1.
File Formats
Arran Spencer
http://arranspencerbtecprint44326.weebly.co
m

2.
What is a file format?
A file format is a choice you get when saving
work. For example if you are going to save
an Indesign document you can be given the
choice in what sort of file format you want to
save it under. If you are just looking for a
viewing format to check it from time to time
the best and most common format is the
JPEG.
Looking at the Image you can see there are
lots of formats to choose from but the most
common and most well known is of course
the JPEG. GIFs are suited to certain formats
usually done in 30 FPS. “There are wide
variety of different file formats (PSD,RIF,
BMP, JPG and so on”
This image is a simple picture of showing the
amounts of file formats and where you can find
them.

3.
What are the most common image file formats
used in design based work?
Like I mentioned in the previous slide the
most common file format used worldwide
is the ‘JPEG’ format but there are other
well known formats that can be used to
open the work. Each format has it’s own
features and pros and cons. “This type of
file is processed by the camera’s
computer”
There are other formats for example the
next best known formats are (raw, jpeg,
tiff, psd, png and gif) These are the
following most well known file formats. Of
course the next one people would
recognise would either be Gif or PSD.
Gifs was first used on websites banners to
help with advertisment.
The above image just basically shows 12 of the
most popular file formats. These are the most
common and easiest to use.

4.
What are the benefits and constraints of each file
format?
Pros:
JPEG:
Small file sizes easy to use if you plan on having
multiple images.
They are easily accessed on the internet.
Raw:
Close to same at Tiff but less space used.
Retains all quality for more severe editing.
Cons:
JPEG:
The image is reduced down to an 8 bit image
chanel.
Every save of the same Jpeg deteriorates the
image over time.
Raw:
Have to be converted to something else before
using.
Very big file sized one of the biggest of all
formats.

5.
Pros and cons (Cont…)
Pros:
Tiff:
Don’t lost any image data when using this
format.
Once find something to edit on it makes it
clearly easy to edit.
PSD:
You can layer images and add or remove parts
of the image easy.
Easy to edit images on and more effective.
Cons:
Tiff:
Very large file.
Makes it hard to send on emails.
Hard to find software that edits it clearly.
PSD:
File size can be very large if the image has high
resolution and layers.
Very hard to know if it a large file or not until you
try transferring it.

6.
Pros and cons (Cont…)
Pros:
Png:
Can be used for 24bit colour. Which is better
than most other formats.
Very good for editing and makes image clearer
than most other formats.
Gif:
Can use over 256 shades of colours without
losing data space.
Still useful for advertising.
Cons:
Png:
Makes big image sizes even larger so avoid
using on large images.
Could get confused with Tiff they both seem
very similar.
Gif:
Can have a very large file size usually larger
than Png.
Most people take it as a joke nowadays than
they did before memes became mainstream.

7.
Typically, what kind of design work would each type be used for (Print,
interactive, moving image, exhibition)?
Most of the format types would be used
for different types of the 4 stated above.
Some for example PSD can be used if
you want to edit anything for an article
ranging to newspaper front pages. PSD
has multiple uses.
Typically any of the formats could be used
with any of the above 4. Examples given
could be for pictures or picture frames you
might want one edited for you so (PSD).
The exception would be GIF since it is a
moving image, so moving image would
suit that one.
There are multiple types of formats
dozens of them of course I’ve only listed 6
and are only going to talk about 6. All 6
can be used in different methods. I mainly
use JPEG when I want to save an image
and use it for work or for my desktop
wallpaper.
Typically most of the formats would be
used for interactive except for the ones I
have mentioned. Except Gifs and PSD.
PSD would graphic design because of the
layers. Tiff and raw would be for
photography because of their high
resolution.

8.
What is the difference between a raster and vector image?
Raster:
Raster images are mainly always saved
as Tiff and Jpegs any image you acquire
on the internet is made on many many
pixels. If you was to stretch the image too
much is will go all pixelated and blurry.
Raster images are basically any image
you get on the web any image you save
from the internet is always raster. Even if
you put the vector image on the web it will
become pixelated making it a raster
image. “begins to pixelate when magnified
at high percentages”.
Vector:
The main use of vector images are any
images that are made on formats that do
not involve photographs. Example given
will be a face you have drawn in paint that
would be a vector image if you zoom in it
will show no pixels.
The comparison between raster and
vector is that raster involve photographs
and the internet whereas vectors are
mainly used for birthday cards or
billboards. Vector images can only be
transported by saving in the same format
of which you created them in.

9.
Vector &
Raster
These 2 images are showing
what a vector is and that it is
compared to the raster image.
This is a good example.
This image shows the same as
a comparison and a raster
image. The comparison image
is a very good image to use.

10.
What is a metafile?
A metafile is a piece of graphical
information in a certain format that can be
transferred between systems or programs
and will allow it to open. The metafile will
hold multiple pieces of data and allow it to
be able to be opened and transferred.
There are multiple examples of metafiles
the most common one i seem to find is
CGM(computer generated metafile) this
can be used on multiple platforms
whereas. WMF is only operational on
windows.It should say metafile companion
at the top of the monitor if it has worked.
The images i
have used to
help show
metafile are
good images.
They look very
similar and
have been
opened up on
different
software since
that is what
makes the
image a
metafile image.

11.
What type of work would they be for?
Some of the file formats are quite easy to guess what they would be for for example a PSD file would
be used for photoshop and the JPEG file format would be for people who take images from the
internet maybe if you wanted a new desktop wallpaper or you wanted to take some memes from the
internet all of the images would be JPEG. Photographers would use TIFF and also RAW since the
RAW file comes from the camera itself and the easiest thing to transform it to would be TIFF. I have
stated other uses of file formats in the ‘pros and cons’ slides.
There are very limited software that does not accept file formats many of the formats are just what they
got processed into when they are taken for example RAW is only around because that's what it comes
from the camera the chance you get most people change it to a TIFF or JPEG so that the file is not too
big. The smaller the size the easier it will be to transfer from source to source if it is a JPEG it can be
used on near enough all softwares.

12.
Compare the file formats
It is straightforward what the different file formats are by now. The Raw
is different the the JPEG format because RAW is the largest file format
whereas the JPEG file format is used just for the internet basically. The
PSD is different the RAW since if you used a RAW file on photoshop ti
would be so difficult to move it around and then exporting the image
would take hours. Whereas if it gets adapted to the PSD it is easier to
export and open since it would of been taken down in size and makes it
around photoshop.