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I have tried using PNG's and now use PDF as they are scalable without image quality loss.
I am wondering if it is better to use PNG that are a bit bigger than what I need and scale them down a bit or PDF images?
I feel the image quality is not quite so good with the PDF files.
PDF are single images exported from a vector program. They are not PDF documents.
Thanks.
The answer will come down to what is the content of the file you are using. If you are using shapes based off of vector artwork say a circle or a corporate logo, vector based files are always ideal because they can be infinitely scaled without resolution degradation. If you are working with an image, you need to work with a raster file like PNG.
As Luis points out, if you are using PDFs for vector art, make sure you have the resolution settings set appropriately.
If you are using a raster file (PNG,JPG,PSD, etc.) the general rule of thumb is to make the file the largest size you need for the maximum scale and nothing more. For example if you have a 4k image going into a 1080 project you could save it at 2k if you are not going to scale it more than 2x 1080 resolution. This will take less RAM and be faster to process. If you are going to scale it >2048x1920 you could leave it at 4K. If you are going to always have it scaled to 50% of the original, you could even resave as 1280x70, again to save ramp and reduce processing by scaling in the app.
The real answer is to use the appropriate format (raster vs. vector) based on the type of element. If you go raster, make sure you have a file that supports the largest scaling (>100%) required and you can optimize if it makes sense (image will be <100% original scale in most cases).
The answer will come down to what is the content of the file you are using. If you are using shapes based off of vector artwork say a circle or a corporate logo, vector based files are always ideal because they can be infinitely scaled without resolution degradation. If you are working with an image, you need to work with a raster file like PNG.
As Luis points out, if you are using PDFs for vector art, make sure you have the resolution settings set appropriately.
If you are using a raster file (PNG,JPG,PSD, etc.) the general rule of thumb is to make the file the largest size you need for the maximum scale and nothing more. For example if you have a 4k image going into a 1080 project you could save it at 2k if you are not going to scale it more than 2x 1080 resolution. This will take less RAM and be faster to process. If you are going to scale it >2048x1920 you could leave it at 4K. If you are going to always have it scaled to 50% of the original, you could even resave as 1280x70, again to save ramp and reduce processing by scaling in the app.
The real answer is to use the appropriate format (raster vs. vector) based on the type of element. If you go raster, make sure you have a file that supports the largest scaling (>100%) required and you can optimize if it makes sense (image will be <100% original scale in most cases).
If you need to scale above 100% by a very large amount, then by all means use PDF. Otherwise, it is probably easier to use png.
IMPORTANT: in order to use PDF with its vectorial form and achieve unlimited scaling without losing quality, you have to uncheck "fixed resolution" in the Media Inspector:
Open the Media list; Select the PDF image in the Media list; in the Inspector, click Media; UNcheck "Fixed Resolution".
Thanks for the info.
You mean easier with PNG's because the files are smaller.
Thank you for the added info.
Best image format PDF or PNG used for animation project ?
