What Is EPS And Why You Should Care About It?

A vector graphic is an image that contains a mathematical equation that allows you to transform any picture into a huge one (e.g., as for a billboard) on your Mac while preserving the quality. Like other vector formats, EPS is a container of curves, text, and bitmap images. And one more thing: all vector graphics can be enlarged without losing quality.

On a Mac screen, vector images look like a lot of screen pixels. In fact, all output devices have pixels (screens and printers), but if EPS is to be displayed, the content will be displayed at the highest quality supported by the device.

Unlike the SVG file formats we explored further in our recent articles, EPS cannot be easily edited by changing its code. This format is code-based and differs from SVG in its base, which is XML in PostScript and SVG formats.

You should only open the EPS document using software developed for vector graphics. If you open an EPS document on your Mac in another application, you will have a hard time changing the document; You may not even be able to do this without compromising quality. You can use the built-in program preview to open and view EPS on a Mac, but if you need to edit files, look for the appropriate program.

Some applications can import and edit EPS files. Some of these retain the figure as a vector, while others convert it to a raster. Almost all vector editing applications can open EPS without losing their vector base. You can look at Amadine (vector graphics program for Mac) to see how to open EPS files in the Mac's EPS editor.

The history behind EPS creation

EPS was developed by Adobe in the late 1980s to satisfy input (mostly print) requests of the highest quality. The vector nature of storing the data allows it to scale the image to its maximum size for printing. As a result, graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator began based on vector images. Printers began to appear, working directly with PostScript. Another format option is used to display PostScript files on the monitor screen: the vector file description stores a preview of the bitmap that can be quickly displayed on the screen. This format became the basis of the DTP (Desktop Publishing) system.

Today, the EPS format can no longer be called a cutting-edge format. PDF (as a format for distributing documents) and SVG (as a format for exporting to the Web and exchanging vector images between programs) are increasingly used to store vector images.

When to use EPS instead of JPEG?

Imagine that you have an image that you like, but you're not happy with its color and want to change it. In this case, you can adjust the desired color by editing the EPS document on the device (computer with Mac or Windows, tablet or phone with mobile operating system).

You have the opportunity to control the size of the image or adjust any specific graphic element within it to quickly implement whatever you need.

You can use the EPS image as a vector format if, after editing the file, you need to get the same quality as the previous image.

EPS format defects

Like any vector file format, EPS has evolved over a long history. It is not the most modern format, so it has a series of drawbacks that need to be considered when using this format.

Among the most problematic areas, the most common are described as follows:

EPS does not support transparency (in this case, it is best to use PDF).

There is a security issue because EPS allows storage in its scripts (hence, the possibility of malicious code).

EPS code can be read by humans, but editing is not easy because it is based on a programming language (it is best to use SVG for manual editing).

If you need protection, you cannot encrypt the data (PDF provides encryption).