Come and join me as we take a closer look at some different types of image files.
I know this would help you a lot most especially to a multimedia artist out there!
GIF or Graphics Interchange Format files are widely used for web graphics, because they are limited to only 256 colors, can allow for transparency, and can be animated. GIF files are typically small is size and are very portable.
Compression: Lossless - compression without loss of quality
Best For: Web Images
Special Attributes: Can be Animated, Can Save Transparency
It was developed by a team at the online services provider CompuServe led by American computer scientist Steve Wilhite on 15 June 1987.Ā
This format is kind of catchy, most especially in social media. As I, a social media user would like to see a moving picture to help me visualize the image further. On the other hand, due to intermittent internet connection, it might have an image corruption that would lead to unidentified image.
ADVANATGES vs. DISADVANTAGES:
2. Professional Looking Images
3. Convey Messages Better
2. Editing Is Not Possible
3. Internet Connection Matters
As a communicator, I like using this format when talking with someone on social media to express myself more. It also good to avoid misunderstanding. Aside from that, adding GIF on my design would attract my audienceās interest more.
PNG or Portable Network Graphics files are a lossless image format originally designed to improve upon and replace the gif format. PNG files are able to handle up to 16 million colors, unlike the 256 colors supported by GIF.
Compression: Ā Lossless - compression without loss of quality
Best For: Web Images
Special Attributes: Save Transparency
The PNG format was created in December 1994 and has been stable since March 1995. Since then, the specification has become much more readable and has gained valuable tutorial and developer information.
This formatĀ often used if size is not an issue and the image is complex, because a PNG file holds more information than a JPG. It's also ideal to use a PNG for a graphic image, such as the icon below, which is used on the TechSmith Snagit product page.
Pros:
ā minimum compression loss. The image quality is not changed by any compression ratio;
ā format is suitable for storage of intermediate versions of the image. When you re-save image, quality is not lost;
ā PNG supports a large number of colors. PNG-8 (256 colors) and PNG-24 (about 16.7 million. Colors);
ā it supports multi level of transparency. Image has the 256 levels of opacity from fully opaque to fully transparent;
ā itās possible to work with layers;
ā the ability to add to the file meta-data;
ā small size files.
Cons:
ā doesnāt support animation;
ā ill-suited for working with full-color images;
ā can not store multiple images in one file;
Now It becomes clear what caused the popularity of the PNG format among web designers. This is the only format that allows you to get images with a transparent background.
For example, it is very important for creating logos ā it requires the presence of a transparent background.
Personally, I more preferred on using .jpeg than .png as for me my design would look much better. Hence, I donāt disregard .png format as I know this would also help in my work.
JPEG, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Groups is a ālossyā format meaning that the image is compressed to make a smaller file. The compression does create a loss in quality but this loss is generally not noticeable. JPEG files are very common on the Internet and JPEG is a popular format for digital cameras - making it ideal for web use and non-professional prints.
Compression: Lossy - some file information is compressed or lost
Best For: Web Images, Non-Professional Printing, E-Mail, Powerpoint
Special Attributes: Can choose amount of compression when saving in image editing programs like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP.
Overview of JPEG. The JPEG standard (ISO/IEC 10918) was created in 1992 (latest version, 1994) as the result of a process that started in 1986.
The most common file format in use.
The JPEG file format has been around for many years, and is support by every image editor and web browser on the market. It is also supported by every digital camera, and any video camcorder that can also take pictures. Every digital photo print shop also supports the JPEG standard. If you want a universal image format, the JPEG format is the one to choose.
3. Adjustable Compression
2. Inflexible Application
3. No Support for Opacity
Well, aside of having disadvantage. It is still one of the best format for me, as it has a high resolution for images and the most important is having a small file size for it which is what I really need the most.
An EPS or Encapsulated PostScript file is a common vector file type. EPS files can be opened in many illustration applications such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW.
Compression: None - uses vector information
Best For: Vector artwork, illustrations
Special Attributes: Saves vector information
EPS is a proprietary but publicly documented format. The format specification was originally published by Adobe in the late 1980s; version 3 was first released in 1990 and published as a separate document in 1992.
The main drawback of EPS is that it needs to have adobe to produce an image, without it the image quality will turn out to be bad.
1. EPS files can accurately reproduce digital photos
2. The quality of the image that is produced is superior
3. Has great printed image quality
1. The disadvantages of these image formats is that they are not upward scalable.
2. requires higher resolution
Well, personally I donāt use .eps format a lot. Yet, I can use this when using Adobe and this would help me to create amazing designs.
BMP or Bitmap Image File is a format developed by Microsoft for Windows. There is no compression or information loss with BMP files which allow images to have very high quality, but also very large file sizes. Due to BMP being a proprietary format, it is generally recommended to use TIFF files.
Compression: None
Best For: High quality scans, archival copies
In 1995, David Charlap described the BMP format in detail in a two-part article in Dr.
Bitmap files may be easily created from existing pixel data stored in an array in memory.
Retrieving pixel data stored in a bitmap file may often be accomplished by using a set of coordinates that allows the data to be conceptualized as a grid.
Pixel values may be modified individually or as large groups by altering a palette if present.
Bitmap files may translate well to dot-format output devices such as CRTs and printers.
They typically do not scale very well.Ā
I know bitmap is best for High Definition image, yet I am a little disappointed due to its bigger files and I guess it wouldnāt help me to save memory on my device. Nevertheless, I can buy a storage device to use the bitmap format, right?!
Anyways, thank you for reading my blog! This is a little tiring to read and understand, but if you wanted to have a new knowledge that could help you be format-friendly, I know this would contribute you a lot!
Life is full of pros and cons, in order to get what we want we just need to be wise and knowledgeable. Out of many things, itās always on ourselves. To have a good designs, proper image file type would help us a lot! Thatās what Iāve came up while writing this blog. Everything we have is valuable and has a purpose, thatās why we should learn to discover the meanings of every thing we have.