Understanding Basic Image File Formats- JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF

Understanding Basic Image File Formats

We've witnessed a wide range of file formats across our screen; but do you really understand what they mean? For instance, you may know that a JPEG is for pictures; but how about a PNG and a TIFF? And which type of format supports an image with a see-through background?

This article will explain to those questions and even more! 

JPEG is developed by 'Joint Photographic Experts Group', which supports a wide range of colors; so, it's the one most folks capturing on digital cameras and scanners. JPEG is the most common format, as well, for storing and transmitting photographic images on the World Wide Web. 

JPEG can be compressed to a smaller file size, which maximizing the space of camera's memory card. It also works excellent for black and white photos. Its images can be posting online and sharing via e mails. In fact, a JPEG saved at the highest quality from your scanner, which is indistinguishable from a TIFF.

JPEG is not suited to the files, which undergo multiple edits, as its quality of image will usually be lost each time when the image is decompressed and re-compressed, particularly if the image is cropped or shifted. To avoid this, an image that is being modified or may be modified in the future can be saved in a lossless format, such as TIFF, GIF, PNG, or a raw image format. The JPEG standard actually includes a lossless coding mode, so the mode is not supported in most products of JPEG.

TIFF, Tagged Image File Format, is a flexible, adaptable file format for handling images and data. Unlike JPEG files, a TIFF file using lossless compression when a image may be edited and re-saved without losing image quality. It's the gold-standard in printing with high-quality images, which is always as pristine like the original.

TIFF originally gained popularity as a scanning format and designers used to rely on TIFF. Nowadays pro-level page layout Apps can be used native Photoshop files, which has all the quality of a TIFF at a smaller file size. If you’re sending an image to someone else for inclusion in a printed book, brochure or magazine, you could send a high quality JPEG; however, to be super safe, send an uncompressed TIFF. 

PNG, Portable Network Graphics, is the most used lossless image compression format; so, you don't lose any image detail. It supports a wide range of colors and transparent backgrounds. As a result, it produces higher-quality images than JPEG format, but the file sizes are bigger. Unlike JPEG, the PNG format keeps text and logos crisp when posting online, which is handy for social media cover images. 

PNG comes in two flavors: PNG8 and PNG24. The later, PNG24, supports more colors and partially transparent pixels, which is crucial if you’ve added a drop shadow to an image with a transparent background or when the image you want to post online includes a large gradient (a smooth transition from one color to another). The other uses high quality graphics and post highly detailed images to online photography.

PNG is better for high quality full color images with a transparent background (checkerboard pattern in Photoshop denotes transparency). 

GIF, Grafic Interchange Formate, is perfect for the images of web graphics or logos. It produces small file size with limited number of colors and transparent background. It's file format is not as popular as it used for static graphics, but still widely used for animated graphics on web.

The image on the left is perfectly suited for a JPEG; but the two on the right are perfectly suited for GIFs.

PSD, Photo Shop Document, is the native format of Adobe Photo Shop and this format supports layers (enabling to image adjustments), graphic elements and text that can be stored inside a single document. Saving your file in PSD format keeps your layers intact; so, you may protect your original image and you can continue to edit the document whenever you need. Sometimes, it stands for PSB, Photo Shop Big, which extends the PSD file format to maximum height and width to 300,000 pixels and the length to around 4 Exabytes. Because of Photoshop's popularity, PSD files are widely used to extent some competing software. 

PDF, Portable Document Format, is very popular for sharing single and multi page documents to view and print. Saving a file in this format is just taking a picture of the file, which included the text, fonts, graphics, videos. So, it looks just like the original in displaying and this format can be opened and printed by most of every computer. PDF files can be compressed and it is often preferred by printing companies for stuff like invitations, business cards, brochures and etc., We can generate a high quality PDF from anything and this format is easy to sharing with others.

The BMP file format, also known as Bit Map Image file, is a popular graphics file format used to store bit map digital images especially on Windows based PC's.

While there are many more formats, but above indicated are the most common in use and hope the creative force be with you all!