Vector images are defined mathematically, based on their geometric characteristics. To be precise, a vector image is described by a set of geometric primitives that describe points, lines, curves, and polygons to which we can attribute colors and shades. They are radically different from raster images, which are described as a grid of correctly colored pixels.
Advantages
1. In most cases, vector images will require less disk space than a bitmap. They are mostly made up of flat colors or simple gradients so they do not require much disk space. The less information to create the image, the smaller the file size. Therefore, they are given more preference as compared to other images.
2. Vector images do not lose quality when scaled. In principle, a vector image can be scaled indefinitely. In the case of matrix images, a point is reached where it is evident that the image is made up of pixels. Therefore, the quality of vector images is superior to other forms of images.
3. They can be easily saved and modified in the future. The best part is that the modification process is also quite simple. All kinds of changes can be easily managed without any difficulty. Even if a file is modified, the resulting file does not take up much space. This is another reason why they are used in all industries.
4. The creation process is also quite simple. In fact, using simple drawings we can obtain complex vector images without much difficulty. Simple, easy-to-use programs such as Macromedia Freehand, Corel Draw, and Adobe Illustrator can be used to create simple drawings, which can be converted to vector images.
Disadvantages
1. They are generally not suitable for encoding images or videos taken in the “real world” (eg nature photos), although some formats do support mixed composition. Virtually all digital cameras store bitmap images.
2. The data used to describe them must be processed by a powerful machine, that is, the computer must be powerful enough to perform the necessary calculations to form the final image. If the data volume is high, it can slow down the rendering of the image on the screen, even when working with small files.
3. Another disadvantage is that even small drawing errors are often visible when images are enlarged to a certain point. Such an incident can affect the quality of the images, especially when they are used in the field of animation.
Despite the fact that vector images have some disadvantages, they have a wide range of applications and are implemented in the fields of computer graphics, architecture and engineering, etc.