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If there is one phrase in movies that causes a collective stir more than any other, it’s probably “zoom and enhance”. Often used in lifeless crime dramas (I’m looking at you CSI) where the characters are archetypes, the scripting made up of clichés and the principles behind graphical technology completely disregarded. For a show that literally revolves around finding out the truth, it’s amazing how many misconceptions it casually spreads.

It’s a trope that’s been around for years and is perhaps most famously remembered when Deckard is analysing an image in . But that was decades ago, it’s possible now right? I’m afraid not. While there are ways to ‘enhance’ a photo, it can’t be done to the scale shown in Hollywood movies.

But there are some types of image files that can be infinitely scaled with no loss in quality. Welcome to world of vector graphics. Practically every design you’ve seen, started with a line drawn in a vector graphic software like . The graphic design tool has been a mainstay for designers across the world for a variety of reasons. So what exactly is a vector image?

What is a vector graphic?

When working on any digital imagery, you’re either working on a vector or a bitmap. A bitmap is made up of a mosaic (map) of pixels (bits) onto which your image is displayed – this image is called a raster image. Within each bit is a colour and tonal information, and this bit will never stray from the other bits around it to ensure your image displays what it’s supposed to. If you try and enlarge this (or enhance I should say), all you’re doing is stretching the individual pixels which is how you get pixelated pictures; your computer cannot add new pixels where there aren’t any.

Vector graphics, on the other hand, are defined by mathematical formulas which tell your computer where basic geometric elements sit in relation to each other. Instead of telling your computer what information sits in each pixel, it is instead telling your computer the relationship between two points of a line. In this sense, vector graphics are less granular and thus less detailed than a high resolution raster image. But the trade-off is that you get something which is immensely flexible from a design perspective and infinitely scalable without any loss in quality.

That’s not to say that you can’t build complex drawings with vectors. If anything, building something that consists of many simple elements is often best done with vectors. Especially because each element and layer can then be individually edited giving you flexibility in how the final output will look. This is why logos should be made with vectors as the would be much easier if you can manipulate any individual design element. This same principle also makes it much easier for the end user to manipulate vector graphics to their needs or branding.

What’s the difference between a raster graphic and a vector graphic?

Raster graphics are dictated by a bitmap and the number of pixels (resolution) on that bitmap. Whereas vectors are much more flexible to work with and often the starting point for a lot of graphic design.

As a result, raster graphics are better for more complex visuals with detailed colour shading such as photographs and digital paintings while vectors are better for design flexibility, infinite scalability and are smaller in file size. This means photographs and digital art are often created as a raster graphic. While logos, branding elements, design elements, and more simplified graphics are created as vectors.

Pros of using vector graphics:

• Infinitely scalability
• Unfathomable design flexibility
• Smaller file sizes
• Smoother, sharper edges

Pros of using raster graphics:

• Can be much more detailed if the resolution is high enough
• Less design knowledge required to work with raster graphics
• More compatible file formats

Using vector graphics

One of the disadvantages of vector graphics is that you’ll need a slightly different skillset to work with them compared to working on raster graphics. It will also require using different software such as Adobe Illustrator as opposed to Adobe Photoshop.

Once you’ve created your vector image, you will usually need to raster the image for use in the digital world. This is especially true of complex builds where you start off creating your vector image as a wireframe and then the detailing would be added in something like Photoshop once you’ve rasterised the image. By doing this, you’re bringing it into the rasterised world where each individual pixel can be edited. This is a necessary step because every digital screen uses pixels so you’ll want to prepare your graphics to display accurately on a bitmap.

Sometimes though, you’ll want to upload your vector graphic instead of a rasterised version. This might be because you need to keep the file size low and it’s a critical graphic such as a logo and therefore needs to display perfectly. If you come across any issues uploading your vector image to the web, you’ll most likely to find success with an SVG file (scalable vector graphic).

In the print industry, vectors are even more important and play a significant role. The majority of physical print products from studios are still sent as PDF or EPS (encapsulated post script) files because it’s cheaper to print and easy to divide the colours into layers for ‘roller’ print machines. Sometimes, a company can only afford three colours on a print product so the designer would have to work around that.

How does the vector landscape look now?

Sharp as a pin. In all seriousness, the digital world doesn’t like to stand still, and this is no different for vectors. While there are examples of vector graphics since the 60s, it wasn’t until the 90s that they started coming into popular use. It took until 1999 for the (W3C) to develop the now popular SVG format.

We spoke to who started out in print design but is now working as a freelance illustrator with his varied portfolio. Of the origins, he said: “When microstock was starting to become popular, the main concern for vector and illustration contributors was producing enough work.  For a while, it was entirely a quantity game.”

At the time, vectors were very much in their infancy and as such, people weren’t sure what they wanted or how best to use vectors. And when you’re not sure, you take as much as you can to try and cover all bases. But as buyers gain a better understanding of what they need and how to use them, creators gain a better understanding of what’s required. It’s an important relationship as one cannot survive without the other. This is why, here at Alamy, we believe in bridging the gap between artists and image buyers so that everyone reaps the benefits.

The next stage would normally be growth in competition and therefore improvements in quality and originality go up. Matt confirms this and says that you needed “a recognisable style [that] would attract repeat business as people sought out ‘something different’ to help their designs stand out.”

But now that we’re here, how have behaviours and needs changed. Most of you will know that the creative industry is incredibly competitive. What was done by professionals and experts can now be done by almost anyone in a bedroom albeit to a lower standard. This means buyers are more savvy too and now have the know-how to make better use of their vector graphics with design software that is widely available and sometimes free.

So what does that mean for contributors? Matt advises: “The demand for a ‘finished’ stock image has been dwarfed by the demand for useful design elements that can be easily altered and arranged by the end user to create something unique.  There’s a drive toward personalisation and individuality so that buyers can make sure their designs stand out.”

It seems that flexibility and versatility is the name of the game now. Which when you think about it, was one of the main reasons vector graphics came into popular use in the first place. If you’re looking for some graphics, check out our ‘Vectors & Illustrations’ category. And don’t forget to work on an EPS file. If you’re working on the JPG, you’re working on a raster image and might bang your head on the wall when you try and ‘zoom and enhance’ only to be faced with a grainy pixelated image.

Matthew Britton has a massive sample of vector graphics but here is a small collection curated just for you.