Most common formats for bitmap graphics include some type of compression to make it practical to send images across the internet. JPEG and GIF images make up the bulk of what we see on the net. Bitmap graphics provide several challenges for an author seeking a quality display. E nter Flash technology from Macromedia. Using the Flash plug-in, browsers can now see vector based graphics of the type authored in Macromedia Freehand or Adobe Illustrator.
Vector based graphics are well suited for low bandwidth transmission in several ways.
Vector graphics, also called line art, are usually made up of some combination of lines, geometric shapes and text. A graphic in vector format can therefore be represented and transmitted as a series of commands that define shape, fill color, and line size. Sending commands to be interpreted by the Flash plugin as an image is much more efficient than sending an image. Vector graphics are resolution independent. While vector graphics are well suited for photographic images, the Flash environment makes it easy to mix bitmap and vector graphics taking advantage of each format's strength.