Introduction to SVG

SVG is a language for describing 2D-graphics and graphical applications in XML.

What you should already know

Before you continue, you should have some basic understanding of the following:

• HTML
• Basic XML

If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.

What is SVG?

• SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics
• SVG is used to define vector-based graphics for the Web
• SVG defines the graphics in XML format
• SVG graphics do NOT lose any quality if they are zoomed or resized
• Every element and every attribute in SVG files can be animated
• SVG is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation
• SVG integrates with other W3C standards such as the DOM and XSL

SVG History & Advantages

SVG 1.1 became a W3C Recommendation in January 2003.

Sun Microsystems, Adobe, Apple, IBM, and Kodak are some of the organizations that have been involved in defining SVG.

Advantages of using SVG over other image formats (like JPEG and GIF) are:

• SVG files can be read and modified by a large range of tools (e.g. notepad)
• SVG files are smaller and more compressible than JPEG and GIF images
• SVG images are scalable
• SVG images can be printed with high quality at any resolution
• SVG images are zoomable. Any part of the image can be zoomed without degradation
• Text in SVG is selectable and searchable (excellent for making maps)
• SVG works with Java technology
• SVG is an open standard
• SVG files are pure XML

The main competitor to SVG is Flash.

The biggest advantage SVG has over Flash is the compliance with other standards (e.g. XSL and the DOM). Flash relies on proprietary technology that is not open source.

A drawback of SVG at the moment is that not all browsers support it. Mozilla browsers, Firefox, and Opera support SVG, and Microsoft plan to support SVG.

The number of SVG editors are growing, and Adobe GoLive 5 supports SVG.

Look at a directory of SVG enabled software and services

To view SVG files today, you may have to install a plug-in such as the Adobe SVG Viewer.

Viewing SVG Files

If your browser does not support SVG files, you will need to download an SVG viewer to view SVG files.

Note: Firefox 1.5 and Opera 9 have native SVG support. If you are using one of these browsers, you do not need to install an SVG viewer.

Download an SVG Viewer for FREE from Adobe.

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