In
simplest terms Photoshop is a raster-based image-editing program. It has very
powerful tools, which can analyze and allow you to modify these pixels. A
grid of pixels defines these raster or bitmapped graphics within Photoshop.
Each pixel has a specific color value assigned to it depending on what color
mode you are working within. A pixel is usually very small so you don't notice
the individual pixels; they combine to make up the images we see on the screen.
Photoshop:
photographs,
raster graphics, and some vector options such as type
Illustrator/Freehand:
vector
graphics, type
Fireworks
and Imageready:
image
prep, creation, and optimization for the web. And type.
Flash:
vector
and raster graphics, motion, sound, video, and interactivity
(better
for vector graphics)
Director:
Shockwave:
vector
and raster graphic, motion, sound, video, and interactivity (
better
for files with large raster graphics, large audio files, and large video files)