Vector shapes and bitmaps are the two main types of graphics used with Adobe Director. A vector shape is a mathematical description of a geometric form that includes the thickness of the line, the fill color, and additional features of the line that can be expressed mathematically. A bitmap defines an image as a grid of colored pixels, and it stores the color for each pixel in the image. For more information about using bitmaps in Director, and how they compare to vector shapes, see Bitmaps.

You can create vector shapes in the Director Vector Shape window by defining points through which a line passes. The shape can be a line, a curve, or an open or closed irregular shape that can be filled with a color or gradient. You can also use Lingo or JavaScript syntax to dynamically create and control vector shapes. You can create a vector shape entirely with script or modify an existing one as the movie plays.

Because vector shapes are stored as mathematical descriptions, they require less RAM and disk space than an equivalent bitmap image, and they download faster from the Internet.