Photos can be saved in many formats for different purposes. Each format is designed to be used for different circumstances.
PNG – Portable Network Graphic
PNG is a vector image file that uses lossless compression to compress the file to be used for photos stored on networks and websites due to the file contain all detail with a reduced file size.
JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group
JPEG or JPG is an image file that uses lossy compression which can lose detail when repeatedly copied. This is one of the main types of image file that is used as well as PNG.
GIF – Graphics Interchange Format
GIFs are animated photos that can be created by many means, mainly through Flash CS6 and Photoshop. They are used to show a replaying part of a video or create a parallax effect on a photo.
RAW Files
RAW files are completely uncompressed image files that are taken straight from a camera. They contain all original detail to make editing of photos easier.
TIFF – Tagged Image File
A TIFF file is a file format that is used for high quality graphics. It stores raster images and supports both lossy and lossless compression.
BMP – Bitmap Image File
BMP files are files that are more supportive of customisation because they support different levels of compression. Because of this they are commonly used on operting system development.
JBIG – Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group
JBIG is an early lossless compression file that was used for faxing photos to fax machines.
Windows Metafile
Windows metafiles were used for vector graphics and bitmaps. They were replaced with modern file formats sich as SVG files.
SVG – Scalable Vector Graphics
SVG is a vector graphic format used for it’s support within HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) files.
DPX – Digital Picture Exchange
DPX is a file format used for visual effects within professionally edited photos.
LIFF – Layered Image File Format
LIFF files are used for microscope image processing. Because of the extreme close up a higher quality file format is required to retain all detail.
ANI File
ANI files are used within Windows and various versions of Linux as a mouse cursor image. The separate file format is used to animate the photo for movement with no change in quality.
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