Vector Art is a type
of digital art that revolves around the creation of images
(often, by copying another non-vector image), with the use
of vector software.
In computer drawing and animation,
a shape may be created in one of two ways, either as a raster
image, or a vector image. Raster images work by defining the
image in terms of its absolute pixels, eg, a small square
might be defined as 4 rows of 4 pixels wide.
A vector image would define a
square by its essential coordinates. A triangle, for instance,
would be defined by the coordinates of its three vertices.
The advantage of this method is that it requires only three
pieces of information for three corners, rather than a piece
of information for every pixel contained therein.
Vectors also have the advantage
of being infinitely resizable, because the coordinates can
simply be increased or decreased in proportion. As such, vector
graphics often look cleaner and simpler.
Vector Art is the art of drawing
pictures using only vector graphics. Vector Art is therefore
infinitely resizable. It is also highly flexible and compatible
with many mediums, due to its vectorial nature.
Vector Art often seems posterised,
as individual pixels cannot be defined, and therefore gradients
cannot so easily be achieved. Vector Art therefore often suffers
the loss of a gradient, to be replaced with one solid patch
of colour.
Popular vector programs include
Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Macromedia Flash and Freehand,
Xara X, and Serif DrawPlus
|
