difference between a vector graphic and a raster graphic

It allows for lossless compression, which can make PNGs a better alternative to JPEGs. PNG: this format is often used for logos and illustrations.This means that BMP files support can high-quality images, but have very large file sizes. A BMP file is typically uncompressed, though lossless compression is possible. BMP: this is one of the simplest formats in raster graphics.GIFs are typically used for simple web graphics, and support animation. As a result, the quality of a GIF file can often be rather low. GIF: this format uses lossless compression, but typically has poor resolution.However, they use lossy compression, which means that they lose quality when edited. They’re small in size, and have a variety of colors. JPEG: this familiar format is typically used for sharing photographs online.This compression is advised if quality is a priority. Typically, these raster images are still large in size, but are a fraction of their uncompressed counterparts. Lossless compression is when a raster image is compressed, but retains its quality.This may not bother you if quality isn’t a priority, or if you want to share it via email, where small file size is advised. Lossy compression is when a raster image is compressed repeatedly to decrease file size, and loses its quality as a result.There are two main types: lossy and lossless. In order to reduce an image’s file size for storage, people make use of compression. We recommend starting with an image which has as few colors as possible (black and white is great.) The image should be at least 300 DPI and be in a lossless format (explained next.) Typically, higher quality will result in a wider range of color palettes and a bigger overall file size. Pixel density is determined by the device that created the image – either a physical device, like a scanner or camera, or by graphics software. It’s also possible to use programs like Photoshop to increase the PPI of an image. Pixel density is simply a measure of how many pixels are in a given area. If a 100 × 100 pixel image fit within a 1 inch square, for example, the pixel density would be 100 pixels per inch (also referred to as ‘DPI’, meaning Dots Per Inch.) If your pixel density were too low, then your image would be low in quality. However, different image files have different pixel density. Each pixel is an individual square of color.

Pixels (short for picture elements) are the smallest elements of a raster image. This is because a raster image is resolution dependent, and needs to be at the right scale to appear correctly. When you zoom in, the separate squares of color become obvious, and the image looks blurry and undefined. Take, for example, the image of a cat on the right. Zooming into or enlarging a raster image simply means you make all the individual pixels within the image bigger.Īs you may expect, scaling up (or stretching) a raster image means it loses quality. As a result, when you change the size of a raster image, there is no way of making it work as a whole. Raster images are made up of (up to) millions of pixels. There is no structure to a raster image, meaning that every pixel is essentially a separate, tiny block of color. The above example is formed of 93 individual images or ‘frames’. If you wish to see more examples of animated gifs, take a look at the gif search engine Giphy. Commonly the individual images will contain subtle progressive differences from the last which when played together in sequence create the illusion of a smooth animation. An animated gif is formed of a collection of individual images in gif format.

Difference between a vector graphic and a raster graphic