What Are Vector Graphics? - Definition, Uses and Creation

A vector graphic is a way to represent an image using vectors, or mathematical formulas. The unique feature of a vector graphic is that no matter how much you zoom in on it on your Mac, you will never see the pixels.

Raster images are made up of tiny squares called pixels. While the number of pixels an image contains depends on how large it is and the resolution at which it was saved, the number of colors determines how complex an image will be.

There are multiple applications for each type of graphic, so the artist can choose the application needed for a particular task or area of work.

Vector formats are one of the most common ways to create modern graphics, along with raster, triplex, and fractal formats.

Today there are more than 10 different vector formats, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The most popular and widely used vector graphics formats for Mac and Windows include EPS, PDF, SVG, and AI.

The Mac's vector graphics program is commonly used for logo creation, illustration and graphic design, and many other areas that require expandable images without sacrificing quality. Each vector graphics result can be represented by a specific vector file type.

Raster images are usually saved in JPG or PNG format and can be used in a variety of solutions. Conversely, vector formats of files can be proprietary, that is, developed by companies (especially manufacturers), and they have low compatibility with third-party applications. Online image vectorizers come in handy when raster images need to be vector images.

.SVG

Scalable vector graphics are XML-based. Originally, this open vector graphics format was created to standardize vector graphics on the Web. SVG works on Mac, Windows, Linux, and more. It is supported by many web browsers.

.EPS

Encapsulated PostScript is a container format for bitmaps and vector primitives. This is a relatively generic file format that is supported by most vector graphics editors, including Amadine for Mac and Adobe Illustrator. There are many versions of this format, but each program only supports a specific version of EPS.

.PDF

Portable document format. Much like EPS, PDF is a container format, also based on the PostScript language. As a popular Adobe format, PDF has become the de facto standard for distributing any document and displaying a variety of printed materials, such as vector logos made on the Mac.

.AI

This is a proprietary Adobe Illustrator vector graphics format. It provides very high quality images, but is generally not compatible with other programs - although Amadine allows the use of version 1.2 updates to import and edit AI files.

To create a vector image, vector designers need to outline it with the help of points and then draw vector lines between them, using the vast possibilities of modern programs designed to perform this operation.

The advantages of vector graphics include:

Easy to edit the entire image and its individual elements.

The possibility of making corrections and significant changes to the image size without loss of quality (including rotation at a user-defined Angle) and changing the file size itself.

The ability to easily convert a vector image to any raster format at any resolution (as opposed to raster graphics, which cannot be converted to vector graphics).

Mac, iPad and iPhone have various programs and editors. They allow novices and professional designers to use vector graphics. These Apple solutions are very feature-rich. On the one hand, they allow the creation of difficult and complex drawings through simple geometry and add volume to these images. On the other hand, they provide many tools for processing text, allowing vector graphics experts to manipulate content in a variety of ways.