Following my first post on color, we're going to now tackle file types. There are a lot of different types of files to choose from and it can be just as confusing as color. Here's a brief summary of the most common file types.
Following my first post on color, we're going to now tackle file types. There are a lot of different types of files to choose from and it can be just as confusing as color. Here's a brief summary of the most common file types.
Best Of Listing
- Best for Web and Electronic Use: JPEGs
- Best for Web, Electronic Use and Microsoft Applications: PNGs
- Best for Printing: EPS
Alphabetical Listing
BMP (Windows Bitmap)
- STRENGTHS: Makes images great for use in Microsoft Windows OS.
- WEAKNESSES: Too large to use online for images; Only optimal for Windows programs and not other programs.
EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)
- STRENGTHS: Editable, original artwork (vector image) file; Can be reduced and enlarged without any loss of quality; Best option for printing.
- WEAKNESSES: Can only be opened in specific graphic design software (such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign); Not made for online use.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
- STRENGTHS: Compresses to a small file size; Retains sharp lines and text; Can be transparent; Can be animated; Good for diagrams, simple shapes, and some logos (only images that use very few colors).
- WEAKNESSES: Can only show a limited amount of colors; Not always accurate in representing imagery (because of color limitations).
JPEG (or JPG - Joint Photographic Experts Group)
- STRENGTHS: Can display many colors; Great for photographs; Compresses to a small file size; Best file type for online images.
- WEAKNESSES: Cannot display lines or text very well—they appear fuzzy; Cannot be made larger once saved to a specific size (the file will loose detail and look pixelated).
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
- STRENGTHS: Can display many colors; Retains sharp edges (in text and lines); Great for photos and illustrations; Compresses to a small file size; Looks great in online applications; Can be transparent; Good compromise between the JPG and GIF file types.
- WEAKNESSES: Not compatible with all online applications (if the viewer is using a program that doesn't support PNG files—anything older than Internet Explorer 6—they cannot see the file).
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
- STRENGTHS: Similar to a JPEG but more detailed; Will not loose any color detail or size when compressed; Usually the file type created by scanners when scanning images/papers; Good for printing highly detailed images.
- WEAKNESSES: Files are very large in order to retain color detail and size; Not great for online use because of the file size.
Next up: Simplifying Typefaces!