What Is a Graphics Editor?

Graphics editors are programs for creating and editing graphic documents, i.e. documents with images - whether these be photographs, logos, signs, or anything else. There are, however, two basic ways in which computers can work with images - as vectors or as bitmaps.The difference between these approaches is so large that most graphics editors specialize in one of them, and can handle only the most essential functions from the other type - usually they can only import and place the other type, perhaps also reduce and enlarge it. Zoner Draw 4 is a vector graphics editor. But since it is designed especially for those users who do not care to buy expensive programs aimedat professional users, it also contains some of the most frequently used tools for editing bitmaps.

Vectors and Bitmaps

Both of these approaches for storing images are important. They are both irreplaceable for graphics creation, and they also supplement each other. Once you understand the two approaches, you will then be able to distinguish between them, and decide when and for what each of them is important.

Vector Graphics

...are based on mathematical descriptions of flat shapes - on geometry. This approach sees images as collages of objects (lines, texts, geometrical shapes, etc.), made up of "tangent vectors" or "guidelines". (Mathematically speaking, a vector is a directional segment defined by its length, its direction, and the position of its starting point). The computer thus records this data, as well as other properties (color, shadow, etc.) for basic objects and recalculates the shapes of vectors every time they are redrawn or printed. Therefore, the display quality is always high, regardless of the magnification level used, the printout quality is always as high as the printer will allow, and drawings don't need much disk space.

Bitmap Graphics

...are based on the way images are displayed and printed. This approach, therefore, sees the images as a mosaic of points - a "bit map", thus "bitmap", where every point, called a "pixel", is defined by its position and color. The computer must remember this information for every point; this causes bitmap data files to grow in proportion with the image's size. Increasing the size of a bitmap image also causes a significant decrease in its quality.