Using vector images

top_drawer_2

hi,

I am looking for a logo for a charity thing I am doing and having a look around the web I have come across Vector Images. However, I am really struggling with what to download them as, how to open and view them etc.

I was hoping to do a basic sheet of a a few different ones to show to the rest of the group.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Jen

Lokolo

There are 2 types of images, Bitmaps and Vectors.

Bitmap images are things like JPEGS and BITMAP file types.

Vector images are things like SVG file types.

The difference between them is that vector images (its hard to explain without going all mathematical!) is that you can scale vector images and they don't become distorted.

If you try and scale a jpeg upwards it becomes crap.

Example (sorry about image size, I needed to do it to explain!)

ORIGINAL IMAGE



BITMAP IMAGE ENLARGED



VECTOR IMAGE ENLARGED



I did aim for the 2 upscaled images to be the same size, but nevermind.

I hope you get my points.

With logos you want them to be vector, because you can resize them (so big images on posters/banners will have the same quality as small ones on business cards) without effecting quality.

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Are you trying to make your own logo or are you just trying to find another logo to use?

top_drawer_2

Thanks thats brillant, that makes sense!

Yes, Im trying to make/design a logo - we have a name but no logo to put on stuff.

Thanks

Jen

Lokolo

Sorry this is where I am limited, I am not a graphics person, I just have to know about vector images because I program games!

If you are planning on doing a a page of images I wouldn't bother making them proper vector images until you know the one you want, just draw them in a paint program.

I am sure someone else will come and comment at some point!

Johnjohn

The industry standard software for producing vector images is Adobe Illustrator. It's a good program but very expensive.

A free option that is probably good enough for what you are trying to do is the drawing package that comes with Open Office http://www.openoffice.org/product/draw.html

Some background info on vector graphics here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics

top_drawer_2

Like free hand drawing - thats why I have had to go down this route, no-one is any good at drawing........ I cant currently work out how to get them to display.... I just wanted to copy and paste them into a programme so that I can print them all to show to the group at our next meeting.

Lokolo

top_drawer wrote: »

Like free hand drawing - thats why I have had to go down this route, no-one is any good at drawing........ I cant currently work out how to get them to display.... I just wanted to copy and paste them into a programme so that I can print them all to show to the group at our next meeting.

Ah I see. Are you scanning them in or something?

Johnjohn

Do you know what file format they are in? E.g. ai, eps, svg ?

top_drawer_2

Lokolo wrote: »

Ah I see. Are you scanning them in or something?

No just searched on Google "free vector images"

top_drawer_2

Johnjohn wrote: »

Do you know what file format they are in? E.g. ai, eps, svg ?

Various .... depends on which one I (and they) are interested in.

tronator

top_drawer wrote: »

Yes, Im trying to make/design a logo - we have a name but no logo to put on stuff.

If you don't know what software to use, try Inkscape. It uses *.svg (scalable vector graphics) as default file format, which is the standard format of the W3C for vector graphics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics