Subscribe to our newsletter. Vector graphics are made up of many individual objects. Each of these objects can be defined by mathematical statements and has individual properties assigned to it such as color, fill, and outline. Vector graphics are resolution independent because they can be output to the highest quality at any scale. Software used to create vector graphics is sometimes referred to as object-based editing software.
Vector graphics tend to have much smaller file sizes than raster-based bitmaps.
If you have the Flash plug-in installed on your computer, you can right click on the image below to zoom in. When you zoom in on the image, notice that the edges of the text are always crisp and sharp at any scale. This is why vector images are called resolution independent . Currently, the only way vector images can be displayed on the Web is by requiring viewers to install a browser plug-in . Learn about the qualities of vector-based images, one of the two major types of 2D graphics.