vector vs raster?

[flashmedic]

so, I got an email today about vectormagic at the sanford website. it seems to me that anyone would choose vectors over rasters any day of the week and twice on sundays, but it also seems like i might be missing something.

here be the link: VectorMagic

any wisdom from the group?

thanks

flashmedic

[blumesan]

You might want to post a link to the Sanford website.

[tomrock]

It depends what you're doing. If you're drawing a logo, vectors might works. But if you're working on a photograph, you're doing raster editing.

Vectors are mathematical directions to produce something -- start at 10,10 and go 2" horizontally with a 6 pixel line.

Raster involves a collection of pixels, i.e. a photo.

[flashmedic]

makes sense, but it seems to me that vectors are smoother and would produce a better image. am i thinking too much?

[flashmedic]

also the sanford site does have a flaw - it will only handle pics up to like 1mb as to not bog down their server.

[zero rc]

vector art definately has its place. like tomrock said, vector art is a mathamatical formula comprised of a series of points. kind of like a "dot-to-dot" picture. they are mostly used for logos or graphics that do not need intricate color transitions. vector art is resolution independant, in that it can be scaled infinately, without loosing resolution. pixel based images are resolution dependant, meaning that there are only so many dots to go around. once you start streatching the dots too thin, you will see a deterioration in image quality.liek t-rock said, its good for logos or flat' graphics.

[flashmedic]

right...so why isn't digital photography done with vectors, since they aren't size dependent? is it because they don't allow for intricate transitions?

[zero rc]

exactly. ive seen some good stuff done with vector art, just not photorealistic stuff. its all in the color transitions. a scene like a simple outdoor nature shot contains millions of colors and that would be too cumbersome to create using vectors.

[flashmedic]

I see said the blindman as he wiggled the toes on his wooden leg...got it now, thanks zero