Vector graphics and raster graphics (or bitmap), definition, differences and practical applications.
The two branches of the two-dimensional graphics: vector graphics and raster graphics (or bitmap), definition, differences and applications for high-quality typesetting.
The graphics world is divided into two large families: the vector and raster or bitmap that.
At first sight in the world of graphics you might be wrong thinking to deepen only one of the two great systems to create stunning graphics, but they are two methods to create and modify images so different conceptually, and the results of application areas that is not You can not know them both to be able to disentangle among all the compositions that you will have to prepare in “our career” chart.
Vector graphics.
The vector system uses to create images carriers; the image is composed by a set of points called “anchor points” positioned on coordinates and joined by straight or curved, so created polygons and forms to complete our graphics come into play fills and shades of various kinds of the same.
Saw this coordinate system, lines and curves correlated to each other by real mathematical formulas, the vector system has the great quality of being able to be scalable, ie can be resized as we please without losing image quality and definition.
An example of a vector image in front of the eyes of any computer user are very common font of any page layout program for office, the characters can be enlarged at will without losing definition and be “wide open”.
The system is widely used for vector graphics and text to create logos.
Raster graphics or bitmaps.
Comparison of scalability between image vector and raster (bitmap)
A raster or bitmap differs from a vector as raster images are made up of pixels. Pixels are basically numerous of different colors that make up such a huge mosaic image, it is easy to see that the image as follows, using hundreds of thousands of colors for the pixels is rich in nuances of color, so that raster graphics or bitmap is the queen of the photo retouching and treatment of photographs.
Downside system raster or bitmap is not scaling the image, as the number of pixels defined at the time of creation of the image, enlarging it there will be a loss of quality, in some cases visible to the naked eye, making the illustration same unserviceable for prints of a certain size.
The right knowledge of the graphic composition is expressed having mastered both vector graphics is the raster graphics or bitmaps, choosing carefully case by case the most suitable to the context in which we are working, or how often it happens, merging the two graphic techniques that can easily coexist in the same phototypesetting with stunning results.