What's The Difference Between A Vector Art And Raster Image?

A raster image or a bitmap file is a digital image that consists of small squares of pixels, each pixel with its own color value. The pixels can be arranged in any manner and are arranged by the operating system or computer program. The vector and raster images share similar characteristics. A vector image can be scaled without losing details whereas vector images cannot be changed to other color values without affecting their resolution like bitmap images.

Vector graphics use sequential commands to place lines or shapes in 2D or 3D. Vector images are paths made using mathematical formulas. Each of these formulas describes the shape and color of the paths. One can design vector images indefinitely because they are made using mathematical formulas. Vector images work best for simple designs that use solid colors. Vector graphics are best for printing because they consist of mathematical formulas.

The difference between vector and raster images

1. Vector graphics consist of anchor points and are connected by lines and curves using mathematical formulas Vector graphics are resolution independent, which is why their quality is not affected by any size change. Instead, raster images depend on the number of pixels. Each image has a fixed number of pixels, which affects its quality.

2. Raster images are not resolution independent, as it depends on the number of pixels in any image; If the number of pixels is low, the resolution will be very low. If we increase the size of the image, it will become blurry. In contrast, if we resize vector images, they will remain smooth. It doesn't affect their resolution.

3. Vector art consists of lines, unlike raster images. It makes the device independent. Their quality is not affected by any device because they are made up of dots or pixels. They have clean lines and are not dependent on the number of points available on the printer. Vector images can be easily resized without affecting the file size and still print clearly.

4. Raster images depend on the number of pixels. Any change in the size of the image affects its resolution. By increasing the number of pixels, the file becomes more prominent and covers more space. If a high-resolution image is printed at a small size, it will spoil the image by stuffing pixels together.

5. Raster image can display multiple colors in a single image, and can be color edited. In contrast, vector images use simple colors such as high resolution halos.

6. Raster images are best for photo editing and digital painting by using Photoshop to compress them for storage. They are ideal for photography and printing materials.

7. Vector images do not depend on resolution, so they are best for creating logos, illustrations, fonts, coin designs, patches, T-shirt designs, business cards, billboards, 2D or 3D computer animations.

8. Raster images can use perfect colors, so you can create realistic graphics.

9. Blending, Shading, and Gradient:

Vector graphics, on the other hand, do not create realistic pictures because they have limited color mixing, shading, and gradients. Even if we tried to make it, it would be a busy process because every change in color would require modifying the shape.

10. The raster file types are JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP and PSD. Vector file types are AI, CDR, and SVG.

11. Raster images can be edited using programs such as Photoshop. It changes the resolution of the image based on the desired changes in the image size.

12. Vector images can be resized without compromising their quality by using programs such as Adobe illustrator and CorelDraw.

Raster images use bitmaps to store information. Larger photos will require large files for storage, which means more disk space. These images can be compressed using gif and jpeg formats. These images can be shortened, but enlarging them will affect the quality of the image. This will blur them. For different sizes, vector images are best. Because vector images consist of curves and straight lines, they can be easily converted to any size. The photos will remain fluid, so vector images are best for printing small business cards onto large billboards. Vector images can be easily enlarged without affecting the resolution of the picture. In vector graphics, files are created as vector statements, resulting in a series of smaller files. Raster graphics are great for smooth and less expensive images, and vector graphics can produce high-resolution images of any size without compromising quality.