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The ability to create and transmit high-quality images is key to the success of any content marketing campaign. Now more than ever, audiences are looking for high-quality visual content to keep them engaged and interested in your brand. The problem is, creating images that are both visually appealing and highly compressible.
Vector images tend to have a smaller file size than their raster counterparts. Compression is the process of reducing the size of a digital object so that it takes up less storage space. Reducing file size without losing detail is essential all images, especially those that will eventually be scaled up.
As someone who works with vector graphics often, you know there are ways to compress vector images. That being said, not all compression methods are created equal. In this article, you’ll learn about the six most common compression methods for vector images, and how they can help you reduce the file size of your vector assets.
What Is Compression?
Compression is the process of reducing the size of a digital object so that it takes up less storage space. When you reduce the size of a picture or an image, you’re reducing how much computer memory or hard drive space it takes up.
That can be useful depending on how many people access the file or how much storage space it’s taking up. But there are other advantages to compressing a file, too. Depending on the type of file you’re working with, there are a variety of different ways to reduce the file size.
For example, you can reduce file size by reducing the quality of the image, or you can reduce file size by removing the size of parts of the image. The most common form of compression is reducing the size of individual pixels.
Though this method can reduce the file size of an image quite a bit, it’s not good for printing. It’s easy to create images that look blocky and pixelated — especially if the image contains a lot of white space.
How to Compress Vector Images
There are a number of ways you can compress vector images. The first is to reduce the size of each individual object. For example, if you’re creating an infographic that includes a certain type of building, like a skyscraper, you could reduce the size of the building by creating a vector version of it that includes only the parts of the building you want in the final image.
There are also some tools that can automatically optimize your file. You can use these tools to find which parts of your image should be removed so your file can be as small as possible.
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Press (or JPEG) is the most common compression method for images. It was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group in the mid-1990s.
JPEG is a lossy format, meaning that it’s capable of reducing the image quality of images without losing their basic structure or the way they look. The amount of image loss depends on the image, as it’s typically decided by how much a file is compressed.
There are two different kinds of JPEGs:
- Trim level 0
- Trim level 1
“Trim level 0” JPEGs don’t store the exact dimensions of each object in the image. “Trim level 1” JPEGs, on the other hand, store the exact dimensions of each object in the image. While “trim level 0” JPEGs are much smaller, they can look blocky and pixelated when printed.
GIF
A GIF image is a type of image that is made up of a series of images that have been compressed into a single file. GIFs are usually 8 bits per color channel and have a maximum resolution of 256 colors per channel.
GIFs use a “raster-based” compression method. This means it stores images as a series of pixels with no loss of detail. GIFs are usually viewed as a single image when they’re downloaded and viewed. Because they’re so small, GIFs use very little storage space.
PNG
PNG is a “pure” format that can store images with no loss of detail. It was also developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG’s creator). PNG is a “lossless” format, which means that it doesn’t reduce the image quality of images.
The resolution of a PNG image is either 1-4 megapixels or 8-16 megapixels. Though it’s a “lossless” format, the images are still small. The PNG format is very popular in web design, as it’s a good option for storing images that will be viewed in many different ways.
BMP
A “Windows Bitmap” is a type of image that is used exclusively in Microsoft Windows applications. BMP files are usually only 8 bits per color channel and have a maximum resolution of 256 colors per channel.
Because they’re only used in Windows applications, BMPs are often very small. The resolution of a BMP image is usually only 256 pixels tall and wide.
EPUB/Mobi/Kindle Format
EPUB (Electronic Publication) is a standard for digital books that can be read on computers, tablets, or smartphones. EPUB files are usually only 8 bits per color channel and have a maximum resolution of 256 colors per channel.
Though they’re only used in digital books, EPUB files are often very small. The resolution of an EPUB image is usually only 256 pixels tall and wide. As a result, these typically do not need to be compressed.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of ways to compress vector images. And, with the amount of data being sent over the internet increasing, it’s more important than ever to reduce the file size of your images. Knowing the types of files you can compress to will allow you to better find quality compression when using applications like Placeit.net.
With the right tools and techniques, you can compress your vector images to reduce the amount of disk space they take up and save them for future use. The good news is that as long now you know what to look for in a good vector image compression tool, and which methods work best for your content, you should be able to create and compress your vector assets efficiently and effectively.
