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:
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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