Knowing your .gif from you .eps: here’s our pocket-guide on file types

If you’re a professional working predominantly with Microsoft Office applications, you’ll be familiar with the file types of .doc (Microsoft? Word document), .ppt (Microsoft? PowerPoint file) and .xls (Microsoft? Excel document).

You’ll also probably be familiar with photographic files such as .png, .jpg and .gif but do you know what these files (and others) are, and why one might be better suited to your task than another?

If you work with graphic designers, marketing companies, PR and advertising agencies, then they will invariably provide you with (or request from you) other documents with file type names you’ll have heard of, but do you know what they are and where they’re best suited?

So, here, we’ve provided a potted summary of the most popular file types (in alphabetical order), and their uses.?

Pixel-based file types:

These files are predominantly picture-based, meaning they are usually of a photographic nature that can’t be enlarged too much, from their original size, without loss of quality. They are made up of individual pixels and the more pixels they have, the more detail they can show and the larger they can be used without loss of quality.

.jpg:

A compressed image format standardised by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG). It is possible to compress Jpgs to reduce the file size (though the quality will also reduce pro-rate). This is the popular image format for both print and digital collateral as well as within Microsoft PowerPoint. A .jpg file cannot have a transparent background.

.png:

Images saved in the (24 bit) Portable Network Graphic (PNG) format have the ability to be created with transparent backgrounds. These types of files are useful for logotypes and other graphics for use within Microsoft PowerPoint. They are equally popular for use on web sites and html e-mailers too and are particularly suited to images that contain large areas of flat colour.

.gif:

Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) files are used for images with few, or simplistic, colours such as logos, icons, simple illustrations and other graphics –?used mainly on web sites or within html e-mails. Their file size is relatively small (compared to jpgs or pngs) and they have the ability to be simplistically animated (though this does increase the file size). Animated Gifs are popular for simple banner ads on web sites.

.tif:

Tagged Image Format Files (also TIFFs) are popular with photographers and graphic designers as they can be edited and re-saved without losing image quality. They are not, generally, used in Microsoft Powerpoint due to their large file size.

.psd:

This is a raw PhotoShop Document format and is never used with any Microsoft? Office application. This is the file type created by professional designers where several ‘layers’ can be built up and saved before the final image is ‘flattened’ and saved as one of the other file formats. For any future editing, the .psd serves as the ‘master file’ and can be re-opened and all the design layers will still be intact ready for further editing.

Vector-based file types:

These files predominantly use flat colours, graphics or illustrations which use mathematical calculations, rather than pixels, to be able to be enlarged without any loss of quality. For this reason, they are the preferred formats for logos.

.ai:

Adobe Illustrator files are commonly used to create vector (scalable with no loss of quality) graphic files such as logos, infographics, graphs, charts and other similar graphics. They cannot be used (successfully) in Microsoft? Office applications.

.svg:

These are Scalabel Vector Graphic files; web-friendly vector files that can be scaled up with no loss of quality. Logos, infographics, graphs, charts and other similar graphics work well as svgs within Microsoft? ?Powerpoint.

?.eps:

An Encapsulated PostScript is an older type of vector graphics file but doesn’t support transparency and, as such, they aren’t used so much by professional designers. They cannot be used (successfully) in Microsoft? Office applications.

If our clients send us images or logos in the wrong format (e.g. a logotype supplied as a Gif), we will also request them in the correct format. It’s not essential that our clients are familiar the ins and outs of each format type – but it’s always useful to know. Every day’s a school day, remember! ;-)