Flash glossary: Vector graphics
Vector graphics in Adobe Flash Professional are created with the use of geometric primitives such as anchor points, lines, curve segments, and shapes or polygons—which are all based on mathematical equations—to represent graphics on monitors and handsets.
Vector graphics formats are complementary to bitmap graphics (sometimes known as raster graphics), which represent images as an array of pixels and are commonly used to display photographic image content.
Generally speaking, vector graphics are used for animation, logos, graphics with solid or continuous tone artwork, illustrations, geometric shapes, screenshots of application interfaces, and cartoon-like drawings. Vector graphics can be scaled without losing quality because the points, curves, and lines that create vectors are resolution-independent.
Bitmap graphics are usually best for photographic content, such as photos taken with a digital camera, artwork that contains gradients, and other noncontinuous tone artwork.
Depending on the subject matter of the image, either vector graphics or bitmap graphics will result in the best display and file size. In Flash, you can combine both formats in your projects.
It is a best practice to learn the advantages of both types of graphics and understand the relationship between them to deliver projects with optimal visual and performance benefits.
To learn more about working with vector graphics, see the section titled Vector and bitmap graphics in the Flash documentation.
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