Vector vs Raster: Difference and Comparison

What is the difference between a vector and a raster image (vector vs raster)?

Vector and raster are known terms used in the world of graphic design. Vector and raster are the two most common file types you come across when working with digital photos, other digital images, logos, and graphic design.

But is there a difference between vector and raster images?

Vector images are formed using mathematical paths, while raster images consist of multiple tiny pixels.

Both vector and raster graphics serve different purposes in designing. It’s also important to understand their differences and when it’s appropriate to use them for a particular purpose.

What Is a Vector Image?

A vector image or scalable vector graphic is formed on a plane by connecting lines and curves. Vector graphics create a finer and more detailed image.

It uses mathematical equations to create shapes, forming a clearer image with visible lines, points, and curves easy to see on the image when zoomed in. Vector graphics are used by creative professionals, design experts, and artists.

With vector graphics, you can create logos, illustrations, and any other type of designs printed on big objects.

Vector graphics are also device-independent. That means their quality does not depend on the number of pixels on a screen or the number of dots on a printer.

Vector graphics offer clean and sharp lines and it retains quality no matter the size of the line.

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What Is a Raster Image?

A raster image is a popular term commonly used in digital photography and in the computer world.

Also known as a bitmap image, a raster image is represented in the form of a rectangular grid of pixels, which is viewable with a bitmapped display.

It’s easy to form smaller images in raster-based imaging. But it’s a bit difficult to increase or decrease the size and resolution.

If you zoom in on a raster image, you will see pixels that are in the form of little squares on graph paper. The whole image you see is created by digital cameras and then by scanning images into a computer. It can also be done with raster-based software.

Now there can only be a fixed number of pixels on a single image. More pixels means better quality but it also increases the file size and amount of space required to store the file.

Resolution will be lower if the number of pixels is also lower.

Vector vs Raster: Difference between Vector and Raster Images

Raster graphics are made up of coloured pixels to display a clear image, while vector graphics consist of paths using a mathematical equation.

Raster images offer more complex and soft-coloured visuals. It’s commonly used in digital camera technology.

Most of the images and photographs used in print or online are mainly raster images. Raster-based images store data using bitmaps- this means the larger the file, the larger the bitmap.

Raster file types include JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, and BMP. Adobe Photoshop Photo-paint and GIMP, are all raster-based image editors.

Vector graphics are a better option to imitate photographs. They are excellent and can be used to create designs by using simple colours.

There are a few vector file types which include EPS, AI, PDF, and SVG.

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Vector vs Raster: Key Differences between Vector and Raster Graphics

Vector	Raster
Vector images are formed using lines, curves, and fills.	Raster images are constructed using pixels.
Uses graphic formats like WMF, PICT, EPS, TrueType, etc.	Prefers graphics formats like GIF, JPEG, PNG, and PCX.
Work best for drawings, illustrations and logos.	Work best for editing photos.
Vectors can be used in Illustrator, CorelDraw, and Inkscape.	Raster can be used in GIMP, Photoshop, and paint shops.
It’s easy to print vector images because the number of colours can be modified during printing.	Once the spot colours are limited, it becomes difficult to print raster images.

Vector vs Raster: When to Choose Vector or Raster

When is it best to use Vector or Raster graphics?

A vector graphics tiny file size makes it the perfect option for digital printing. From business cards to billboards, it’s used in digital printing.

Vector graphics are also used in rendering 2D or 3D animation, web-based objects lower thirds for videos.

Raster images on the other hand are suitable for digital photographs and print materials. It’s the best option for projects that requires complex colour blend. But if a project requires solid colours and scalable shapes, vector images are the best option.

Vector vs Raster: Conversions

Vector to Raster

Raster devices are usually display devices and printers. Vector images need to be converted to Raster format for them to be displayed or printed.

The required resolution is key when it comes to determining the size of the raster file. Keep in mind that the size of the vector image which is to be converted remains the same.

It’s easier to convert a vector file to a raster file format but doing the opposite is quite challenging.

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Raster to Vector

Vectorization is another name for image tracing in computing. This is the process of converting raster images to vector images.

You can also use vectorization to retrieve lost information. Paint in Microsoft Windows creates a bitmap output file and you can easily see jagged lines in Paint.

When converting from raster images to vector images, the image size will be reduced. This shows how the conversion from raster images to vector images can turn out.

As a result of several approximations and editing done during the process of conversion, the converted images are poor in quality.

Vector vs Raster: Difference between Vector and Raster Files

Let’s explore more differences between vector and raster graphics.

Resolution

This is one of the major differences between vector and raster files.

The resolution of a raster file is often referred to as PPI (pixel per inch) or DPI (dots per inch). When a raster image is zoomed in or enlarged, you can easily see the individual pixels.

Raster flies shoe finer light and shading compared to vectors. It also displays a wide range of colours and permits greater colour editing. But when a raster file is resized it loses image quality.

An easy method to find out if an image is raster or vector is by increasing the size. If the image appears pixelated or blurred, then it’s a raster file.

On the other hand, you can resize, reshape, and rescale vector files and not loss image quality.

File Sizes

When comparing size, raster files are larger than vector files. Raster files are known to contain millions of pixels. However, their large size may impact device storage space.

Raster files can be compressed to take less storage space.

Vector files are smaller than raster files, containing only the mathematical equations for the design.

While you can easily open raster files in different apps and web browsers and they are easy to view edit and share, vector files are not that accessible.

Some vector file types can only be opened with specialized software.

Vector vs Raster: Which Option is Suitable for Your Design?

When it comes to choosing between vector and raster graphics, it all comes down to what your needs.

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Vector

You can use vector graphics when you want to;

Create images with a clear and finer contrast between elements of your design
Print out images on a big surface
Create illustrations, logos, banners, etc.

Raster

On the other hand, you can use raster graphics if you;

Create images with complex colours
Need to view, edit and share.
There are no restrictions for image storage and upload file size.

Conclusion

Both vector and raster graphics serve different purposes in designing.

A vector image or scalable vector graphic is formed on a plane by connecting lines and curves. A raster image is a popular term commonly used in digital photography and in the computer world.