Every online graphic which you see is an image file. If you will try to find out things like design printed on cups, mugs, t-shirts, book, etc. all came from an image file. Each file is optimized according to its usage and it comes in a variety, in a number of formats. Using the right type of file format for right job and purpose means your picture will come perfectly as you intended or desired to be. The wrong format could mean poor web image or a bad print.
So let’s explore some basics of each file type or format.
Most of the file falls in one or the other group that is raster or vector and each has its specific use. This classification is not good enough as some file formats contain the basics of both but it’s a good place to start thinking which file format should be used for which projects. Take a look at basic 3 image types.
JPEG/JPG
JPEG refers to Joint Photographic Experts Group, that technical team which developed it and it is a lossy raster format which technically means that it approximate the original look of a photo by reducing the colors or unnecessary data. It is a most commonly used formats for web graphics, banner ads, email, photos, etc.
GIF
GIF stands for graphic interchange format and it is a type of lossless raster format which technically means that it captures all the originality of a photo without losing any data and thus by it term, it comes under lossless raster. It is also used in wide range specially in animated graphics like banner ads, social memes, email images, etc.
PNG
PNG stands for Portable Network Graphic and it is a lossless raster format. Think this as a next generation GIF. This format are built in transparency but it can be used to show color depths which later gets transformed into million of colors.
