Do you know all the image formats and their uses? JPEG, PNG, SVG, and AI with all these acronyms, we tend to get lost. Choosing the right image format is important, it will define the use you will make of your file.
If you plan to publish an image on the web you will have to choose the right format, a file that does not display or that is too heavy and your SEO will pay the price.
In this article I will come back to the main formats and their specific characteristics, so no more excuses!
Top 10 Different Types of Image Formats, Definition and Uses
1. Ai (Adobe Illustrator)
The Ai format is the format that refers to illustrator (one of the most famous vector design software in the world). These vector designs based on lines and geometric shapes have the advantage of maintaining the sharpness of the illustration and maintaining its quality even when resizing the image. This format is more suitable for creating logos as well as creating images for communication media. On the other hand, you will be forced to have Adobe Illustrator to have access to this kind of image.
2. PSD (Adobe Photoshop)
PSD is the basic recording format of Photoshop image editing software. It is a raster file, composed of pixels and therefore not vectorial. The lower the resolution of your image, the bigger the pixels and the blurrier the image. PSD is often used for images that cannot be vectorized. This format allows you to rework an image very precisely but it remains a heavy format only suitable for image editing.
3. SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
SVG is a format for saving and displaying vector graphics. This format is lightweight and allows images to be resized without loss of quality. It is only used on browsers and is not supported by social networks.
4. JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group)
JPEG is the most common photo format, it is used in particular by digital cameras. This format is renowned for its data compression, it will only keep the information visible to our eye and delete those that we cannot see.
So you get a lightweight file that has sufficient quality for digital use. Who says light file says optimized loading time, this format loads faster and is used on all platforms with a size limit. It is a universal format that can be read on any medium and does not require any particular software or tool. Note, however, that its quality decreases with each new save. If you want to make your file small in size you can also use jpeg to jpg converter making it easier to transfer and save your file.
5. PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
PNG is known for its lossless compression that supports high image quality while maintaining the original image's sharpness and colors. This format supports transparent backgrounds, ideal for logos, overlays, and other photos with transparent backgrounds, something that JPEG does not support. PNG is a heavy format but is suitable for the web, it must of course be used sparingly on a web page so as not to weigh it down too much.
6. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
This format is very popular on the internet and especially on social networks. GIF is an animation that uses LZW a lossless compression algorithm. Small in size, this format adapts to all platforms, however, due to the limitation of the format certain colors may be distorted. This format can support transparent backgrounds just like the PNG format.
7. PDF (Portable Document Format)
Created by Adobe, PDF is now always used for uploading files or printing these files. This format makes it possible to share and save a file without it being able to be modified and keeping the same display on any medium.
This format can contain, text, video, photo, vector images and interactive elements created using tools like Photoshop, illustrator and many more. The only constraint to being able to open a file in PDF format you must have PDF Reader on your computer.
8. EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)
A predecessor of PDF, the EPS format is a file for sharing. This format also supports vector images and has the advantage of being able to be opened via software. On the other hand, it is a heavy file and it has now been replaced by the PDF format.
9. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
The TIFF format is the reference format for high-quality images. Mainly used by professionals, it is used in the commercial and printing field. It is a heavy file but supported by all operating systems. This format is generally used for very high-quality printing.
10. MP4 (Moving Picture Expert Group)
MP4 is a multimedia format, a very popular video format on the net and especially on social networks. This format supports video, text and audio. It is a light format because compressed which adapts to several platforms and several video players. It is the perfect format to publish your videos on your site or your social networks.
Choosing the right image format to publish on the web is essential, the heavier a file, the longer it will take to load and your page will pay the consequences. A page that is too heavy and takes too long to load will be penalized at the SEO level by Google, so it is essential for you to pay attention to the size and format of the images that you publish on the web. So make sure that your files are not too large (preferably less than 1 MB) and that your format is suitable for its use and your search engine.
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