File Formats
Portable Network Graphics
: is a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression. PNG was created as an improved, non-patented replacement for Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), and is the most used lossless image compression format on the internet. PNG supports palette-based RGB images. PNG was designed for transferring images on the internet, not for professional-quality print graphics, and therefore does not support non-RGB color spaces such as CMYK.
Raster Graphics
A raster graphic is an image made of hundreds of tiny squares of color information, referred to as either pixels or dots. The most common type of raster graphic is a photograph. Popular raster file format extensions include: jpg/jpeg, psd, png, tiff, bmp and gif.
Vector Graphics
A vector graphic uses math to draw shapes using points, lines and curves. So whereas a raster image of a 1" x 1" square at 300 dpi will have 300 individual pieces of information, a vector image will only contain four points, one for each corner; the computer will use math to "connect the dots" and fill in all of the missing information. The most common types of vector graphics are fonts and logos. Designers' preferred program for creating and editing vector files is Adobe Illustrator. Popular vector file format extensions include: eps, ai and pdf.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG):
In computing, JPEG is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those imaged produced by digital photography. JPEG/Exif is the most common image format used by digital cameras and other photographic image captures devices; along with JPEG/JFIF, it is the most common format for storing and transmitting photographic images on the World Wide Web. These format variations are often not distinguished, and are simply called JPEG.
Graphics Interchange Format
is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability. GIF images are compressed using the Lampel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) lossless data compression technique to reduce the size without degrading the visual quality.
Portable Document Format
is a file format used to present documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout flat document, including the text, fonts, graphics, and other information needed to display it.
Lossy Compression
Lossy" compression is the class of data encoding methods that uses inexact approximations for representing the content that has been encoded. Such compression techniques are used to reduce the amount of data that would otherwise be needed to store, handle, and/or transmit the represented content. Using well-designed lossy compression technology, a substantial amount of data reduction is often possible before the result is sufficiently degraded to be noticed by the user. Lossy compression is most commonly used to compress multimedia data especially in applications such as streaming media and internet telephony.
File Format:
is a standard way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file. It specifies how bits are used to encode information in a digital storage medium. File formats may be either proprietary or free and may be either unpublished or open.
Cons of Raster Images
• Blurry When Enlarged • Large File Size
Pros of Vector Images
• Infinitely Scalable • Smaller File Size • Edibility
Cons of Vector Images
• Limited Details • Limited Effects
Pros of Raster Images:
• Rich Detail • Precise Editing