file format essay

1. A file format is the way in which a file is saved and there are various different
formats. File formats are designed to save different types of data, such as
JPEG ( Joint Photographic Experts Group) for images or raster data as well
as things like AI for vector data. A metafile is a file that can store multiple
types of data and therefore they can be exchanged from different systems
and software and can include both vector and raster data1. There are two
different types of images, raster and vector. Raster graphics are made up of
pixels, whereas vector graphics are composed of paths. A raster image, such
as a GIF is a make up of pixels of various colours, which together form an
image.2.
In the image above, there is a vector and raster image. As you can see the
vector image is a much better quality and is a much clearer, sharper image.
Where as the raster image is a much blurrier image, clearly of a much lower
quality.
There are different types of file formats that are used for different reasons,
especially within graphic design. A very common file format used within
design work is psd, which stands for a photoshop document, and is the
default file format that any work saved from photoshop is saved in. What
makes a psd special is that after the file has been saved, the file allows the
image to be saved with its individual layers so that they can still be edited
after this3 PSD files are commonly used in print, photography and graphic
design work to name a few, and they have both advantages and
disadvantages such as that they can preserve layers which means they can
be edited multiple times easily especially if being edited again after saving on
another pc, however the file sizes can be considerably large and therefore
difficult to transfer or email across to someone like a business client who
requires the psd file4 A PSD file is also very popular as it can be used in
Adobe Indesign, GoLive, Photoshop etc. and keep its layers meaning that the
file can be used over and over, which allows editing across several different
platforms. This is very useful as it works with other file formats so that people
can save things in the file format that would be best suited to their needs,
1 http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/metafile
2 http://pc.net/helpcenter/answers/vector_and_raster_graphics
3 http://whatis.techtarget.com/fileformat/PSD-Adobe-Photoshop-default
4 https://agnessalcf.wordpress.com/capturing-manipulating-
images/questions/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-jpeg-and-psd-files/

2. however it is a disadvantage that if the image has been overwritten after
editing, it cannot go back to how it was before.
. A JPEG is the most commonly used format for saving and storing images
and it is useful for images which use over 256 colours. “ The file size relatively
small and they can be saved in RGB colour mode, making them the best
choice for most colour images”. These images can also be saved in different
file sizes, which represent a % of the images quality. The smaller the file size,
the more quality is compressed and lost and makes it far smaller which in turn
saves space on hard drives of computers, it can be reduced to as little as 5%
of its normal size, but this does compromise the images detail.5 There are
multiple advantages and disadvantages to a JPEG is that it is a small file size
and therefore doesn’t take up a lot of hard drive space on your computer, as
well as this it is compatible and can be displayed well on various different
browsers and text/graphics design programs on a different portfolio of devices
from PC’s to Android to IOS Systems. There are also disadvantages to JPEG
images, such as that when an image is stretched it can blur massively and
lose quality where as other file formats can cope with this, as well as this it
does not support transparency which can be necessary in graphic design
work. JPEG’S are very suitable for photographers that are taking still images6.
This image is a JPEG which shows
the gradual decrease in quality of the
image, as JPEG’S lose detail every
time they are saved.
Another file format that has become more popular recently is a GIF, which
allows animations to play continuously. A GIF can support as many as 256
5 http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/J/JPEG.html
6 Born G, 1995, The File Formats Handbook, Cengage Learning EMEA
This image to the left
compares a PNG to a JPEG
which has been saved over
and over and is at 30% of his
quality.

3. colours and also has ‘loseless’ compression meaning that it doesn’t lose any
data7. Another very popular file format, comes in the shape of PNG, which is
a raster file and is very popular due to the fact that it supports ‘lossless’ data
compression, which means that when compressed the image remains at its
original quality and does not lose any detail which can be considered a
massive advantage and is also ‘the most used lossless image compression
format on the internet. PNG is a file format that is used for compressing
images when saving them - it is in place to replace the gif format that is widely
used. With a PNG file it can be compressed between 10% and 30% more
than in a GIF format. These can be used to make a colour transparent, or
even opaque as well as images being able to be saved by using true colour 8
7 Shafran A, 2000, Paintshop pro web graphics third edition, Muska and Lipmam
8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Network_Graphics
This is a PNG VS GIF. There are various differences in these pieces of work, such as that the PNG doesn’t
come with a background, which makes it very popular with graphic designers, as they do not have to
spend time removing the background on Photoshop. As well as this, A GIF is a moving image which will
loop, making it a larger file than a PNG, which is a still but small filed image. The PNG also has better
transparency which allows the colours to become much brighter, again being popular with graphic
designers.

4. In this image, you can clearly see the quality difference in quality across the
images, as well as the amount of room that they take up, and it shows that the
highest quality image takes up the most room, despite only being a few KB.
However, in terms of quality to size, the PNG image is by far the best, only
taking 30.2 KB and has relatively good quality.
Despite these advantages, there are also disadvantages such as the fact that
despite supporting 256 colours, it is usually avoided when using an image that
has many colours as the gif may struggle to give optimum quality9. A TIFF file
is a file format that is used for swapping raster images between applications.
The TIFF, or Tag Image File Format was created in 1986 by Aldus
Corporations, who are now owned by and are part of Adobe, one of the most
common things TIFF’s are used for is faxing. TIFF files can be created in
various different programs, this can be in Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator
and is used to create high quality files to then give off a true to screen print
which means that when printed, the image looks as clear as it did on your
computers monitor. A tiff can also be compressed in order to lessen the size
of a file to free up hard drive - this still keep a large amount of detail in the
image. However, a .tiff file can also be stored without using compression in
order to keep the same quality of the original image, and it ensures each pixel
is identical to the original image.10.
9 http://www.motocms.com/blog/en/pros-cons-types-image-extensions/
10 http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/TIFF-Tag-Image-File-Format
This is a TIFF file, which is very
important file when graphic
designing, as it allows images to
print in there real form that they
show on the monitor without
losing its colour, like many do. In
my opinion, I think that it makes it
a superior to a JPEG as not only
does it lose colour, unlike the TIFF,
it also loses quality.

5. A rather unknown file format comes in the shape of a RAW file, which is
basically an image, but as it is seen by the cameras sensor, and instead of
the camera processing the image itself, and then turning into a JPEG, it
allows you to process the image yourself and that is why it is very popular with
photographers, which is the type of graphic work this file is used for11. The
biggest positive that I can see when looking at the specs of a RAW file is the
fact that an 8-bit raw file can reproduce a whopping 68 billion colours but a
14-bit can reproduce an unbelievable 4.3 trillion colours, which obviously will
enhance the colours of a photo, helping to make it look far neater and crisp
than a jpeg image. However the file sizes are absolutely huge because of this
making it very difficult to transfer. This is a good file format to use as you are
then able to adjust the image how you wish as all the image information
received by the camera is saved. When a raw image is changed, it doesn’t
ruin the images, whereas when editing a jpeg it is a destructive method. 12
Another file format that is used commonly in the graphic design industry is an
EPS file, which stands for Encapsulated Postscript Vector file, there are
advantages and disadvantages to this such as that an EPS file can accurately
reproduce digital images through PostScript printers which then makes EPS
filed images look perfect on paper and gives a far better quality of printed
image than the other file formats which are available, however a disadvantage
would be that EPS files require adobe programs and PostScript printers which
for businesses that operate in the graphic design work isn’t a problem but this
makes it fairly inaccessible for those new to the industry of desktop publishing
without splashing a fair amount of cash which some may not have, nor be
willing to spend. Another disadvantage is that your PC must also support
PostScript printing, and the quality that you are shown on your computer
screen could be potentially different to the quality of the colours and detail that
the image offers when printed, and could be a letdown13. There are many
different programs that can create a vector image, some of these are
InkScape (Mac, Win, Linux), DrawIt (Mac), SK1 (Linux), Xara Xtreme (Mac,
Linux), Skencil (Linux) and Scribus (Mac, Win, Linux, OS/2)14. Just like vector
images, there are multiple applications that will support and create Raster
images and these include Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe
11 http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/adam-savage-dont-let-science-scare-you/
12 Poppy E, 2004, Forms, Folds and Sizes: All the details graphic designers need
to know but can never find paperback.
13 http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/73337.aspx
14 https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/20-vector-graphic-editors-
reviewed/
This file is a TIFF file, and
shows in excellent quality
which makes it very popular
in photography.

6. Fireworks, Corel Photo Paint (CPP), GNU Image Manipulation Program
(GIMP) as well a s Microsoft Paint.