Week 6: Muddy- Which Image Type to Use?

When viewing this weeks lectures from class, I learned a great deal! I work with a computer on a daily basis but I am unfamiliar with what type of image format will be useful in different situations. There are two types of multimedia images that are available to us which are raster and vector graphics. Most of us use some type of social networking on the computer and possibly put up personal pictures, but many sites such as Facebook make selecting a photo very easy. But what happens if you need to select the correct format for a work presentation that others may view? That's when knowledge of these types of images come into play.

Raster graphics or "Bitmap" use an array of color dots which if you magnify the picture will become blotchy. So when cropping or resizing this image, that becomes a problem. For example, take a look at the below image. The flower is beautiful when it is not magnified, but when you zoom in, it becomes blocky.

This can be a major issue if you have to present this to clients or in a professional atmosphere.

To avoid this issue, you can use vector graphics. Vector graphics can be magnified with no loss of quality. Vector graphics use more primitive designs that allow the image to be magnified without issue. Take a look at an example of both when magnifying.

As you can see there is a huge difference! When selecting the type of graphic you want to use you must also keep other issues in mind such as how will the image look when if I need to crop or resize it or what amount of space will it take up? I found some interesting information on which type of graphic to choose when designing a logo for your company. Take a look at the ideas posted by Mash.

So before you being in you journey into saving and editing images, make sure if find out as much information as possible on both types of graphics and which will be most useful for your purpose!