Thus, raster images are useful when displaying or storing high-quality images. Headers may also include the number of rows, georeferencing parameters for geographic data, or other metadata tags, such as those specified in the Exif standard. All digital images can be classified as either raster or vector. These terms can sound confusing if you’re not familiar with computer graphics, but we’re here to explain everything you need to know. Raster graphics are of a fixed dimension, somewhat like a grid pattern with specified values at each point. These graphics are the default for things from the real world (IE, scanned images, photographs, etc).
Raster images can easily become blurry when expanded and aren’t typically scalable. You can resize them without consequence, go back and edit their paths/anchors again if you want to, and you’ll likely save much more storage space than you would have otherwise. Ever notice that as you zoom into an image, the quality gets lower? They are usually in the formats JPG (lossy), GIF (lossless), PNG (my favorite; lossless), and many others.
What are Raster Images?
A small downside to using vector images is the fact that they are often saved in the native format of the program used to create them. So, you’ll probably have to download that specific program if you want to make edits to the image. It’ll be more flexible for scaling, easier to edit, and you won’t have to worry about the resolution being high enough for print (vector images have infinite resolution). Raster images are just grids of pixels, like what comes out of a digital camera or a scanner.
Rasters, on the other hand, are made up of pixels or tiny dots that compose an image using color and tone. Since their building blocks are pixels, raster images do not feature the kind of scalability that vector images do. Being significantly different in nature, the two kinds of graphics have different uses, strengths, and weaknesses. A vector graphic’s small file size and scalability make it uniquely suitable for use in digital printing from business cards to billboards.
Raster Image Applications
Image formats like jpeg and gif are common compressed image formats. Scaling down these images is easy but enlarging a bitmap difference between raster and vector makes it pixelated or simply blurred. Hence for images that need to scale to different sizes, we use vector graphics.
However, if you zoom in on it, you’ll start to see the individual colored pixels. Photographs are the most common raster images, but any digital graphic can be a raster. Other common raster images include 3D graphics, abstract backgrounds, and watercolor backgrounds. Other popular programs include CorelDraw and Affinity Designer, and vector images can be both created and edited using these programs. The most common file formats for vector graphics are AI, CDR, and SVG, depending on which software you’re using to design vector images. Knowing how to convert vector graphics into raster file formats is another great technique to have in your design pocket.
Pros and Cons of Vector Graphics in Digital Artwork
They’re also used in lower thirds for videos, web-based objects and rendering 2D or 3D computer animation. Their native files are needed for coin designs, laser engraving, t-shirts, patches, etc. If your project requires scalable shapes and solid colors, vector is the best choice, but if your project requires complex color blends, raster is the preferred format. Well, almost all computer font files are based on vector images of the letters – that’s why it’s possible to scale them WAY up or WAY down and still have the letters be clear.
If ease of editing, small file size, or typography is more important, then a vector image might be the preferred format. Like we mentioned above, raster images, or bitmaps as they are often called, are digital images that are made up of pixels. When you view a raster image on a screen at 100%, all the pixels combine to create the image.
How to Identify if the Image is Raster or Vector?
If you want to upload the image on the Internet, use it for PPT, or email it, then a raster image is perfect for your use. If you need to print the image on a banner or flex, you may have to rescale the image, so in this case, vector images will work best for you. For example, if we scale a raster image to enlarge it, without changing resolution, it will lose quality and look blurry or pixilated. This is because we are stretching the pixels over a larger area, thus making them look less sharp.
In doing so, you’re asking the image editor to add more pixels where there aren’t any more. This results in an unattractive, blurred image—at least, in most cases. Rasterizing an image changes the file from a vector format to a raster-based image.
Adobe Illustrator Image Trace
Hence, they need to make sure their illustrations are scalable and can be enlarged or reduced in size as needed. Check out our roundup of top tools for staying organized, tracking tasks, and managing projects for peak personal productivity. Many raster manipulations map directly onto the mathematical formalisms of linear algebra, where mathematical objects of matrix structure are of central concern. License these images via Westend61 on Offset, Lithiumphoto, olga_wanderer, and oxygen_8. Designers, webmaster, and marketers that are starting out find it difficult to understand the difference between Raster and Vector graphics.
- Raster vs. Vector is a debate that will always rage on in the graphic design world.
- Thus, vector images are useful for designing company logos as we need to size up or down the images to print them on various promotional materials like banners, pamphlets, brochures, etc.
- Both have their pros and cons, but what’s best for your project?
- Raster images are just grids of pixels, like what comes out of a digital camera or a scanner.
- Designers, webmaster, and marketers that are starting out find it difficult to understand the difference between Raster and Vector graphics.
Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s essential to have an understanding of what they are and when to use each one. Instead of trying to keep track of the millions of tiny pixels in a raster image, vector images keep track of points and the equations for the lines that connect them. Generally speaking, vector images are made up of paths or line art that can infinitely scalable because they work based on algorithms rather than pixels. Vector images, also known as scalable vector graphics, are made up of anchored curves, lines and dots that are instrumented by mathematical formulas created through design software.
All About Images
While raster images have incredibly flexible usage, there are instances where it’s smarter to use vector images. That’s why it’s important to know the difference between the two, especially if you’re someone who deals with digital images often. Usually, raster images can’t be scaled any larger than their original width and height.
