Article Advise

submitted: Sep 4th 2008 | by: DavidPeters | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 588 | |

While Photoshop comes with many different features to tackle, many people often come up short when asked what image formats Photoshop will open or save in. How do you know which one to use, and what are the advantages or disadvantages of each?

Simply put, Photoshop has the ability to open and save a variety of graphic files. Let's take a look at the more popular ones.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you open an image file other than a Photoshop one, the other image will default to the background layer.

1) .psd, .pdd, .eps:

This format saves the information in all the layers. This is the best format to use if you are going to perform further work on a picture, however the file size can be quite large. It is best to save your work in the most up to date Photoshop format existing. An example would be if you have Photoshop CS and are sent a Photoshop 7 file, you should save it as a Photoshop CS file to maintain any elements that may not be supported by Photoshop 7.

.jpg, .jpeg .jpe

This format compresses images in a way that information such as color subtleties and other details are lost. You can select to what extreme you want to compress the image. This is the most suitable format for use on the web. Consists of small file sizes and millions of colors.

3) tif, .tiff

Early scanners typically used this format. It will generate high quality images, but very large files making it inappropriate for use on the web.

4) .gif - Pronounced both "Gif" and "Jif"

Pronounced both "Gif" and "Jif", this file is one of the most popular for web graphics as it loads quickly. 8 bit format (256 colours max.). It has possibilities for transparent colour and animation.

.png

This is a new format for use on the web that is intended to replace both gif and jpeg with its ability to compress, have millions of colors, and support transparencies. It compresses differently from jpeg, and has advanced possibilities, such as alpha channel (opaque or partly transparent colors). The only problem is that Internet Explorer does not support this format. In 8 bit (256 colors) mode it compresses better than gif.

.bmp

Used by Microsoft Windows applications, this has good quality and a large file size. Not for use on the web.

7) .wmf - Windows MetaFile

Useful for clipart, and can be used to make large area, small sized background files.

8) .pcx

An older general purpose format that is virtually obsolete now. Also not for use on the web.

9) .psp

Internal format for Paint Shop Pro and is useful if you want to swap files between these two programs.

.pcd

This format is used with photo developing, but most photo processors will save your photos as jpegs if needed.

11) .pdf - Portable Document File

Portable Document File. Adobe's file system that allows electronic cross platform sharing of documents.

So which is the best format for web graphicsgif or jpeg?

The general rule of thumb is to use gifs for diagrams, line drawings, illustrations, and images that contain large areas of flat colour, and jpegs for photographs and images with continuous colour tones. The jpeg format has a very good compression rate, but compression reduces the quality of the image, so it's best to experiment with the tools in Image Ready until you have the optimal quality/file size. The gif format, on the other hand, has a smaller file size - but a limited range of colours.

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