File Extensions
Portable Document Format (PDF)
A file format that can be transferred across platforms and retain its formatting; designated by the file name extension .pdf.
.flac
Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), an open-source, lossless audio format that can compress a source file up to 60% without losing a single bit of data.
.gif
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), previously one of the most common graphics file formats on the Internet. GIF is a bitmap format.
.jpg or .jpeg or .jfif
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), a format widely used for photographs and complex graphics. This format supports 16 million colors and uses lossy compression. JPEG files can be relatively small.
.wav
Waveform (WAV), the native sound format for Windows. Most browsers provide built-in support for WAV files. It is supported by HTML5 audio.
.aac
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), a format developed to overtake MP3 that generally outperforms MP3 in sound quality. It is supported by HTML5 audio.
As you learned earlier in this lesson, PDF files can be read on any computer, regardless of the operating system. You need Adobe Reader to view PDF files.
.aiff
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF), developed by Apple Computer, offers high-quality audio.
.avi
Audio Video Interleave (AVI) file is a standard video format for Windows.
.eps
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is a file format that you can use to import and export graphic files between operating systems and applications. EPS is standard in the publishing industry.
.mp4
MPEG-4 is a standard format for video on the Internet.
.ogg
Ogg Vorbis, a free, open-source alternative to the MP3 format.
.png
Portable Network Graphics (PNG) has become an Internet standard for graphics. It is a free open-source file format that can support 32-bit color palettes (nearly all colors) for graphics and photographs. PNG uses a bitmap format .
.ps
PostScript (PS) files are written in a page description language so they are unreadable, and are designed for printing on PostScript printers.
.rtf
Rich Text Format (RTF) was developed by Microsoft. Using RTF, you can insert images and format text.
.xlsx or .xls
These files are usually created with Microsoft Excel for Windows.
.pptx or .ppt
These files are usually created with Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows.
.docx or .doc
These files are usually created with Microsoft Word for Windows.
odt
These files are usually created with Open Office Writer.
.mp3
a format for compressing audio files that uses the MPEG-1 standard and is supported by HTML5 audio.
.webp
a newer image format (introduced by Google in 2010) that uses the same technology as the WebM video/audio format. WebP supports transparency with both lossless and lossy compression.
.txt
a plain (ASCII) text file. These files can be viewed in your browser, or with a Word processor or text editor.
.webm
a royalty-free, open video and audio format designed for HTML5 video. The WebM format's development is sponsored by Google.
.au
audio format used by UNIX servers. Most browsers provide built-in support for AU files.
.tif or tiff
developed by the Aldus Corporation, which is now Adobe Software. Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is a popular, customizable graphic format commonly used for medical imaging and desktop publishing. TIFF supports grayscale, 8-bit and 24-bit color, and monochrome formats. TIFF files are high-resolution and very large in file size.
.mov
the standard format for QuickTime movies
.ogg
video format designed for HTML5 video. It is royalty-free and can be distributed without licensing fees.
