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Raster vs Vector files
Raster
Original raster image (left) and the same image enlarged (right)
Raster or Bitmap graphics are images made up from small little squares or 'pixels', just like a mosaic. Every line and shape in a raster image is created by clusters of pixels in different colours. The more pixels a raster image contains, the more accurate the rendering of the image (see the Resolution page). However, a large number of pixels results in a large file size which will be slow to manipulate and slow to print.
It is problematic to modify raster images since enlarging the image will not improve the quality - it will still contain the same number of pixels which will become visible to the naked eye if the image is enlarged too much (the image becomes 'pixelated'). Nonetheless, raster images are the only option when it comes to rendering photographic type images.
Examples of raster file types are PICT, TIFF, BMP and PCX. Raster images can also be saved in EPS format, a file format that allows the combination of raster and vector information in one file.
Vector
Original vector image (left) and the same image enlarged (right)
Vector images are constructed in a completely different way from raster images, in that they use a set of mathematical coordinates on an imaginary page to indicate straight and curved lines and shapes. These lines and shapes can be stroked or filled with any colour, typically accomplished in a vector-based drawing application where mouse clicks are used to indicate the coordinates.
The main advantage of this file format is that a vector image can be enlarged to any size without loss of quality or increase in file size, since the same coordinates are simply applied in proportion to a larger imaginary page size.
In order for a vector image to be exported for use in another application, it will have to be saved as an 'Encapsulated PostScript' file or EPS. This file format also allows raster images to be combined with vector information, for example to create a cut-out shape around a photograph, or to combine a photographic type image with pinsharp text elements.
