What Are Scalable Vector Graphics Exactly?

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a specification for an XML-based language used to create two-dimensional vector graphics. SVG defines markup to describe both the geometry of the shapes and their appearance, enabling the depiction of precise graphical objects in Web pages.

Overall, the SVG format is an accurate, resolution-independent (hence the word "scalable") description of the steps taken to draw the necessary picture.

It includes various objects of several types:

Vector graphics (line, circle, curve)

Text (with formatting capabilities, setting styles and effects)

Raster image (embedded in SVG document)

SVG rendering support is available in all the latest Web browsers.

Use the editor for scalable vector graphics

Because the SVG format is XML-based, examples of simple drawings can be formatted and edited in a plain text editor; However, this path is not intuitive. Also, as the number of objects increases, it becomes inconvenient, paving the way for vector editors as a convenient and visual solution. You can use any vector graphics editor for Mac, such as Amadine or Adobe Illustrator, to create SVG images.

Drawing vector graphics is suitable for logo creation or website design on any platform. Creating beautiful, bright SVG images on a Mac, iPad, or iPhone is easy with the help of vector graphics software like Amadine.

Drawing scalable vector graphics is much easier with graphic design software than manually coding the graphics in a text editor. However, if you want to try SVG editing in your code, you can either use the Try it editor or follow this tutorial.

Advantages of SVG

Independence of resolution

Note that bitmap (i.e. raster) images are related to resolution. Thus, when adjusted to a certain scale, the graph becomes unrenderable. With vector graphics, this situation is not possible because everything is represented by a mathematical expression that is automatically recalculated when scaled. Therefore, the quality is always the same.

Reduce HTTP requests

Scalable vector graphics can be embedded directly into Mac HTML documents using SVG tags. In this case, the browser can provide the graph without making a server request. This method allows websites to load images faster.

Styles and Scripts

Using SVG tag embedding also makes it easy to style your graphics using CSS. You can easily change the properties of an object (for example, background color, frame, transparency, and so on). Similarly, you can manipulate graphics while using JavaScript on a Mac or iPad.

Easy to edit and animate

SVG objects can be animated using CSS or JavaScript, and can be modified in a text editor. For example, Amadine for Mac, iPad, and iPhone has a great set of tools for quickly creating vector graphics images.

File size

SVG files have a distinct advantage over raster files when comparing raster and vector graphics: they require less memory on any device.

Vector graphics format

SVG is the most popular vector graphics format for good reason. But it is far from the only format. Here are some other popular and useful formats for vector graphics:

PDF - A popular Adobe format, PDF has become the standard for distributing documents and displaying a variety of printed materials.

CDR - Like previous formats, this format for CorelDraw is available in a wide range of versions. However, each new version is incompatible with the older version and other vector graphics editors and programs.

DXF-Auto CAD and other similar programs support this format. However, this is quite difficult, so most solutions can read the files but not save the images in them.

EPS - This is an example of a multi-compatible format; It is supported by every program up to a specific version.

AI - This format is created by Adobe Illustrator. On the one hand, it supports high quality images, but the disadvantage is low compatibility and flexibility.

Drawbacks of the web version of SVG

The size problem

When using complex SVG files for your website pages, keep in mind that the more complex the SVG, the larger the file, which means a significant increase in processing time in the browser, especially for mobile platforms.

Browser speed

The browser cannot cache inline SVG elements because it caches regular image resources, so a page containing an image will not load faster after the first page containing the image is loaded. This drawback is successfully eliminated when embedding SVG with elements.

Among the many vector graphics formats, SVG is a simple and effective way to create vector graphics images using Mac and Windows. Its high productivity and compatibility make it a leading contemporary format.