Constant Content

Can someone here explain to me what an EPS file is? My first illustration submitted to CC was rejected. Since I was told to read the illustration guidelines, and since my illustration was not in an EPS file (whatever that is), I'm guessing my illustration was rejected because it wasn't in an EPS file. How do I submit my work in this format? I'm not too informed when it comes to stuff like this, so please explain it as simply as you can. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Sonia

An EPS file is a vector-based image format. The filename will end with ".eps". Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw are two of the most popular programs for creating images in this format. I'm afraid I can't tell you much more than that, as it's all fairly new to me too. I'm having a blast learning though!

I just made a post in reference to this in the Illustration Section Updated posting. Please refer to that post for free programs that can be used to convert your images to an EPS file.

Hope this helps!

:o)

Hi, I can help with this question of what a vector file is.

There are essentially two kinds of image files that you can create. One is called a bitmap, and the other is called a vector.

With a bitmap, the picture is created by a specific number of coloured dots, in a specific number of rows and columns. Think of it as a 'map' of 'bits' of colour. The number of rows and columns, and the hence number of dots you get, is what is referred to as the resolution of that image. This is what folks are talking about when they refer to dots per inch, or DPI. Once you have exported a bitmap image the DPI (the number of dots) can't be effectively increased. If you try to increase the dimensions of a bitmap, new dots have to be created. With a bitmap, these new dots are created via guesswork, by matching the colour of the nearest dot. This is why when you try to make a bitmap bigger, it becomes blurry. Common bitmap filetypes are .jpg, .gif and .bmp. These file types are commonly used on the web, where images are designed from the outset to be a specific predetermined size. The predetermined size also allows for maximum file compression and load speed, which is the other reason they are predominantly used for web.

Vector images work differently. Instead of vector images being rows and columns of dots, they are more like a kids join the dots puzzle. A vector image plots out anchor points, as well as information on how to create lines and colours between those anchor points. If you take a vector image and stretch it out, the anchor points are uniformly spread further apart, and the lines and colours between the anchor points become uniformly larger.

I ran out of characters, so post TBC...

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Through this technique, you can theoretically make a vector image infinitely large, without getting any blurring or degradation of image quality. This is why, especially for print, people often prefer vector images. They are generally not used for the web because vector files hold a lot of information, and tend to be quite large in file size. In the case of constant-content, vector files would allow buyers more options and more freedom with what they can use the illustrations for.

With the differences between the two image types described above, another factor is worth mentioning. If you want to create vector based images, it is really worth your while learning to use vector drawing software rather than just converting images made in bitmap drawing software. The reason is that even if you take a bitmap and convert it into a vector file, the original image was not created with the proper anchor points and hence the proper scalability. Any attempts to increase the size of the image still requires guesswork, and can still result in a loss of image quality. To get the desired benefits of a vector format, you really need to start from scratch in a vector drawing program such as Illustrator or Corel Draw as MediaMaven mentioned. Another popular application is Freehand, for those that like the former Macromedia owned suite of software.

I hope that info is helpful, and good luck with your illustrations!

You might try putting a bid in at Elance, looking on Craigslist, or finding a web design company in your local phone book.

I'd recommend odesk for design work like you are talking about.