Sometimes it is easy to forget, but it frequently amazes graphic design novices when they discover how many different kinds image file formats that are used. In this article, I shall look at some of the main file formats, when each should be utilized, the suitability and drawbacks of each, and other details which you should think about when selecting a file format.
If you are using Photoshop, the most important format to be aware of, is PSD. PSD is Adobe Photoshop's preferred file format for saving bitmap files. The advantage of PSD is that when files are stored in this format, all the intelligence which make it easy to edit the graphic, are maintained. The drawbacks of this format are that the files are usually large, and additionally, PSD files can usually only be read by Photoshop users, and not by users who don't have the software. To summarize, PSD should be the master format, which you use for in progress projects, and keep after the project is done (so that you can return to it subsequently), but you ought to export to a different format when publishing your work to the web or to be printed.
The next image file format that you must know about is JPEG. JPEG are commonly used for storing and exchanging photos. This format use a smart coding algorithm that stores large and detailed photographic images into relatively small files. However, JPEG does discard some image detail, and this aspect of the format makes it not recommended for pictures that have areas of solid color.
Some more file formats to know about are BMP, GIF, and PNG. BMP is a format frequently used by Windows-based software, and the files are virtually always not compressed - so leading to large file sizes for all but the smallest images. PNG and GIF are most commonly used on the web, they are compressed file formats but both use lossless compression schemes resulting in no loss of data - GIF does have a limit of 256 colors. However, an advantage of the GIF file format is that one file is able to incorporate a succession of images which may be displayed in order creating an animation.
One other format which you might encounter is TIFF. In the past, TIFF was often associated with prepress applications, but today you'll probably find that PNG or JPEG are just as acceptable.
If you are using Photoshop, the most important format to be aware of, is PSD. PSD is Adobe Photoshop's preferred file format for saving bitmap files. The advantage of PSD is that when files are stored in this format, all the intelligence which make it easy to edit the graphic, are maintained. The drawbacks of this format are that the files are usually large, and additionally, PSD files can usually only be read by Photoshop users, and not by users who don't have the software. To summarize, PSD should be the master format, which you use for in progress projects, and keep after the project is done (so that you can return to it subsequently), but you ought to export to a different format when publishing your work to the web or to be printed.
The next image file format that you must know about is JPEG. JPEG are commonly used for storing and exchanging photos. This format use a smart coding algorithm that stores large and detailed photographic images into relatively small files. However, JPEG does discard some image detail, and this aspect of the format makes it not recommended for pictures that have areas of solid color.
Some more file formats to know about are BMP, GIF, and PNG. BMP is a format frequently used by Windows-based software, and the files are virtually always not compressed - so leading to large file sizes for all but the smallest images. PNG and GIF are most commonly used on the web, they are compressed file formats but both use lossless compression schemes resulting in no loss of data - GIF does have a limit of 256 colors. However, an advantage of the GIF file format is that one file is able to incorporate a succession of images which may be displayed in order creating an animation.
One other format which you might encounter is TIFF. In the past, TIFF was often associated with prepress applications, but today you'll probably find that PNG or JPEG are just as acceptable.
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