2.01 Investigate graphic image design. Vector Graphics 2.01 Investigate graphic image design.

Vector Graphics Vector graphics are created from mathematical formulas used to define lines, shapes and curves. Edited in draw programs Shapes can be edited by moving points called nodes (drawing points) Node Handle

Examples More examples Original Image Resized Image Shapes that make up the image. Teacher Note: This is a vector graphic (WMF) from the clipart files in Microsoft PowerPoint. Notice that the image does not become pixelated when it is resized, it retains the original quality. To break the image down into its individual parts: Click on the image. On the Draw toolbar, click on Ungroup. Click Yes in the Dialog box. Click Draw, Ungroup again. Now the individual shapes can be moved and manipulated. For a fun activity, allow students to experiment with ungrouping an image and re-coloring it. Be sure they Regroup it before trying to move it, though. If they don’t regroup, they will only move pieces of the image instead of the entire image. More examples http://qvectors.com/

Uses of Vector Graphics Graphics that will be scaled (or resized) Architectural drawings and CAD programs Flow charts Logos that will be scaled (resized) Cartoons and clip art Graphics on websites Because they have very small file sizes. This allows them to load quickly. Fonts and specialized text effects

Advantages of Vectors Resolution Independent Small File Sizes Regardless of how much the image is enlarged or reduced, the image definition and quality remain the same. Small File Sizes Easily transferred over the Internet.

Disadvantages of Vectors Lower color quality than raster images. They do not support as many colors. Not good for photographic images. Click to see an example. Teacher Note: Emphasize to the students the much better quality of the raster graphic because it is made up of pixels which can show much more detail than lines. Hyperlink opens this URL: http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/tutorial/example1.html

Popular Vector Graphic Software Xara Xtreme Adobe Illustrator CorelDraw DXF - AutoCAD Inkscape – open source software similar to Adobe Illustrator.

Common Vector File Formats AI – Adobe Illustrator Industry standard used by developers of vector graphics. Used to create, save, and archive original artwork. EPS – Encapsulated Postscript Meta Graphic Graphics developers generally save a copy of the AI file in EPS format because it can be opened by computers running different operating systems. Preferred format for vendors/clients who use the graphics in publications due to its portability.

Meta Graphics Can contain vector and raster data. Shapes in vector graphics can be filled with textures and patterns that are raster graphics. Useful when layering text on top of raster graphics. Examples WMF – Windows Metafile EPS – Encapsulated Postscript Teacher Note: For more information, visit this link: http://www.sqa.org.uk/e-learning/BitVect01CD/page_29.htm

More Vector Formats SVG – Scalable Vector Graphics Standard format created by W3C Versatile, all-purpose vector format CDR – Corel Draw DXF – AutoCAD WMF – Windows Metafile