Jake Alexander

File Formats

Raster Files:
Another name for a raster file is a Bitmap. A bit map is made up of smaller
bits known as pixels. A bit map is normally used to create realistic graphics and
images; they use pixels to create a larger image. When zooming in on a raster file
you can see the pixels that form the image. It is one of the most common file
formats used.
An application that uses raster files is Adobe Photoshop; as Photoshop is used to
design graphics and images that look realistic.
Photoshop is designed to edit and create graphic images. It can open images in
RAW, which is a large file that needs to be compressed into a JPEG ready to print.
RAW images can produce higher quality images than a JPEG can as the image
gets compressed when you change the file format.

Vector Files:
Unlike raster files, vectors arent made up of pixels. Vectors are made up
from polygons, line equations and calculations to create smooth lines on a 2D
computer image. Vectors are good to create smooth images or text before
converting it into a raster file. This makes the image more precise than a Bitmap
as the pixels arent stretched. When you zoom in on a vector file, you will see that
there is no pixels that form and the image stays clear and smooth until it is
converted into a raster file.
An application that uses vectors is Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is used to also
design graphics, art or images but to make the layout of the whole image
smoother, neater and precise.
Illustrator used Vectors to make a neater image, text or logo for the graphic
designer. It makes the images look more professional than when they use
Photoshop bitmap to create something of professional standards.

Metafile:
A Metafile is a piece of graphical information stored in a format that can be
exchanged between different softwares and systems. This means that a metafile
stores data from graphics file formats such as Vectors and Rasters. A common
use for this would be to support operating systems with its computers graphics,
such as Windows and MAC.

Photoshop And Illustrator:

Photoshop and Illustrator are both adobe application products and apart
of the creative suite. Adobe has a range of programs for making videos, special
effects, graphics, art, etc.
Photoshop is mainly used with images to create new photos or edit them, and are
made up of many pixels from which the image is made of.
Illustrator is used for graphics, creating and drawing them as it gives the user
better outcomes than what Photoshop would. Vectors in illustrator work will
polygons rather than pixels to give the image a good design. Once work is done in
Illustrator, is can be rasterised (converted into a bitmap) and edited in
Photoshop.
Jake Alexander

In illustrator, a line is composed of two dots connected by a computer algorithm,

whereas a line in Photoshop is just a line of Pixels. Illustrator is better for
creating such things like logos that may have to be stretched to get the right
proportions or layout.