Vector Graphics and Raster Graphics Difference

Word processors and spreadsheet or presentation applications, although suitable for creating files for office or Internet use, are not recommended for creating digital art for print. Microsoft Office applications are included in this group. In some cases, however, such files may be converted so as to enable use.

Here are 2 examples of an image when magnified or scaled up. You will notice the difference in clarity. The mascot design below was designed by SpellBrand for a client.

Vector Graphics typically are generated using drawing or illustration programs (e.g., Adobe Illustrator) and are composed of mathematically-defined geometric shapes—lines, objects and fills. Since vectors entail both magnitude and direction, vector elements thus are comprised of line segments whose length represents magnitude and whose orientation in space represents direction.

Vector graphics usually are easily modified within the creating application and generally are not affected detrimentally by scaling (enlarging or reducing their size). Because vector elements are mathematically-defined, scaling simply requires modification of their mathematical locations. However, vector files do not support photographic imagery well and often can be problematic for cross-platform exchange. Vector graphics typically are saved as EPS format.

This makes vector graphics ideal for logo design. Creating a vector logo is more difficult but the effort pays for itself when the vector logo file is sent to printers or sign makers etc. The vector logo can be scaled up or down with out losing quality and would enable smooth transition between various media.

Raster Graphic Images are produced by digital image capture devices: digital scanners or digital cameras, or by pixel editing programs (e.g., Adobe Photoshop). Raster images are composed of a matrix (grid) or bitmap of digital picture elements (pixels). Pixels are squares or rectangles described as black, white, gray or color. Raster images typically are saved as TIFF format, but can be saved as EPS as well.

Whereas conversion from vector to raster is easily accomplished, raster conversion to vector is much more difficult (and often is not possible). Raster images typically are easily shared across various platforms, but can be more difficult than vector graphics to modify. As well, raster graphics are impacted by scaling.

Creating a raster logo design using Adobe Photoshop might be ideal for web only usage but if you are serious about branding, then the resulting raster PSD logo file will be of limited use. When sent to a printer or sign maker and when they try to scale the raster logo, the quality deteriorates and pixellation occurs. Yes, agreed, creating the raster logo design in Photoshop would enable a designer to pile on stunning effects (such as drop shadows, beveling, blurring etc). But the final deliverable will have limited uses.

Read more about different image file formats. Here is an indepth explanation of vector graphics.

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Vector and Raster File Extensions

Extension

File Application

Vector

Raster

.86v

TI-86 vector file

.ai

Adobe Illustrator graphics

.ait

Adobe Illustrator template

.art

Adobe Illustrator graphics

.cdl

SignLab vector graphic file

.cdr

CorelDRAW vector image

.cdrw

Corel Draw file

.cdt

CorelDRAW Template

.cgm

Computer graphics metafile

.cht

Harvard Graphics vector file

.cit

SeeYou vector maps

.csh

Adobe Photoshop shape

.csl

Corel symbol library

.ctn

Cadterns Sloper File

.ddoc

Apple MacDraw vector graphic file

.dlg

Digital Line Graph vector image

.do

Digital Line Graph optional vector data

.drw

Vector file

.dvg

GraphicsWorks vector drawing

.dxb

AutoCAD drawing exchange format

.emb

Orchida Embroidery System embroidery pattern

.fh

image file

.fh10

Adobe FreeHand 10 drawing file

.gcd

Generic CADD Drawing format (vector)

.gem

Ventura Publisher GEM vector picture

.gl2

HP Graphics Language plotter file

.hpg

Vector image (HP Graphics Language plotter file)

.hpgl

Hewlett Packard Graphics Language plot file

.ima

EGO – Chart – Autumn Mirage vector graphics

.md

Mayura Draw vector drawing file

.mvg

ImageMagick proprietary vector graphics format

.odg

OpenOffice Draw graphic file

.pat

Corel vector pattern

.pat

Pattern Maker Cross-Stitch Pattern File

.pat

Polygon Attribute Table File

.pat

Corel Paint Shop Pro Pattern Image File

.pat

PCStitch Pattern File

.pat

Smash Simulator Test Pattern File

.pat

Cadterns Sloper File

.pat

Orchida Embroidery System File

.pct

Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT bitmap graphics format

.pif

Vector image GDF format

.pix

Image Systems vector

.pix

Inset Systems raster & vector format

.plo

HP Graphics Language plotter file

.plot

Vector graphics

.plt

Autodesk AutoCAD HPGL vector graphic plotter file

.ps

Adobe PostScript file

.sdw

Amidraw vector image

.sdw

WordPro drawing

.slddwg

SolidWorks drawing 2D vector graphics file

.sp

SignPlot output format

.spa

FutureSplash Movie (Adobe Flash)

.svf

Simple Vector Format

.svg

XML based vector graphics format

.sxd

StarOffice draw file

.tdr

Top Draw vector graphic file

.vec

Daylon Vectre vector graphic

.wmf

Windows metafile

.xar

Corel Xara drawing

.xar

Xara X vector drawing

.psd

Adobe Photoshop

.jpg

JPEG Raster File Format

.gif

GIF Transparent File

.PNG

Portable Network Graphic Transparent File Format

Learn About Vector Graphics And Design Your Logo Like A Pro

If you happen to hold interest in the field of logo designing, you must have heard of the term “vector graphics“. The modern logo designing is hugely dependent on this hi-tech logo designing solution. Let’s discuss the basic features of this amazing technique of modern graphic design.

What are vector graphics?

If you are so perfectionist that you want your logo image to come with mathematic precision, you have to take help of vector graphics. It is a software program that is designed specifically for illustration and helps to draw lines as a sum total of various small points. A small number of points are there to connect the control points and these particular points are called Bezier curves.

The beneficial features of vector graphics:

* For a razor-sharp precision and high-quality graphics, designers prefer the vector graphic program. The images created with Vector look fabulous on monitors because of the high resolution. As a result, when you print the graphics created with Vector, they give you better printouts than the images created with other techniques like bitmap.

* Again, with the vector graphics, you can resize the graphics more easily. You can reproduce in any size the image quality will remain the same. However, the small errors of drawing may become visible if the image is enlarged too much.

* While in bitmap image system, the images are stored in pixilated forms as thousands of different colored dots, the vector images are stored as Bezier curves and points. Thus in case you draw a green triangle in vector graphics, it will memorize only the 3-pixel points of the triangle and assign the color in the field between these points. Thus vector graphics is very memory efficient system. The vector graphics images can be stored in EPS-file format and the file sizes are remarkably small. They can also be stored in ai or cdr file formats.

* The vector graphics are compatible with such vector-based software as Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator. One vector format that is fast becoming popular on the Internet because of its user-friendly features is Macromedia Flash.

* The vector graphics are also the basis of any 3D logo design program. It is easy to use—you can scrawl up any shape or scribble down any font or change any color with vector graphics.

There are two reasons why the modern logo designers cannot do without vector graphics:

* The modern logos are destined to appear on all types of promotional projects—starting from websites to the bodies of company vehicles. As such nothing can reproduce the company logo in so many sizes without compromising on the quality as vector graphics can.

* The modern logo philosophy revolves around creating simple yet alluring logos without the use of complex details or too many colors. As such, it is the vector program that can give you the best up to date solution in professional logo designing.