+ vector vs. Bitmap

Have you ever want to blow up an image the size of business card onto a billboard?
Introducing: vector illustrations, your graphic hero when it comes to challenges of scale.

You can make a vector as large as you like and it will remain crisp and sharp or what some call “resolution independent”. That’s why vectors are ideal for projects where you have to scale your graphics between numerous sizes from what can fit in the palm of your hand to something you might have to slap on a wall-sized trade show booth.

Vector illustration requires vector editing software, such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, or CorelDraw v2+

Also, you can edit them over and over again without losing quality. They aren’t one layer like photos; vectors are like a stack of colored paper, each with a different shape cut out of it. When you look at the pile, you’ll see a bit of yellow from the sixth page, covered by a blink of purple or a slice of green. These multi-dimensional layers are each scalable but they all fit into one complex file.

Bitmaps: Little coloured dots. When you blow up an image all you’re doing is making those little dots larger. So it’s important to have a high number of pixels per inch if you want to blow big.

For more on vectors art visit iStock’s illustrations.
Photo credit : istockphoto

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