Understanding Vectors and Bitmaps

  It doesn't take a Picasso to recognize the power of great graphic design, but it may sometimes seem it takes an Einstein to learn how to create it. Design programs feel daunting, and most web how-to's leave you with more questions than answers. Skip the jumbled design jargon and read on for the blogger-friendly explanation of the 2D graphics king and queen.  

VECTORS

Vectors are composed of objects -- lines, points and curves -- that are defined by equations. These objects can be edited in a multitude of ways, from color and outline to shape and size. Vector images retain their crisp quality throughout manipulation. Vector images use transparent backgrounds and can be layered atop one another to create complex designs. The most commonly used vectors are fonts, which can be scaled from eight to 80 pixels without sacrificing quality and can adapt to different settings of color, outline and more. Vector file types include AI, CDR, SVG and DMX.
Vector images best serve large scaled graphics like banners and signs as well as printed material. Vector programs include Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW and Inkscape. 

BITMAPS 

Bitmaps, also known as raster images, are composed of tiny dots of color called pixels and described in terms of DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch) -- both units of resolution. Bitmaps depend on resolution and therefore can't be scaled smaller or larger without losing quality. Bitmaps always include a background and can't be layered together like vectors can. Most images we encounter fall into the bitmap category, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP and PSD. These file types are all easily converted to one another by changing the file type option under "Save As."  All photographs and scanned images and most web graphics are also bitmaps. 
Bitmaps don't produce the best printed material, as seen with photographs. Bitmap graphics best serve web graphics, photographs and images with texture effects. Bitmap programs include Adobe Photoshop, Corel PhotoPaint and the standard Paint programs that come installed on most  computers. 

Download this quick reference chart for help with your business cards, printable crafts + website designs

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