They can also be relatively small in file size, when compared to raster images, because a simple vector could be resized to fill an entire page with a few lines of code, whereas a raster image would need to store the color for every pixel on the page. This means that when you view a vector image on a screen, your computer is rebuilding the view of the image for you, no matter how much you zoom in or out on the image, and the great benefit that vector graphics have over raster graphics is that they can be infinitely resized losslessly (without becoming fuzzy). Vector graphics, on the other hand, are comprised of specific points on a geographic plane connected by line segments and curves, much as if you created a mathematical grid of dots and had a computer connect the lines for you. Vector FormatsĮxample of a Vector Image ( Floral Vectors by Vecteezy) Be that as it may, raster images remain the most popular types of image file formats simply because they are easy to share and universally viewable, and if you are going to share your work with others, there will always be situations when you will need to convert your files to raster images. The major problem with raster images, however, is that they can only be resized in a lossy manner, meaning that if you attempt to make them larger, they will become fuzzy, and even at times when you make them smaller, they will become distorted, because the program you are using must make decisions about which colored pixels to keep and which to delete, when to erase a border, and so forth. Saving images as raster images is useful because it means that any device or program viewing the image should be able to display it properly, and some file formats can even compress images by combining nearby pixels of similar colors together, thereby reducing data redundancy and file size. This is why smartphones and digital cameras will often boast about how many megapixels their cameras allow: it dictates how high-resolution of an image you can capture.
If you think of an image as a two-dimensional array of pixels (e.g., 100 pixels wide and 100 pixels tall), then a raster image will save the color of each of those 10,000 pixels (e.g., the position should be pink, the position should be green). Memes you see online are raster images, and so are almost all of the images that you see on websites and mobile apps.Ī raster image is simply an image that stores data as a collection of pixel colors. Any smartphone or digital camera that takes a photo saves it as a raster image, such as a. Raster images are likely the types of images that you have had most exposure to. More compatible than other hybrids (at least for viewing) This chapter will briefly explain the differences between these file types, their benefits and limitations, and when to use each.Ĭommon File Extension Formats with Notes File Extension In addition, hybrid file types also exist that allow designers to combine raster and vector graphics together.
Raster images rely on a grid of pixels to represent images, while vectors rely upon mathematical equations connecting points on a geographic plane.
#Adobe illustrator file extension how to
Though the differences between these formats may not make much sense on the surface, some basic understanding of how image files are saved and processed will help you to understand how to use these file extensions to your advantage.įor starters, there are two basic categories of image file types: raster and vector (see Table 1). If you have done any work with images or graphic design programs, you may have noticed that they use a variety of file extensions representing different file formats, such as. "Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession."
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