Clipart

Definition

Clip art, in the graphic arts, refers to pre-made images used to illustrate any medium. Clip art is divided into two different data types represented by many different graphics file formats: bitmap and vector art. Clip art vendors may provide images of just one type or both. (Wikipedia)

This article is also part of the Flash tutorials.

Formats used in repositories

The most common bitmap formats for clipart distributed on the web is *.jpg, *.png, and *.fig. But one may also find *.bmp (for smaller things), or TIFF and TGA.

Most common vector formats are:

• Adobe's EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), also the related PDF format.

• Microsoft WMF (Windows Metafile) and its variants
  • EMF - Enhanced Metafile)
  • WMZ - Compressed Windows Metafile
  • EMZ - Compressed Windows Enhanced Metafile

• SVG (in the open source community)

• Illustrator *.ai file (rarely)

Importing clipart to Flash

Flash CS3 (version 9) supports directly several file formats. To import these:

Clipart repositories

We are mostly interested in vector formats. Alternatively, you may also search through other applications you installed on your computer, e.g. Office products like Word and Powerpoint and the Open Office equivalent.

In SVG Format

SVG became the most standard format in the open source community. Many commercial programs can import SVG, but some like Flash can not. In this case use you can for instance:

• Import to Illustrator, then paste to Flash
• Of open with Inkscape (free) and export as *.ai (Illustrator) or *.dxf (Autocad) and then import to Flash (didn't work for me)

• Open Clip Art Library (SVG and PNG).
• Files from the Openclipart library

Windows Meta File

Free

• Free Clip Art

Commercial

• Graphicsfactory

Bitmaps only

• School Clip Art (only bitmaps)

Other Links

File formats

• Fileformat.Info
• File format (Overview Wikipedia)
• List of file formats(Wikipedia). This is quite complete.
• Alphabetical list of file extensions (Wikipedia). This is quite complete.

General

• Clip art (Wikipedia article)

• Open Clip Art Library (Wikipedia entry)

Software

Most graphics vector graphics editors can import/export various formats.

• Comparison of vector graphics editors (Wikipedia).
• List of vector graphics editors (Wikipedia)

Free online tools

• SVG to JPEG/PNG/TIFF at fileformat.info

Free Vector editors

• Inkscape
• OpenOffice Draw