What Is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) File? – POFTUT
What Is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) File?

What Is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) File?

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SVG is a file extension that is the shortcut of Scalable Vector Graphics.  SVG files are used to store different graphics, pictures as an XML based data with a scalable graphics.  In this tutorial, we will examine the SVG file format standard, features, versions, advantages, use cases, tools to open SVG files.

What Is SVG?

SVG is an XML based file extension which is mainly used to store graphic data. SVG file contains the graphic data in XML format with GZIP compression because the data is text-based which can take a lot of space. SVG files also used in Saved Game files.

SVG File Standard and Versions

SVG is also a standard where it is created by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The first SVG file standard version is created in 1999. The popularity and advantages of the SVG file format forced to create updated version 1.1 in 2011. The latest version of the SVG which is 2.0 is created on 15 September 2016. There are two main profiles for SVG file standard names SVG Tiny and SVG Basic.

SVG Advantages

SVG format provides some advantages over other popular image formats like Png, Jpeg, etc.

  • `Scalability`: SVG uses shapes, numbers, and coordinates in order to store graphic information which is scaleable. This makes SVG resolution-independent where the same SVG file can be viewed in different pixel sizes without any loose of quality.
  • `Programmability`: SVG files use XML as data storing language which makes it very structured. So SVG files can be programmed easily with different programming and scripting languages. As an example, CSS and JavaScript can edit or interact with the SVG files interactively.
  • `Accessibility`: SVG files are text or XML based where they can be indexed and searched easily by screen readers, search engines, search software, etc.
  • `Performance`: SVG files provide performance for web applications. The size of the SVG files is very low according to JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc. because SVG is vector-based.
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SVG File Use Cases

SVG files can be used a lot of different areas because of its performance, size, and support. But some areas SVG used are special and effective for its usage.

  • `Pain Illustrations`
  • `Diagrams`
  • `Logos and Icons`
  • `Animations`
  • `Charts`
  • `Graphs`
  • `Infographics`
  • `Maps`
  • `Special Effects`
  • `Interface and Applications`

SVG File Parts

SVG file contains all the data about the graphic as XML as we can see below. The first line provides the <svg>  tag in order to define the SVG file and the default size.

SVG File Parts
SVG File Parts

Open SVG Files

The SVG file format is very popular which makes a lot of applications to open an SVG file. Here we will list some of the most popular applications which can open the SVG file. Some of these applications can also edit the SVG file too.

Windows

  • File Viewer Plus
  • CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
  • Corel PaintShop Pro
  • GIMP
  • Inkscape
  • IrfanView
  • CADSoftTools ABViewer
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Google Chrome Browser
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox

Linux

  • GIMP
  • Kolorpaint
  • Inkspace
  • Google Chrome Browser
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox

MacOSX

  • Inkspace
  • GIMP
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Google Chrome Browser
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox

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