6. Image
Format
Full form Usage Recommendations
JPEG/JPG Joint Photographic Experts
Group
Web images, email attachments, and situations where file size is more important than
than maximum image quality.
GIF Graphics Interchange Format Simple animations, small icons, and images with limited color on the web.
PNG Portable Network Graphics Images that require transparency or high-quality graphics on the web, such as logos.
WebP Website Picture Web images where file size and image quality are important.
HEIF High Efficiency Image File
Format
High-quality photos on iOS devices.
TIFF Tagged Image File Format Use for professional photography, printing, and publishing where high-quality
images are necessary.
BMP Windows Bitmap Used in some specific cases where no compression is desired but more uncommon.
PSD Photoshop Document Images edited in Adobe Photoshop.
PDF Portable Document Format Images or text that needs to be easily shared, printed, and viewed in a document
format.
RAW Professional photography to retain maximum image data for post-processing.
EPS Encapsulated Postscript High-quality graphics, logos, and illustrations that need to be resized without losing
quality.
AI Creating or editing graphics in Adobe Illustrator.
INDD Creating or editing complex layouts in Adobe InDesign.
7. o JPEG for photos or complex images where file size is a concern, such as for web use
or email.
o PNG for high-quality images that require transparency, like logos or graphics.
o GIF for simple animations or images with few colors.
o TIFF for high-quality images intended for professional printing.
o RAW for professional photography where you want the highest quality and
flexibility in post-processing.
8. • Vector vs Raster Image Files: What’s the Difference?
• Raster and vector are two different types of image files that are used for different purposes.
• Raster images, also known as bitmap images, are made up of a grid of pixels.
• Each pixel holds a color value, and when viewed together, these pixels form a complete image.
• Photos taken with a camera are a good example of raster images.
9. • PNG vs JPEG: What’s Better For Printing?
• When it comes to printing, the choice between PNG and JPEG
depends on the nature of the image and the quality you desire.
• JPEG is a lossy format, meaning some image quality is lost when the
image is compressed.
10. • Should I Scan Photos as JPEG or TIFF?
• When scanning photos, I’d recommend you do what I do and scan them as TIFF files.
• TIFF is a lossless format that preserves image quality and provides flexibility for future
editing or printing.
• JPEG, on the other hand, is a lossy format that sacrifices some quality for smaller file
sizes.
• TIFF ensures the highest quality and allows for better preservation and manipulation of
scanned photos.
• Since external hard drives have come down in price considerably (as has online storage),
there’s really no need to reduce the quality of your scans simply to save drive space.
11. • What Format of Picture is of the Highest Quality for Photographers?
• RAW files are the highest quality image format and any photographer
worth their salt should be using them.
• RAWs capture the unprocessed data directly from the camera’s sensor,
offering photographers the utmost control and flexibility during post-
processing.
