Vector versus Bitmap Graphics – What’s The Difference?
Understanding the difference between vector and bitmap graphics is something that often confuses professional designers and lay people alike. Familiarizing yourself with the differences, however, is crucial to completing the best work you can, because each graphic type has specific applications that it performs best, and going for the wrong graphic type will almost certainly compromise the quality of your work.
The first misconception to clear up is that the difference in these graphic types lies in the file format in which they are produced and saved. This idea is incorrect. For example, a bitmap image does not always have to be saved as a .jpg file. The difference between vectors and bitmaps is much deeper than this.
Bitmap graphics are the images you are most likely to work with and come across on a daily basis. It is the most popular graphic format out there; almost every picture your see on the Internet is a bitmap image. Bitmap images are made up of a collection of pixels, each with its own specific color formulation. These pixels, when grouped together, make up an image. The naked eye does not see the individual pixels, but rather sees the whole image that the pixels create. Bitmap images are popular for use because they can be reproduced almost exactly, with very little quality loss. They almost work like a formula or an equation, which simply tells the program which color to put where. You can save a file like that any number of times, and still it will reproduce exactly, because it is following the same formula. Bitmap images can easily be made smaller as well, without quality loss, because as long as there are still enough pixels present to create the image, then the image appears as clearly as it did at the original size.
A problem with bitmaps is that though they can be made smaller, it is difficult to make them larger. The original image has a finite number of pixels, and when the image is enlarged, the image does not have enough pixels to accommodate the new size. The image will then become blurry.
Vector files are completely different. Rather than being made up of pixels, vectors are made up of lines and points. These lines and points compose an outline of an object, which can then be filled with color and text. When a vector file is saved and re-opened, the information it communicated to the computer tells the computer how it should be drawn – for instance, in what order the lines should go and which points connect – instead of what the end product should look like. For this reason, vector files can be made into any size without quality loss – the computer simply follows the same directions on a larger or smaller scale. This is also the con to using vector images, though. Because they are just lines and points, they can only be used for simple, linear images. They cannot capture the nuances of complex colors and images.
Bitmaps and vectors each have their own ideal applications. Bitmaps are the best choice when it comes to reproducing photographs or images that need to feel real and life like, with plenty of detail and color. Vectors are best for images that need to be upsized and downsized repeatedly, and that you want to be able to change the colors in at will, like logos. Using the right graphic type for the right job will ensure you get the best results, every time you do a job.
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