The Cure for Your Image File Format Headache

There are so many digital image file formats to choose from—.JPG, .BMP, .TIFF, .GIF, .RAW, .PNG—it can make your head spin! How do you decide which file type is most appropriate for the imagery in your project? Here are some tips to help you choose.

Digital Image File Formats for Web Delivery

The three most commonly used digital image file formats for web delivery are: .JPG (a.k.a. .JPEG), .PNG, and .GIF. These file formats are compatible with most web browsers because they’re compressed and therefore tend to be smaller, making them ideal for web delivery.

So what is the difference between these file formats? Without getting into the nitty-gritty, the most easily identifiable differences have to do with compression and quality...