Choosing
the right file format to save your images is very important. There are three
main image formats that are in constant use on the net - jpg, gif, and png.
When choosing the format of your image you should always be conscious of the
images size and quality. In an upcoming blog we'll explore the differences
between these formats and vector images.
GIF
- Graphics Interchange Format
GIF files can be saved with a maximum of 256 colors. This makes it a poor format for photographic images, but it's ideal for small navigation icons or illustrations where accuracy is required. The format is loss-less which means it does not get blurry or messy. GIF's can be animated which is another reason they've became so successful. They can also be interlaced, which is a way of saving a graphic so it will load progressively. First a blurry low detailed version is loaded, and then layers of details are added. GIF's are a good format for most images you will use on a website. Experimenting with the different formats is the key to figuring out which works best for you.
GIF files can be saved with a maximum of 256 colors. This makes it a poor format for photographic images, but it's ideal for small navigation icons or illustrations where accuracy is required. The format is loss-less which means it does not get blurry or messy. GIF's can be animated which is another reason they've became so successful. They can also be interlaced, which is a way of saving a graphic so it will load progressively. First a blurry low detailed version is loaded, and then layers of details are added. GIF's are a good format for most images you will use on a website. Experimenting with the different formats is the key to figuring out which works best for you.
JPEG -
Joint Photographic Experts Group
The 16 bit jpeg format (usually written without the E) was designed with photographs in mind and is capable of displaying a million colors at once. JPG's can be interlaced, but they lack many of the other special abilities of GIF's, like animation and transparency. Simple graphics with large blocks of color should not be saved as JPG's because the edges get smudgy. This is the best format for pictures. Thus the most widely used artwork when imprinting promotional products. An acceptable image is 300 x 300 DPI. An example of a promotional product where you would use a JPG would be this lip balm.
The 16 bit jpeg format (usually written without the E) was designed with photographs in mind and is capable of displaying a million colors at once. JPG's can be interlaced, but they lack many of the other special abilities of GIF's, like animation and transparency. Simple graphics with large blocks of color should not be saved as JPG's because the edges get smudgy. This is the best format for pictures. Thus the most widely used artwork when imprinting promotional products. An acceptable image is 300 x 300 DPI. An example of a promotional product where you would use a JPG would be this lip balm.
PNG-
Portable Network Graphics
PNG is a format created specifically for the web. One version of the format, PNG-8, is similar to the GIF format. It can be saved with a maximum of 256 colors and supports 1-bit transparency. PNG is in no way a replacement format for JPG because it is a loss-less compression format. This means that filesizes can be rather big against a comparable JPG. It may take a good number of years to find widespread usage, but as it stands at the moment using PNG-8 in place of static GIF's will lower the filesizes of your images.
PNG is a format created specifically for the web. One version of the format, PNG-8, is similar to the GIF format. It can be saved with a maximum of 256 colors and supports 1-bit transparency. PNG is in no way a replacement format for JPG because it is a loss-less compression format. This means that filesizes can be rather big against a comparable JPG. It may take a good number of years to find widespread usage, but as it stands at the moment using PNG-8 in place of static GIF's will lower the filesizes of your images.
No comments:
Post a Comment