What is vector art?
If you’re new to the world of vector art and you’d like to get a better idea of what it is and how you can utilize it, we’d like to give you a brief overview and definition as well as some practical and artistic ways to use vector art.
A vector image is one of the two major graphic types (the other being raster – or bitmap). Vector graphics are made up of paths which are defined by points, lines, and curves that are represented by mathematical equations. They can be scaled to any size and retain their sharpness and detail with no loss in quality. Vector graphics are resolution independent because they can be output to the highest quality at any scale. Raster graphics, on the other hand, represent an image as an array of pixels which is resolution dependent. A larger number of pixels in an image yields a higher resolution, while a smaller number yields a low resolution.
This is where the advantages of vector art come in. Vector images are more flexible than bit maps because they can be re-sized, stretched, and non-destructively edited. In addition, images stored as vectors look better on devices (monitors and printers) with higher resolution, whereas bit-mapped images always appear the same regardless of a device’s resolution. Another advantage is that vector images often require less memory than bit-mapped images do, which keep file sizes smaller. One major disadvantage is that vector files simply cannot handle photographic imagery like raster files can.
Common uses for vector images include signage, print work, web design, logo design, and stationary.
Rather than further pillaging the internet for more information in order to hack through a wannabe web article, we’d like to offer these links to you instead. These are some of the better articles we’ve seen on the topic. Best of luck to you, and remember if you need any raster image converted to vector in 24 hours and your budget is between $5 and $25, contact us immediately!
If you have any further questions or would like to add anything, please comment below.
Take care,
A.J.
Viking Arts
vikingarts@gmail.com
717-666-3896
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