How to export a vector as WebP or TIFF

Choose File > Export in Vectornation by Zaweba and pick WebP or TIFF from the formats. The same export also writes PNG, JPEG, BMP and GIF. You set the scope, the resolution in ppi, the background and the anti-aliasing, and the drawing is turned into pixels at exactly the size you need.

A vector drawing is a set of shapes, and most websites, photo services and many publishers want an image made of pixels. Exporting is the moment those shapes become a picture, so the settings you choose here decide how sharp and how heavy the result is.

Which format for which job

WebP is a modern web format that tends to give smaller files than PNG or JPEG for the same look, and it can keep transparency. It suits website graphics, banners and illustrations shown online.

TIFF is the old, dependable format for print and archiving. Publishers, picture libraries and some print services ask for it, and it is a sensible choice when a picture needs to be handed on at high resolution without the losses of JPEG.

PNG is the safe choice for flat graphics with transparency, JPEG for photographic content where small files matter more than perfect edges, GIF and BMP for older systems that need them.

The export settings

Decide what to export. The scope setting chooses what goes into the image, so you can export the artboard you are on or just the part you need.

Set the ppi. For screen use the pixel size matters more than the number, so think in pixels. For print, 300 ppi at the finished size is the usual figure.

Choose a background. Leave it transparent for logos and icons that will sit on other colours, or fill it for a picture that needs a solid backdrop.

Leave anti-aliasing on for smooth curved edges in most cases. Turn it off only when you need hard pixel edges, as with some pixel art or a mask.

Then pick WebP or TIFF and save.

Sharp, light files

Export at the size you will use. Making a huge image and shrinking it elsewhere wastes time and often softens fine lines. Making a small one and enlarging it is worse.

Check fine detail at 100 percent. Hairlines and small text can disappear at low resolution, so look at the exported file at actual size before you send it.

Keep the vector original. An exported WebP or TIFF is a snapshot; when the client asks for a change, edit the drawing and export again rather than retouching pixels.

When you need more than one file

Asset export (Window > Document > Asset export) collects objects and exports each in several formats at once, which saves time when the same graphic is needed as both WebP and TIFF. Export for screens is there for screen sets. For a website graphic where every kilobyte counts, Optimised web image gives PNG-8 colour reduction with a live file size. And for whole folders of drawings, File > Automate > Batch or the command-line --convert option handle the work without opening each file.

Vectornation by Zaweba is free software for Windows that works offline and needs no account.