Diffusion Curves: A Vector Representation for Smooth-Shaded Images.

The article describes a vector-based primitive for producing smooth-shaded images dubbed as the diffusion curve. Topics covered include the limited support offered by vector-based drawing tools for representing color variations, the production and manipulation of diffusion curves, and a method for automatically extracting and vectorizing diffusion curves data from bitmap images. Also discussed are vector graphics, raster graphics, and the existing techniques to produce complex color gradients with modern vector graphics tools.