Raster vs. Vectors

Raster

Raster images are made of millions of pixels. An image can be identified as a raster image if you zoom in enough to where tiny squares (pixels) are visible. Using raster images are most useful when editing images. This is a because vectors can not be touched up to make a better quality image. Smoothed edges and transitions between colors make raster images look better compared to a vector image. Raster images are also used for websites to showcase whatever purpose they are trying to achieve.  When painting with pixels, it gives a feathered transition from the foreground to the background. If a gradient of the all the colors were to be made with no vectors, it would look like a rainbow. However if a gradient were to be made with all the colors with vectors, it would look like stripes of colors like the ten year old colored a rainbow with no blending.

  Overall,  raster images are meant for editing photographs, drawing or painting on Adobe Photoshop, and for using effects to perfect images with even the smallest details.

Vector

Vectors are created with paths. Paths are curves and lines that form whatever shape or design is being created. The outlook of a vectorized painting for example would look like a simplified version because it what happens during the process is that the software recognizes all the color and creates a shape for each of them. Therefore, it would have hard edges between colors unlike an original painting were colors are smoothly blended in. Software like Adobe Illustrator are specifically created to create vectors. Adobe Photoshop also creates vectors. However, Photoshop is not as versatile as Illustrator. Vectors and paths use algorithmic curvatures and does not depend on resolution. Vector shapes can be resized from the size of a coin to a billboard without showing any kind of pixel problem. Compared to rasterized images, vectors are efficient in saving space because it uses formulas to save the file instead of pixels like rasterized images.

  Designs like logos should always be created with vectors. This is because you never know  when you need to resize your logo for a flyer, a website, business card, a poster, or even a billboard! If you try to size up or expand a logo that is rasterized it will come out pixelated with a very low resolution.

Photo by Ari He on Unsplash

Destructive and Non-Destructive Operations

When working in Photoshop, there are two ways of fixing an image: Destructive and non- destructive.

Destructive Editing

Destructive editing pertains to the pixels in an image or photograph are altered. It is called “destructive” because the original state of the pixels are considered destroyed. For example: Using a soft- healing brush on a model’s face in the photograph would be considered as destructive editing. When you use this tool you are taking pixels from another area of the model’s skin that has consistency, it digitally manipulates each individual pixel that is selected to fix the any blemishes on the model. Ultimately, the finished result of using destructive editing usually improves the image.

Long ago, destructive editing was the only way to edit digital photos.  Adobe Photoshop is considered destructive editing software. However, if you have the intellectual capacity to expand your knowledge on Photoshop, then editing photos can be edited non- destructively.

Non- Destructive Editing

This type of editing allows the designer to adjust and manipulate and image without messing with the original photograph. There are several techniques to using non-destructive methods like adjustment layers, smart filters, and a multitude of other methods.

  Using adjustment layers allows to add color without altering any pixels from the original pictures. To access adjustment layers in Photoshop click Choose Layer> New Adjustment Layer and choose and option. Transforming with Smart Objects in Photoshop allow the image to be warped, skewed, rotated, and scaled with out any pixels being broken. Images that aren’t smart objects already can be converted by clicking Layer> Smart Objects> Convert To Smart Objects.Most casual designers fail to crop non-destructively. It can be easily achieved by selecting Hide from the options bar to hold the cropped area in a layer. To adjust it, click Image>Reveal All or by dragging the crop tool past the edge of the image. One of the easiest ways to work non- destructively is by simply adding another layer to retouch certain inconsistencies will help not damage the original image; specifically, this can used for tools like healing brush, spot- healing brush, and clone stamp. Lastly, masks are used non-destructively to hide and reveal certain adjustments made to an image without damaging any pixels. To do this you can make a group with a layer mask and with the brush tool you can select which parts you want to hide.

Photo by Peter Clarkson on Unsplash