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I need a vector graphic format which must meet the following requirements:

  1. Is displayed consistently by different web browsers
  2. Has an editor program which starts quickly and is able to VERY EASILY create simple schematic drawings
  3. Can be displayed as a single graphic by cloud services
  4. Can be embedded in standard format documents from Microsoft, OpenOffice, LibreOffice

I tested the .SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) format with these results:

  • Is displayed differently by different web browsers
  • Can be edited by big monster graphic programs which take a long time to load
  • .SVG graphics cannot be displayed as a single graphic by DropBox
  • Cannot be inserted in a MS Word document

Does anybody know a vector graphic format which meets the above requirements?

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  • Well, Inkscape is an editor which can load svgs pretty quickly. As for cross browser, that's your best option (You might have to tailor your vectors to work, I've not had any issue lately). EMF/WMF are the only two vector formats supported in MS word (Microsoft proprietary formats).
    – CobaltHex
    Nov 21, 2014 at 23:19

2 Answers 2

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PNG CAN support vector depending on the program used to create the file, and is one of the most widely supported image formats in terms of viewing (editing not so much because programs can input custom data).

Try Macromedia Fireworks 8, it loads fast, and supports using vectors in PNG. Adobe Fireworks is newer but it takes forever to load.

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  • PNG is a raster format. No true PNG supports vectors. Nov 21, 2014 at 19:59
  • A vector graphics editor could export a vector graphic as PNG and encode the vector graphic in the PNG metadata. Then, when re-importing the PNG, the program decodes the encoded vector graphic from the metadata and allows the user to edit the decoded vector graphic. Then the user exports the vector graphic again in the same way as before, etc. etc. Does such a program exist? Nov 21, 2014 at 20:17
  • It seems that Macromedia does not exist anymore, but it is advertized on some website for 299 USD. So how could such a program be used when the company who owns it does not exist anymore? Nov 21, 2014 at 20:35
  • Macromedia got sold to adobe in 2005.
    – CobaltHex
    Nov 21, 2014 at 23:18
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Although SVG doesn't meet all your requirements it is still the best choice because it is widely supported and there exist lightweight (compared with Illustrator) programs such as Inkscape which allow easy vector editing and support exporting to bitmap (PNG, JPEG, etc.) for use where SVG is not supported natively.

There are other vector formats but none of them enjoy the wide, cross-platform and continually expanding support that SVG has.

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  • From my tests a SVG graphic was displayed differently in different web browsers. So what good is a graphic format if it does not look the same in all browsers? Nov 21, 2014 at 23:37
  • @user1580348 That's more a question for the browser developers. Nov 22, 2014 at 1:14
  • That does not exclude that the SVG format itself is inconsistent. Nov 22, 2014 at 13:40

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