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What are vector illustrations and why should you use them? Because they rock, that’s why. Plus, vector illustrations are some of the most versatile files available on iStock. Here’s a primer to get you started.
First, a little technical information. There are basically two kinds of digital still images: raster (also known as bitmap) and vector. Raster images are made up of pixels, tiny colored squares arranged in a rectangular grid, forming an image. Vector graphics, on the other hand, use mathematical calculations to plot points — and paths connecting them — to describe the image. The resulting shapes, or objects, can be easily manipulated, colored and re-sized without loss of quality. Whereas a raster image may have, say, 1895 pixels from point A to point B, a vector graphic simply plots the two points, calculates the distance between them and draws a line (for this reason, vector files are typically much smaller than bitmap images).
Thankfully, one need not be a mathematician to create and edit vector artwork. Adobe Illustrator is the most widely-used vector graphics program out there; other popular applications are Macromedia Freehand (R.I.P. — Adobe purchased Macromedia in 2005), Corel Draw, Xara Xtreme and Inkscape. All vector illustrations on iStock are provided as Illustrator version 8 EPS files. This file type is the most widely-compatible format, and can be opened using any of the above drawing programs.
You may hear the phrase “resolution independent” when talking about vectors. That’s just a fancy way of saying that you can print a vector graphic on a business card or a billboard, and the image will remain sharp and crisp.
The image on the right is the “outline” or “keyline” view of the vector ornament on the left. You can see the points and the curved paths connecting them — these are called Bézier curves. The shape contains only as many points necessary to plot the curves, and instead of pixels, it is made up of mathematically-described paths.
Now look at this example. On the left is a bitmap version of the same scroll, magnified 800%. At that size, you can start to see the individual pixels, and the image becomes jaggy. On the right is the vector at the same magnification — it remains smooth and sharp.
In addition to their resolution independence, vectors rock because they are easy to edit and adapt to your designs. Let’s say you download a set of red icons, but you really need them to be orange. In this example, the colors of the buttons were changed, but the icon elements were left white, as they are separate objects:
It’s as simple as selecting the object, then clicking on a different color in the Swatches panel:
If you were to try to replace the color in a flattened bitmap image, it would be difficult to isolate the color you wanted to replace, without it looking a bit fuzzy.
Moreover, the vector file can be edited time and again without loss of quality. If you re-size and re-save a JPEG several times, you’ll see a distinct degradation. But since vector illustrations are made up of objects, each object can be moved, rotated, rearranged, duplicated or deleted to suit your needs. You can easily delete shapes to isolate the object you want, or combine shapes to create a new composition.
Or hey, maybe you just need the perfect image for your project and you’ve found it right here. Go ahead and slap it into your layout just like you would a photo. Make it any size you like, and it will still look great. Mash up a photo with a vector for a contemporary look.
Watch for more illustration tips and tutorials — there are as many possibilities as there are great artists at iStock!
We had our good friends Evangelesa and Bortonia put together this list of common Vector questions & answers to help you get going.
Q. The file I downloaded isn’t a vector ‘EPS’, it’s ‘ZIP’. How do I get the EPS?
iStock EPS files are provided inside a ZIP folder, which keeps the file size small for easier downloading. Some web browsers will automatically open ZIP files for you, but others will save the ZIP file directly to your computer. To access the EPS, simply double click on the ZIP file.
Q. Why won’t the ZIP folder un-ZIP?
- Check your browser’s Download Manager to ensure the ZIP file has finished downloading to your computer.
- If the folder won’t open when you double click the ZIP file, try shortening the ZIP folder name to 8 characters or less.
- If the ZIP folder has downloaded but won’t open after you’ve shortened the file name, please try re-downloading the file within 24 hours after your first try. You can access your previously downloaded files by clicking on ‘Account Details > Financials > View Image Downloads’.
Q. Why aren’t the shapes in the EPS file editable?
- Please ensure you have opened the file labeled ‘EPS’.
- Open the EPS file into your vector editing software and open the ‘Layers’ panel. If you see a lock icon next to the layer, click it to unlock the layer so you can edit the shapes.
Q. Will the EPS file open into my vector editing program?
iStock vector files are saved as EPS files, which are compatible with most older vector programs. However, if your vector editing software is more than 10 years old, you may not be able to open the file. If this is the case, please contact Client Relations for an alternate file format.
Q. Why are there thin blue lines across the EPS file?
Some illustrators use “guides” to help them align objects within their artwork. These lines will not show when you print the illustration, but if you find them distracting you can turn them off. In Adobe Illustrator go to View > Guides > Hide Guides.
Q. What size/resolution is an EPS file?
Vector EPS files are resolution independent, thus can be scaled to any size without losing image quality.
Q. Why do some illustrations cost more than others?
Illustrations are priced depending on the amount of detail in the image, originality, creativity and style, and use of color, shape and line. The more complex and original the image, the higher it will be priced.
Q. Can I still use an illustration even if I don’t have vector editing software?
Vector illustrations will open into many photo editing programs and can be saved as JPEGs, TIFFs, PDFs, or other raster file formats. They can also be placed into page layout programs like Adobe InDesign and Quark XPress. Most vector downloads also include a high resolution JPEG file bundled with the vector EPS, for those who don't have access to vector editing software. If you are unable to open the file in a vector or raster program, please contact Client Relations and they’ll help you out.
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