As a graphic artist myself, I’m always on the lookout for products that make my job easier or for products that are so easy to use. I love a product that I can in good conscience refer my friends to that don’t have (or want) more expensive graphic tools and software. Vectorizer.AI is one of those products.
First let me explain the purpose of a product like this. When working with graphics there are generally two types of ways images are created—either raster based or vector based.
Raster Images
Raster images are a type of digital pictures that we see on computers, tablets, and phones. Imagine a big grid, kind of like a checkerboard, and each little square on this grid is called a “pixel.” Each pixel is a tiny dot of color. When you put a lot of these colored dots together, like pieces in a puzzle, they form a picture that you can see on your screen.
But here’s a thing to know: if you try to make a raster image bigger (like when you zoom in), it might start to look blurry or blocky. That’s because those little squares, or pixels, are getting stretched, and they can’t add new details that wasn’t there before.
So, raster images are great for photos and images with lots of details and colors, but they can lose their sharpness if they are stretched too big. Popular raster image file types you might have seen include JPEG, PNG, and GIF.
Raster images are measured in DPI or PPI. Which is simply Dots Per Inch (DPI) or Pixels Per Inch (PPI). This is important to know when working with photos. If you’re looking for screen display, you will want to have your images set at 72 dpi. And for print a good quality image, it should be 300 dpi (at the size you want the final image to be).
Vector Images
Vector images are a different kind of digital pictures, and they have a superpower. They can get resized to be really big or really small, and they stay perfectly sharp and clear every time!
Instead of using tiny squares or dots like raster images, vector images use math and coordinates to create shapes, lines, and curves. It’s kind of like drawing with a super smart set of instructions. For example, a vector circle is actually a math formula that tells the computer how to draw that circle perfectly, no matter how big or small it is.
Because they use these math instructions, vector images can be stretched super big (like for a billboard) or made really small (like for a business card), and they will always look just as good and sharp.
Artists and designers love to use vector images when they need their work to be flexible for different sizes. Some common file types for vector images are SVG, AI, DXF, and EPS. So, in a nutshell, vector images are like magical shape instructions that your computer follows to draw perfect pictures, no matter how big or small they need to be!
Personally, when I’m creating images and line art to sell on one of my stores, I provide them in about 7 file types so that the purchaser has what they need. Many times, if you’re working with AI generated art for print projects, it’s a good idea to run it through a vectorizer program to get a good sharp image to print. I use Adobe Illustrator for that in most cases, but I have the full Adobe suite of products. For most individuals or small business owners, that’s just overkill as you may not have the same need for all of those applications, and it’s a bit pricey.
That’s Why I’m Suggesting Vectorizer.ai
First off it has a seamless experience for vectorizing images. It’s straight to the point and gets the job done, fast and easy!
Vectorizer.ai offers a very intuitive and user-friendly interface. Right from the homepage, it’s easy to understand where to upload your image and how to
start the vectorization process. The layout is clean, and navigation through the website is effortless.
The range of options available is fantastic. Not only does it convert raster images to various vector formats (such as SVG, AI, and EPS), but it also provides advanced settings to adjust the level of detail, color, and smoothness of paths. The feature to preview your vectorized image before downloading is particularly helpful. The process of converting images into vector formats is quite speedy. Most of my images were processed in under a minute, although complex and high-resolution images understandably took a little longer.
I am incredibly impressed with the quality of the vector images that this service produces. The edges are smooth, the colors are accurate, and it handled complex images quite well, maintaining a great deal of detail. I’ve tried many images myself, and in all actuality, it’s easier to use than the aforementioned popular (expensive) product.
The service is currently free as it is in a beta version with limited capabilities, which is excellent for casual users or small projects. The API has paid options which are reasonably priced for the features that they offer. There are multiple subscription plans available, making it easy to find one that fits your needs and budget.
Privacy and Security: Vectorizer.ai clearly states its privacy policy on the website, and I appreciate their commitment to user data protection. They don’t store images after processing, which is a big plus in my book.
Overall Experience: I have tried a few online vectorization tools, and Vectorizer.ai stands out as one of the best. It’s incredibly user-friendly, the output quality is top-notch, and for free, you can’t go wrong. Whether you are a graphic designer in need of a robust tool or someone looking to convert images for a personal project, I highly recommend giving Vectorizer.ai a try.
