| APPLICATION |
| Type: |
VECTOR-BASED
|
PIXEL-BASED
|
| Examples: |
Freehand, Illustrator, Corel Draw, ClarisWorks Draw |
Photoshop, Painter, Photo Deluxe, ClarisWorks Paint |
| Works by: |
mathematical representations of objects, strokes, fills, etc; draws vector paths on screen |
uses actual pixels containing digital information; draws image on screen. |
| File size |
can be very small |
can be huge |
| Scalability |
resolution independent; type sharp at all magnifications |
resolution dependent; type and images can degrade at higher magnifications. |
| Ease of editing |
objects remain editable |
once "dropped", can be hard to edit unless maintained in layers, etc. |
| Tonal range |
sharp discontinuous boundaries between adjacent colors; subtle color details and textures hard to obtain; composite blending and transparency effects difficult |
continuous tone; fine photographic detail and color/texture detail maintained; easy to blend/mix composite images; good transparency |
| Common file types |
native, .eps |
native, PICT, TIFF,.gif,.jpeg, .bmp |
| Best uses |
high key graphics, large areas of color, high resolution type manipulation and precise typographic editing; page layout |
photographic realism; image composition and editing; subtle color and blending; acquiring and handling input of existing artwork. |
| Advantages |
small file size, scalability, sharply defined graphics; easily editable; prints at any resolution |
image realism, subtlety, tonal range, composition and detail; most naturally emulates real painting |
| Disadvantages |
flatness, lack of subtlety and texture; can appear artificial and crude |
large files, resolution dependence, and harder to re-edit |
| Miscellaneous |
higher-end programs can embed high-resolution bitmap (pixel-based) images to be composited upon; uses PostScript language |
For high-end output, must be rasterized (RIP'd) into PostScript language; may need to keep multiple versions of files for various resolutions, color depths, etc. |