Graphics

A graphic is any type of visual presentation that can be displayed on a physical surface such as a sheet of paper, wall, poster, blackboard, or computer monitor.

An image is a two- or three-dimensional representation of a person, animal, object, or scene in the natural world.

The difference between the two is that images are of the natural world and graphics are products of human imagination.

A raster image uses pixels to define the structure of a digital image. It is formed by dividing the area of an image into a rectangular matrix of rows and columns comprised of pixels. Raster images are ideal for images with lots of color information and complexity.

A vector image uses mathematically constructed paths to define a graphic's visual structure. Vector images are ideal for simple drawings, line art, clipart, and logos.

Upscaling should be avoided when possible because the more the image is enlarged, the softer and less sharp it becomes.

Aliasing is a stair-step effect caused by using square pixels to define objects with curves or diagonal lines.

Anti-aliasing smoothes out the edges of jagged type by blending the color transition points.