Selecting the correct file format for your photos is critical to achieving quality results. Photographers and graphic designers alike must understand how different formats operate and when they should be utilized.
Image file formats like JPEG, TIFF and PNG are widely available online. Each one offers distinct advantages and is optimized for a specific use case.
1. JPEG
JPEGs are one of the most widely used image file types, and for good reason – their lossy compression makes sharing photos online easier without compromising picture quality. The format is supported by virtually all web browsers and operating systems, while most social media platforms automatically convert uploaded images into JPEGs.
It’s the most widely-used digital format on Earth, used by 72% of websites – and for good reason: saving space and bandwidth when uploading photos to a website or blog. As an industry standard for digital photography and online image sharing, JPG files are usually the best option for most photographers when it comes to saving their pictures online.
The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) created standards for compressing digital photographs, creating a format that is widely accepted and widely used. Its compression algorithms are renowned for their ability to maintain acceptable levels of image quality even when photos have been drastically reduced in size due to lossy compression.
However, as compression decreases, an image may start to exhibit artifacts such as blooming, aliasing and noise. To avoid this issue, professional photographers often save their files in lossless formats like PSD or TIF before saving them as JPEGs for better quality output.
To minimize artifacts in JPEG files, try keeping their settings as low as possible. You can do this by setting the JPEG Quality setting in Photoshop or another image editing program to a value between 8 and 12.
Low-quality JPEG files may appear larger than they actually are, particularly for photos with lots of detail or large blocks of color like landscapes and portraits.
You can avoid this issue by storing your JPEGs in an archival format like TIFF. Doing so will be useful if you ever need to edit the files later on.
JPEGs are raster image files that store information about colors, lines and other geometric shapes. They’re popular online display formats that can also be used for short animations; however, they lack transparency so if you wish to use your images for compositing or displaying on a transparent background you must convert them to another format first.
2. TIFF
TIFF (Transformable Image File Format) is a lossless compression format for saving images. It’s commonly used in high-resolution prints such as fine art reproduction and is widely supported by desktop publishing and imaging applications.
JPEG and TIFF files alike contain metadata (known as EXIF) which helps prevent copyright infringement and provides vital information about the file’s creator and other details. Furthermore, TIFFs are compatible across different operating systems, making them an ideal option for sharing photos across multiple platforms.
Another advantage of TIFF over JPEG for photo storage is their flexibility in post-processing; you can make extensive edits in photo editors such as Lightroom or Capture One without fear of degradation in quality.
TIFFs stand out among other file formats in that they can be saved with multiple layers and masks. This gives photographers more freedom when editing photos, since they can save Photoshop layers separately and return to them later for further changes.
TIFFs boast a wider color range than JPEGs, making it simpler to produce prints from them that look just as good as the originals. Furthermore, TIFF supports both RGB and CMYK color models – perfect for producing accurate reproductions of each hue component.
TIFF files are much larger than JPEGs and can take up a considerable amount of space on a hard drive. As such, TIFFs aren’t as widely used for online sharing or printing as JPEGs are.
The TIFF file format is intricate, consisting of multiple tags with data such as resolution, color information and software. Unfortunately, not all programs can read all these tags and display them correctly; this leads to errors. To address this issue a “baseline TIFF” was developed that uses only certain tags and values.
The TIFF file format is incompatible with most web browsers, as few can render TIFF files without additional software. While this makes the format inefficient for displaying photos online, it still serves a purpose in professional printing where high-quality archiving of images and graphics is possible.
3. PNG
PNG is an image file format developed as an alternative to the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). It uses lossless compression, meaning it will maintain quality even through repeated encoding and decoding operations. As such, PNG makes for great storage and editing digital photos as well as sharing them online.
PNG files are widely supported by all major web browsers, file viewers, graphic and photo programs for Windows and Mac computers. Archivists, preservationists, and other information scientists often enlist the help of PNG files when digitizing documents, ephemera, and realia for digital preservation projects.
The PNG file format was developed in the mid-1990s with one goal in mind: simplicity and portability, legal ambiguity, interchangeability, flexibility and robustness. Since then it has become an international standard.
Lossless compression format that supports a range of image formats, including 24bit RGB color palettes, grayscale images and full-color non-palette based RGB/RGBA images. Furthermore, it supports transparency – an essential feature for illustrators and graphic designers.
PNG stands out with its wide color depth. It supports both CMYK (essential for printing) and RGB, the most widely used internet color space.
The PNG format can accommodate a wide range of image file sizes, making it an ideal option for online distribution of digital photos. It’s especially beneficial for smaller high-resolution pictures that require both small file size and fast loading speed.
PNG files are superior to JPEG when it comes to saving photos and screenshots since they don’t have as many limitations as the older format does. Plus, its lossless compression enables easy editing and resaving of images without compromising quality, plus it supports transparency.
PNG files tend to be larger than JPEG, which may present an issue for some users, particularly those with slow internet connections or older computers. A helpful solution in such cases is Setapp’s CleanShot X, which lets you reduce screenshot size without compromising image quality.
4. PSD
When it comes to saving photos, there are various file formats you can choose from. Popular choices include JPEG, TIFF and PNG. Ultimately, the best format for you depends on your specific needs and available tools.
PSD (Photoshop Document) is the ideal format for saving photos since it allows you to edit each layer independently. Furthermore, saving a high-quality image that will last for years is possible with PSD.
PSD files can also be employed in web graphics, print designs and even digital photo effects. They’re popular among professional designers and photographers for many different purposes.
Another advantage of PSD is its lossless compression format, meaning it will preserve all image data when you reopen and save it again. This distinguishes it from other formats like jpeg which compresses an image each time it opens.
However, if you need to view or edit the file, it may be necessary to open it in another application. While Photoshop is widely used, other programs like CorelDRAW and PaintShop Pro also support PSD files.
You can even view a PSD file using an online image viewer. This is an excellent way to get an idea of the quality of a design without needing to invest in expensive software.
However, PSD can have its drawbacks. For one thing, the file size can be quite large if there are many layers present. This may restrict how quickly you can distribute the design and may not be suitable for printing purposes.
Furthermore, PSD files can be difficult to open on some computers. Mac users especially should exercise caution when opening a PSD file.
To facilitate this, Acorn provides a free file viewer that can open and browse PSD files. Compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems, the tool allows users to open or browse these documents with ease. Furthermore, they can drag and drop their files directly onto the interface for faster access.
