There are two main types of tools used for digital illustration: bitmapped and vector. With bitmapped tools, the content is stored digitally in fixed rows, columns, and layers, containing information about each pixel's hue, luminance, and sometimes filter settings. With vector-based tools, the content is stored digitally as resolution-independent mathematical formulae describing lines, shapes, and color gradients. Digital illustrations may include both raster and vector graphics in the same work.

Other programs - such as GraphicsMagick, ImageMagick and PhotoLine - have a more "programmatic approach" to illustration

In computer graphics, graphics software or image editing software is a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate visual images on a computer.

Computer graphics can be classified into two distinct categories: raster graphics and vector graphics. Before learning about computer software that manipulates or displays these graphics types, you should be familiar with both.

Many graphics programs focus exclusively on either vector or raster graphics, but there are a few that combine them in interesting and sometimes unexpected ways. It is simple to convert from vector graphics to raster graphics, but going the other way is harder. Some software attempts to do this.

Most graphics programs have the ability to import and export one or more graphics file formats.

The use of a swatch is a palette of active colours that are selected and rearranged by the preference of the user. A swatch may be used in a program or be part of the universal palette on an operating system, it is used to change the colour of a project, that may be text, image or video editing.

Several graphics programs support animation, or digital video. Vector graphics animation can be described as a series of mathematical transformations that are applied in sequence to one or more shapes in a scene. Raster graphics animation

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