Understand the Differences Between Bitmap and Vector

I got a call from a customer recently. This customer was really struggling with doing even the most basic things in CorelDRAW. For those who prefer Adobe Illustrator, the same issues apply. Both are these products work primarily with vector graphics. The reason for the confusion is because the user had previous experience in a "paint" program (it wasn't specified which one) and was trying to work in the same way in CorelDRAW.

For a more complete explanation of the differences, I highly recommend you all read Lesson 3 of CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed. For those who haven't purchased CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed, this lesson is a free download. In order to work in a vector editor, you need to understand why vectors can be beneficial. The reverse is also true. For those who want to get the most out of Corel PHOTO-PAINT or Adobe Photoshop, you have to understand the strengths of an image editor.

Once you understand when to use vector and when to use bitmap, you can choose the right tool for a particular job. Some jobs require a mix and that means you'll use multiple tools to complete the job. Unfortunately it is a massive struggle if you use a vector editor to try to edit bitmaps or an image editor to work with vectors.