New Designer

**mannlymoon** · 28 November 2008, 05:15 PM

Hi All,
I am very new to graphics creation and have a couple of real quick questions for a new website: a) Is there some type of formula or standard by which I can know when to use a vector and when to use a bitmap image? b) What is a fairly simple way to add gloss to text and raw images so that they are web-presentable in a basic way and again whether a vector or bitmap is best? Thanx to everyone i advance!

**ss-kalm** · 28 November 2008, 06:05 PM

As far as I know ALL website images are raster (bitmaps), I don't believe any website can show vector images.

The easiest way to make a gloss effect is to add white highlights either plain white or a graduated transparency.

**steve.ledger** · 28 November 2008, 08:33 PM

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) can be displayed by web browsers and are a good way to show clean line and solid colour drawings at any resolution.

It is the way in which they are drawn/calculated that determines a vector graphic from a bitmap image.
Everything you see on your screen is rasterized (bit mapped), even as you work and draw with vector.

**ss-kalm** · 28 November 2008, 08:38 PM

Darn ... Missed that.

But since I use Internet Explorer 8 I can probably be excused ....

Quote from Wikipedia
"All modern web browsers except Microsoft Internet Explorer support and render SVG markup directly. To view SVG files in Internet Explorer (IE), users have to download and install a browser plugin."

**Soquili** · 28 November 2008, 09:18 PM

Not all browsers support all of the SVG 1.1 standard.
http://wiki.svg.org/Viewer_Implementations

This may be why there are not many sites that use SVG graphics.

I notice that there is a SVG 1.2 working draft and SVG 1.2 Tiny in beta
http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/

**pauland** · 28 November 2008, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by ss-kalm

I don't believe any website can show vector images.

LOL - Flash!

(it's OK, I know what you meant)

**mannlymoon** · 29 November 2008, 10:18 AM

Thanx everyone, I really think I've got a much better handle on these types of images and their usage now. I'll just step back a bit and start reading a lot more. And I'll definitely be here to pay it forward next time!

**pauland** · 29 November 2008, 10:48 AM

Most website images are (in popularity order):

.jpg

photos, etc - good compression for smaller file sizes, but not so good for solid colour because compression introduces artifacts that are visible. No transparency.

.gif

graphics with solid colour and well defined edges. Supports transparency and animation.

.png

good for preserving image quality, but can result in larger file sizes than jpeg. Supports transparency. Used to be rarely used because older browsers didn't support it, but modern browsers do.

I don't think SVG has ever really caught on.

Besides that we have flash, but that's another ball game..

Paul

**raynerj1** · 29 November 2008, 04:53 PM

Don't use a graphic for solid color if the html will support it. I have seen many websites using graphics for a solid color background, and graphics for text when it really isn't required for a well designed page. The goal for any web designer should be a good looking page that loads quickly.

No web surfer wants to wait for a background graphic to load...

**Egg Bramhill** · 30 November 2008, 12:40 AM

I totally agree with Paul. SVG has been around for what, 5 ~ 6 years? Unless something comes along to revitalise it, it's a lame duck.
A 1pix x 1pix graphic can be used as a web page background, hardly going to break any download time is it?
The main reason for graphics being used for text is the limitation of html to display text apart from a very constrained font set. Would you say a "well designed page" can only be produced with Arial, Times New Roman or Veranda?