Vector animation

Vector graphics is the creation of digital images through an algorithm or mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a given two-dimensional or three-dimensional space. In vector graphics, the file that results from a graphic artist's work is created and saved as a sequence of vector statements. For example, instead of containing a bit in the file for each bit of a line drawing, a vector graphic file describes a series of points to be connected. One result is a much smaller file. At some point, a vector image is converted into a raster graphics image, which maps bits directly to a display space (and is sometimes called a bitmap). The vector image can be converted to a raster image file prior to its display so that it can be ported between systems. A vector file is sometimes called a geometric file. Most images created with tools such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Flash.

FLASH vs ANIMATED GIFs

An animated GIF is actually many images saved in one. When the animated GIF is loaded onto a webpage, the browser simply loops the images. This means, if you make an animation of a clown that moves his hand up and down in 25 small movements, then the animated area of the image is saved 25 times. So it doesn't take a lot of animation to create a GIF image that's remarkable bigger than a regular clown image.

Therefore, even small animations take forever to load.

While animated GIFs can be used for animations, they do not support interactivity. They simply loop images in a predefined order and that's it.

In Flash, you can control the animations. For example, you can make the animation stop and wait for the user to click a button. And when the animation starts again it can be dependant on which button was clicked.

A final obvious difference is that GIF images are limited to a 256 color palette.

So compared to animated GIFs, the advantages of Flash are that:

• Flash movies load much faster.
• Flash movies allow interactivity.
• Flash movies can use more than 256 colors.

Let us look at a quick animation created with Flash.

Test your knowledge of vector graphics here.