Vector Graphics

Learn how to store and render an SVG file.

Storing vector graphics

Vector images take a different approach to storing images. Instead of storing the pixels that make up the image, a vector graphics file stores a list of instructions for how to draw the image. Here is an example of a scalable vector graphics (SVG) file. SVG is a widely-used vector format that is based on XML. It is supported by all the modern web browsers and is the main file format used by the popular open-source vector image editor, Inkscape.

Don’t worry about the details. We will probably never have to edit, or even look at, an SVG file in real life. This is just an illustration, used to give us an idea of what a vector graphics file might look like:

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