Vector Illustration Specifications?

I was just looking through so called "Illustrations" - they are titled "Vector Illustrations" once you go there. Then there is yet another category called "Vectors". Looking through these, I have yet to find one true vector illustration. I looked in the help section for file formats etc for such and found nothing. Correct me if I am wrong but none of the illustrations qualify as vector illustrations. They are mere images. A vector illustration by definition is not just an image, but should contain vectors that can easily be re-sized to any size necessary and should be able to be broken apart into pieces. Vectors are lines, curves, circles, shapes and anything that is post manipulate-able for color, size, line thickness etc. The format should be Adobe PDF or AI type files, not still images or "illustrations" as shown. I was actually hoping to find a vector illustration as by definition and found nothing.

Why would a vector illustration even offer up various sizes when by definition one should be able to re-size to any size needed?

The reason I bring this up is simply that a true vector illustration can be used to copy vectors into programs such as AE for animation purposes. Again, correct me if I am wrong on this. But I think Wiki agrees with what I say:

Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon(s), which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics. Vector graphics are based on vectors (also called paths, or strokes) which lead through locations called control points. Each of these points has a definite position on the x and y axes of the work plan. Each point, as well, is a variety of database, including the location of the point in the work space and the direction of the vector (which is what defines the direction of the track). Each track can be assigned a color, a shape, a thickness and also a fill.
This does not affect the size of the files in a substantial way because all information resides in the structure; it describes how to draw the vector.

Is P5 going to offer true vector illustrations? (hence .pdf. ai formats)

Gday vader...as a contributor who began to upload "vector illustrations", and then decided against it, I agree completely with what you are saying, and your definitions and understanding of vectors is spot on. Pond 5 unfortunately requires illustrations to be uploaded not in any common vector file type but as jpegs, which actually turns them into mere images or "photos". The only reason I can think of for doing this is to avoid a customer buying a vector and then destroying the original in favour of his own corrupted version of somebody else's work.
but Pond 5, I think that the original artist, if he is more than just a "hope to get rich quick amateur", would have already taken that aspect into consideration before contributing...kind of defeats the point doesn't it?

Hello gentlemen,

Pond5 is accepting vectors at this time. Take a look at our https://pond5.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200944233-Vector-Illustration-Upload-Specifications.

As mentioned in the article, currently we can only accept .eps files. They should be uploaded in a zip archive along with a .jpg which is used for thumbnail generation. As we continue to grow and expand, we hope to be able to accept other formats such as .psd, .ai, .cdr, and/or .bmp in the future.

~Jonathan

Great news and yet another positive development!

Yup - that is good news. So will all the current stuff be re-categorized properly to images and remove the "vector" item from the options under images? I am asking this purely so that things really get organized the proper way. :)

I do agree that the categorization needs to be looked at. Can I share my understanding of the terminology, and you can tell me if it sounds accurate?

Vector - These are the actual vector files, the ones that are technically "sizeless" because they aren't based on a resolution.

Vector Illustration - This is a regular image, like a jpg, that was created FROM a vector file. So, it's a vector rendered into a specific resolution.

Illustration - A simple bmp image, like something you created in MS Paint.

That's my understanding of the terminology. What are your thoughts? To me, it's confusing because the whole section on our nav bar at the top is "Illustrations" and beneath that is "Vector Illustrations" and those are further divided into other categories.

Almost correct. A vector is nothing more than a dot or a line. Basically a single component of a vector illustration. Hence, a vector illustration is an image file that can be size-less as the vector drawing can be scaled to any size needed. Most common formats are .eps (encapsulated postscript) or .ai (Adobe Illustrator). There are also CAD (computer aided design) files that could be considered vector illustrations. ANything else is merely an image that can not be sized up due to pixel artifacting. So by definition, what would be considered the correct product in this case is a vector illustration. Anything else as said is nothing more than an image.

Now you can create static images from vector illustrations of course, but those are not by any means called vector illustrations. They are simply illustrations, drawings etc.. and can only be scaled down with limitations as well depending on the detail of the image.

I must admit that to me, a veteran of providing illustrations to real world publishers and printers for over 12 years, that these distinctions in terminology are completely irrelevant to me, and seem very arbitrary, and rather meaningless: something an amateur or an "internet expert" would spend hours of forum time discussing.
I have never been asked for, nor ever supplied anything but "illustrations" ('vector' being implied) as .eps, .ai , or in more recent times .pdf files.
Everything else, as Vader says, is an "image".

Yup. Now to get into the "why" this concept is so important for us After Effects artists? There is a little known feature that AE has that makes use of actual vector based files. With such files we can for example; dissect an illustration, make masks with it, and create parts with it, just to mention a few things. This becomes a real plus when one wants to animate logo work or even just a background. It is also soooo much cleaner than having to first "trace" an image to create the vectors and objects needed. The nice thing about AI to AE is that it is pretty much seamless in the workflow. This is probably the most valuable feature in regards to motion graphics outputs from vector illustrations.

In the print world, vector illustrations allow for as stated pretty concisely now, re-sizing without loss of image quality either up or down.