__/ [ Joal Heagney ] on Tuesday 25 April 2006 03:23 \__
> Buck Rogers wrote:
>> Hi all!
>>
>> So I've been using Gimp for about 2 weeks now, but then I hear about
>> another
>> program called inkscape, something about vector editing, which I don't
>> fully
>> understand.
>>
>> So I am wondering to myself, do I use Gimp, or should I get Inkscape?
>> Can someone please explain to a newbie what exactly sets the two apart?
>> And why
>> I should use one or the other?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Buck.
>
> Gimp is a bitmap editing program, where the image is a 2-dimensional
> grid of pixels. When drawing an image, you set what colour each pixel
> has. Every tool in the Gimp at a basic level just changes the colours of
> given pixels.
> Bitmap editing programs are well suited to working with photos.
> The disadvantage is that if you try to scale the size of your image up,
> the picture starts to look pixelated and grainy.
>
> In vector graphics, rather than specify the colours of the pixels, you
> basically tell the "file/program/etc" the location and relative sizes of
> different shapes.
>
> E.g. "Place a blue circle at a location 50% from the top and 25% from
> the left. Make the circle 10% of the total width, and give it a white
> boarder that is approximately 1.5% the total width."
> The advantages of vector graphics is that it can be scaled to any size
> without effecting the quality and it has a small file size for large
> images. The disadvantage is that it takes a LOOOOOONNNNGGG time to be
> any good at it - most of the vector graphics on the internet look like
> ... well like the graphics from Rodger Ramjet ... or worse.
>
> All those flash animations you see on the internet? Vector graphics. But
> before you think of using Inkscape to make animations, Inkscape still
> doesn't have animation support. It only lets you do still graphics.
> Finally, vector graphics (Adobe Illustrator) is used a lot in
> professional comics, but you have to be really good to get to this level.
>
> So summarising:
> Photograph manipulation: bitmap editor.
> Icons and line art: vector graphics
>
> Joal Heagney
Let's not forget Xara Xtreme, which has recently gone GPL. It is a vector
graphics editor, which is highly flexible.
Roy
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