Vectors

[Flash Fire 386]

Does it annoy the heck out of anyone else when people refer to any digital drawing as a vector? It's not. Here is the difference.

 

According to TechTerms.com:
 

Unlike JPEGs, GIFs, and BMP images, vector graphics are not made up of a grid of pixels. Instead, vector graphics are comprised of paths, which are defined by a start and end point, along with other points, curves, and angles along the way. A path can be a line, a square, a triangle, or a curvy shape. These paths can be used to create simple drawings or complex diagrams. Paths are even used to define the characters of specific typefaces.

 

Because vector-based images are not made up of a specific number of dots, they can be scaled to a larger size and not lose any image quality. If you blow up a raster graphic, it will look blocky, or "pixelated." When you blow up a vector graphic, the edges of each object within the graphic stay smooth and clean. This makes vector graphics ideal for logos, which can be small enough to appear on a business card, but can also be scaled to fill a billboard. Common types of vector graphics include Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand, and EPS files. Many Flash animations also use vector graphics, since they scale better and typically take up less space than bitmap images.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Thereisnospoon303
Please cite your sources.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

Yes, it annoys me a lot. Especially since I make work that is not vectors, but just look as ridiculously smooth as one. And people sometimes don't believe that, or they say "nice vector" when I explicitly say it was not a vector at all times. Kind of my pet peeve. I don't really like to vector either because making one is a pain in the ass, and I have a program do it for me.

[Invincible 2,090]

I think there's a clear category for "Vector art" in artistic sites out there. I guess some people mix their terms all too easily?

[Veritum 257]

I have began learning vector art just a few weeks ago, and it's just amazing how many people I've seen mix this up in the small amount of time I have been working on vectors.

[SolidTwilight 383]

what really make me mad is when you google "Vector ____" and every thing that comes up is not a vector of what ever you were looking for.