background are still individual pixels, even though they appear to be one solid color.

Bitmap images are resolution dependent. Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image and is usually stated as dpi (dots
per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch). Bitmap images are displayed on your computer screen at screen resolution: approximately 100
ppi. However, when printing bitmaps, your printer needs much more image data than a monitor. In order to render a bitmap
image accurately, the typical desktop printer needs 150-300 ppi. If you've ever wondered why your 300 dpi scanned image
appears so much larger on your monitor, this is why. For more in-depth information about resolution, scanning, and printing
bitmap images, refer to my article Getting Started Scanning.
Because bitmaps are resolution dependent, it's difficult to increase or decrease their size without sacrificing a degree of image
quality. When you reduce the size of a bitmap image through your software's resample or resize command, you must throw away
pixels. When you increase the size of a bitmap image through your software's resample or resize command, the software has to
create new pixels. When creating pixels, the software must estimate the color values of the new pixels based on the surrounding
pixels. This process is called interpolation.

Did you notice in the paragraph above, I specifically talked about resizing images "through your software's resample or resize
command"? I want to make the distinction between this method of resizing versus zooming in and out, or dragging the edges of
your images in a page layout program to resize it. This type of resizing is more accurately called scaling. Scaling an image
does not effect the image permanently. In other words, it does not change the number of pixels in the image. However, if you
scale a bitmap image to a larger size in your page layout software, you are going to see a definite jagged appearance. Even if you
don't see it on your screen, it will be very apparent in the printed image. Scaling a bitmap image to a smaller size doesn't have any
effect; in fact, when you do this you are effectively increasing the ppi of the image so that it will print clearer.

Common bitmap formats include: 
• BMP 
• GIF 
• JPEG, JPG 
• PNG 
• PICT (Macintosh) 
• PCX 
• TIFF 
• PSD (Adobe Photoshop)
Popular bitmap editing programs are: 
• Microsoft Paint 
• Adobe Photoshop 
• Corel Photo-Paint 
• Corel Paint Shop Pro 
• The GIMP

All scanned images are bitmaps, and all images from digital cameras are bitmaps.

Converting between bitmap formats is generally as simple as opening the image to be converted and using your software's Save
As... command to save it in any other bitmap format supported by your software.
Bitmap images in general do not inherently support transparency. A couple of specific formats--namely GIF and PNG--support
transparency. In addition, most image editing programs support transparency, but only when the image is saved in the software
program's native format. A common misconception is that the transparent areas in an image will remain transparent when an
image is saved to another format or copied and pasted into another program. That just doesn't work; however, there are
techniques for hiding or blocking out areas in a bitmap that you intend to use in other software. For more information about
retaining transparency in bitmap images, see Transparency from Here to There.

Key Points About Bitmap Images: 

Although not as commonly used as bitmap graphics, vector graphics have a lot of virtues. Let's explore them now.

Vector images are made up of many individual, scalable objects. These objects are defined by mathematical equations rather than
pixels, so they always render at the highest quality. Objects may consist of lines, curves, and shapes with editable attributes such
as color, fill, and outline. Changing the attributes of a vector object does not effect the object itself. You can freely change any
number of object attributes without destroying the basic object. An object can be modified not only by changing its attributes, but
also by shaping and transforming it usingnodes and control handles. For an example of manipulating an object's nodes, see my
CorelDRAW tutorial on drawing a heart.
Because they're scalable, vector-based images are resolution independent. You can increase and decrease the size of vector
images to any degree and your lines will remain crisp and sharp, both on screen and in print. Fonts are a type of vector object.

Another advantage of vector images is that they're not restricted to a rectangular shape like bitmaps. Vector objects can be placed
over other objects, and the object below will show through. See the example images on this page. The vector circle and bitmap
circle appear to be exactly the same when seen on a white background. But when you place the bitmap circle over another color,
it has a rectangular box around it, from the white pixels in the image.

Vector images have many advantages, but the primary disadvantage is that they're unsuitable for producing photo-realistic
imagery. Vector images are usually made up of solid areas of color or gradients, but they cannot depict the continuous subtle
tones of a photograph. That's why most of the vector images you see tend to have a cartoon-like appearance. Even so, vector
graphics are continually becoming more advanced, and we can do a lot more with vector drawings now than we could a decade
ago. Today's vector tools allow you to apply bitmapped textures to objects giving them a photo-realistic appearance, and you can
now create soft blends, transparency, and shading that once was difficult to achieve in vector drawing programs.

Vector images primarily originate from software. You can't scan an image and save it as a vector file without using
special conversion software. On the other hand, vector images can, quite easily, be converted to bitmaps. This process is
called rasterizing. When you convert a vector image to a bitmap, you can specify the output resolution of the final bitmap for
whatever size you need. It's always important to save a copy of your original vector artwork in its native format before converting
it to a bitmap; once it has been converted to a bitmap, the image loses all the wonderful qualities it had in its vector state. If you
convert a vector to a bitmap at a size of 100 by 100 pixels and then decide you need the image to be larger, you'll need to go back
to the original vector file and export the image again. Also keep in mind that opening a vector image in a bitmap editing program
usually destroys the vector qualities of the image and converts it to raster data.
The most common reason for wanting to convert a vector to a bitmap would be for use on the Web. At this time, the most
common and accepted format for vector images on the Web isShockwave Flash (SWF). Another standard for vector images on
the Web is SVG, a graphics programming language based on XML. Due to the nature of vector images, they are best converted
to GIF or PNG format for use on the Web.
Common vector formats include: 
• AI (Adobe Illustrator) 
• CDR (CorelDRAW) 
• CMX (Corel Exchange) 
• CGM Computer Graphics Metafile 
• DXF AutoCAD 
• WMF Windows Metafile
Popular vector drawing programs are: 
• Adobe Illustrator 
• CorelDRAW 
• Xara Xtreme 
• Serif DrawPlus
What About Metafiles? 
Metafiles are graphics that contain both raster and vector data. For example, a vector image that contains an object which has a
bitmap pattern applied as a fill, would be a metafile. The object is still a vector, but the fill attribute consists of bitmap data.

Key Points About Vector Images