vectors, bitmaps, what's the deal

First off, right off the bat, I have to say I'm happy we had to read up on this stuff. I never even knew. I mean I knew some of the differences and that there was a difference between the two, but I had no idea how to use them differently really. At all.

Bitmaps
Basically bitmaps are images that consist of bits, or pixels, that are different colors to create gradations and such in images. Bitmaps are good for photographs and realistic looking images.  Bitmap images cannot be scaled like vector images however. If a bitmap image is scaled up or down too much it will lose its realistic quality. Too  big and it looks blocky and the pixels can eventually be seen and if it's too small it starts to look fuzzy. Bitmaps are also larger files than vectors.

Vectors
Vectors are lines and fields of colors created using mathematical definitions. Each line is composed of equations that define the curves of the line and are controlled through and anchor point and other points that move the curve. These are called Bezier curves. These lines and drawings can then be filled with color fields and some gradients. Although some artists can draw life like images using vectors, most vector files are used for illustrations and simple images like logos. Vectors are also ideal for these because they infinitely scalable and can be used at any size when wanted. Since vector files are composed of only equations guiding these Bezier curves, they are rather small compared to bitmap files.

One can switch back and forth between vectors and bitmaps fairly easily. Photoshop is more ideal for bitmaps and can open any file as a bitmap. Illustrator on the other hand is good for vectors and can easily turn a bitmap into a vector with the live trace feature. It smooths out pixelated images and changes them into a black and white image. Yes the image may lose its realism, but that's the sacrifice that needs to be made when one chooses to use vectors.

Overall, there are good uses for both, and ideally it seems like working back and forth between the two might be the best idea to accomplish certain tasks. Our task at hand now with these posters is one such example. Photos and vectors combined to form one nice smooth and clean poster.


Here's a link to the website i found my information.  I found it all pretty useful.
http://www.prepressure.com/library/file-formats/bitmap-versus-vector