Conor Latham

Different
Graphic
Formats
P2

Introduction
In this assignment I will be discussing and analysing bitmap and vector graphics
and comparing the differences between the two, to help see which graphic is
better for graphical designers when they are editing and using graphics. I will
then discuss the different file types such as .gif and .png; this will help me decide
which extension is best when it comes to saving graphics using as little space as
possible.

Bitmap Graphics
Bitmap graphics are made up of tiny dots called pixels; this means that if the
picture is zoomed in the individual pixels will become more visible. Each pixel is a
very small square and is assigned a colour and arranged in a way that creates an
image, similar to a very fine quality mosaic. Although bitmaps can be used to
design digital graphics there are much better quality and more accurate software
like photo manipulation software such as Photoshop. An example of bitmap
graphic software is Microsoft Paint.

Vector Graphics
Instead of using different patterns of pixels vector graphics use mathematical
formulas by combining circles and polygons to draw lines and curves, allowing
any shape or image to be created. Vector graphics can be edited by manipulating
the lines and curves used to create images using photo manipulation software
that is designed to do so, an example of this is Adobe Photoshop.

Bitmap vs Vector
Vector graphics are smaller than bitmap graphics because bitmap needs to store
the colour information for each individual pixel used to make the image. Whereas
vector graphics only need to store the mathematical formulas that make up the
image, which take up far less space. When a Bitmap image is scaled up the
pixels become clearer and create a jagged edge of the image, this means that
editing an image close up will present a lower quality. However when a vector
image is scaled up the mathematical formulas adjust so that the quality of the
image remains the same whether the image is a high zoom or low zoom.
However vector image are not as well supported on the internet as bitmap
images are. The two most widely supported and used image file types are .gif
and .jpeg, which are both bitmap file types, most vector images must be
converted to bitmap formats before they can be used on the internet.

File Formats
File
Format
.jpg

Bitmap
or
Vector
Bitmap

Description

Size

Jpg or jpeg is a common method of lossy

compression for digital images, particularly for
images produced using digital photography.
The amount of compression can be adjusted,
allowing an adjustable trade-off between
storage size and image quality. JPEG typically

Jpg supports a maximum

file size of
65,53565,535 pixels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/JPEG

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achieves 10:1 compression with very little loss

in overall image quality.

.gif

.tif

.png

.
bitmap

Bitmap

The gif is a bitmap image format that was

created in 1987 and has since become the
most widely used and accepted file format for
graphics, due to its wide support and ease of
use. The gif supports both standard images and
moving animations.

Bitmap

Tiff is a bitmap image format used by graphic

artists, the publishing industry, and
photographers. The tiff is widely supported by
photo manipulation software, publishing and
page layout software, scanning, faxing, word
processing, and many more applications.

Bitmap

Png is a bitmap file format that supports

lossless data compression. Png was an
improved design of the gif, and was meant
intended as a replacement for the gif. The png
is now the most used and supported lossless
image compression file extension on the
internet.

Bitmap

Bitmap is an image file format designed to

store bitmap graphic files independently of the
display device. The bitmap is capable of storing
two dimensional images with random width,
height and resolution, the images can be either
single coloured or multi-coloured. There is an
added option of data compression, alpha
channels and colour profiles.

The format supports up to

8 bits per pixel for each
image, allowing a single
image to reference its
own palette of up to 256
different colours chosen
from the 24-bit RGB
colour space.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/GIF#File_format
Tiff files are generally
larger than other file
extensions, simply
because they are
designed to preserve
quality, therefore they do
not compress the file.
This is ideal for images
that are going to be
edited, but be warned
they use a lot of memory.
Png has the same format
as the gif supporting 8
bits per pixel; however
the png uses a more
effective compression
system, so therefore is a
smaller file size and loads
faster.
Bitmap stores between 1
bit per pixel and 32 bit
per pixel, the amount
depends on the number
of colours required. For
example, 1 bit per pixel
will use a single colour,
whereas 32 bit per pixel
can use up to
4,294,967,296 distinct
colours.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/BMP_file_format#Pixel_
storage

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Bibliography
BITMAP. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_file_format#Pixel_storage
Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). What is the difference between
bitmap and vector images? Retrieved from Tech Ease:
http://etc.usf.edu/techease/win/images/what-is-the-difference-betweenbitmap-and-vector-images/
GIF. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF#File_format
JPEG. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG
PNG. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Network_Graphics
TIFF. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagged_Image_File_Format

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