Glossary
What is the difference between vector and raster?
MarkdownWhat each is
JPEG, PNG, HEIC and WebP are raster formats. SVG and many PDFs contain vector shapes and text. A PDF can hold both.
Why it matters on a Mac
Logos and icons are best kept as vector so they scale cleanly. Photos are always raster. Enlarging a raster image cannot add detail.
How to check it on macOS
Open the file in Preview and zoom in. Pixels appearing as squares mean raster. Edges that stay crisp mean vector.
How Toolbox handles it
PDF to Images turns each PDF page into a PNG, JPEG or HEIC image, which is a raster copy. Resize Images changes the pixel size of raster images and can avoid enlarging smaller ones.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn a raster image into vector?
Tracing tools can approximate it, but results vary.
Is PDF vector or raster?
Either. A scanned PDF is raster, and one exported from a design app often has vector content.
Why does my image look blurry when I enlarge it?
It is raster and has a fixed number of pixels.
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