A file format is the way in which a file is saved and there are various different formats. File formats are designed to save different types of data, such as JPEG ( Joint Photographic Experts Group) for images or raster data as well as things like AI for vector data. A metafile is a file that can store multiple types of data and therefore they can be exchanged from different systems and software and can include both vector and raster data1. There are two different types of images, raster and vector. Raster graphics are made up of pixels, whereas vector graphics are composed of paths. A raster image, such as a GIF is a make up of pixels of various colours, which together form an image.2.

In the image above, there is a vector and raster image. As you can see the vector image is a much better quality and is a much clearer, sharper image. Where as the raster image is a much blurrier image, clearly of a much lower quality.

There are different types of file formats that are used for different reasons, especially within graphic design. A very common file format used within design work is psd, which stands for a photoshop document, and is the default file format that any work saved from photoshop is saved in. What makes a psd special is that after the file has been saved, the file allows the image to be saved with its individual layers so that they can still be edited after this3 PSD files are commonly used in print, photography and graphic design work to name a few, and they have both advantages and disadvantages such as that they can preserve layers which means they can be edited multiple times easily especially if being edited again after saving on another pc, however the file sizes can be considerably large and therefore difficult to transfer or email across to someone like a business client who requires the psd file4 A PSD file is also very popular as it can be used in Adobe Indesign, GoLive, Photoshop etc. and keep its layers meaning that the file can be used over and over, which allows editing across several different platforms. This is very useful as it works with other file formats so that people can save things in the file format that would be best suited to their needs, 1 http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/metafile2 http://pc.net/helpcenter/answers/vector_and_raster_graphics3 http://whatis.techtarget.com/fileformat/PSD-Adobe-Photoshop-default4 https://agnessalcf.wordpress.com/capturing-manipulating-images/questions/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-jpeg-and-psd-files/

however it is a disadvantage that if the image has been overwritten after editing, it cannot go back to how it was before.

. A JPEG is the most commonly used format for saving and storing images and it is useful for images which use over 256 colours. “ The file size relatively small and they can be saved in RGB colour mode, making them the best choice for most colour images”. These images can also be saved in different file sizes, which represent a % of the images quality. The smaller the file size, the more quality is compressed and lost and makes it far smaller which in turn saves space on hard drives of computers, it can be reduced to as little as 5% of its normal size, but this does compromise the images detail.5 There are multiple advantages and disadvantages to a JPEG is that it is a small file size and therefore doesn’t take up a lot of hard drive space on your computer, as well as this it is compatible and can be displayed well on various different browsers and text/graphics design programs on a different portfolio of devices from PC’s to Android to IOS Systems. There are also disadvantages to JPEG images, such as that when an image is stretched it can blur massively and lose quality where as other file formats can cope with this, as well as this it does not support transparency which can be necessary in graphic design work. JPEG’S are very suitable for photographers that are taking still images6.

This image is a JPEG which shows the gradual decrease in quality of the image, as JPEG’S lose detail every time they are saved.

Another file format that has become more popular recently is a GIF, which allows animations to play continuously. A GIF can support as many as 256 colours and also has ‘loseless’ compression meaning that it doesn’t lose any

5 http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/J/JPEG.html6 Born G, 1995, The File Formats Handbook, Cengage Learning EMEA

This image to the left compares a PNG to a JPEG which has been saved over and over and is at 30% of his quality.

data7. Another very popular file format, comes in the shape of PNG, which is a raster file and is very popular due to the fact that it supports ‘lossless’ data compression, which means that when compressed the image remains at its original quality and does not lose any detail which can be considered a massive advantage and is also ‘the most used lossless image compression format on the internet. PNG is a file format that is used for compressing images when saving them - it is in place to replace the gif format that is widely used. With a PNG file it can be compressed between 10% and 30% more than in a GIF format. These can be used to make a colour transparent, or even opaque as well as images being able to be saved by using true colour 8

7 Shafran A, 2000, Paintshop pro web graphics third edition, Muska and Lipmam8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Network_Graphics

This is a PNG VS GIF. There are various differences in these pieces of work, such as that the PNG doesn’t come with a background, which makes it very popular with graphic designers, as they do not have to spend time removing the background on Photoshop. As well as this, A GIF is a moving image which will loop, making it a larger file than a PNG, which is a still but small filed image. The PNG also has better transparency which allows the colours to become much brighter, again being popular with graphic designers.

In this image, you can clearly see the quality difference in quality across the images, as well as the amount of room that they take up, and it shows that the highest quality image takes up the most room, despite only being a few KB. However, in terms of quality to size, the PNG image is by far the best, only taking 30.2 KB and has relatively good quality. Despite these advantages, there are also disadvantages such as the fact that despite supporting 256 colours, it is usually avoided when using an image that has many colours as the gif may struggle to give optimum quality9. A TIFF file is a file format that is used for swapping raster images between applications. The TIFF, or Tag Image File Format was created in 1986 by Aldus Corporations, who are now owned by and are part of Adobe, one of the most common things TIFF’s are used for is faxing. TIFF files can be created in various different programs, this can be in Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator and is used to create high quality files to then give off a true to screen print which means that when printed, the image looks as clear as it did on your computers monitor. A tiff can also be compressed in order to lessen the size of a file to free up hard drive - this still keep a large amount of detail in the image. However, a .tiff file can also be stored without using compression in order to keep the same quality of the original image, and it ensures each pixel is identical to the original image.10.

A rather unknown file format comes in the

9 http://www.motocms.com/blog/en/pros-cons-types-image-extensions/10 http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/TIFF-Tag-Image-File-Format

This is a TIFF file, which is very important file when graphic designing, as it allows images to print in there real form that they show on the monitor without losing its colour, like many do. In my opinion, I think that it makes it a superior to a JPEG as not only does it lose colour, unlike the TIFF, it also loses quality.

shape of a RAW file, which is basically an image, but as it is seen by the cameras sensor, and instead of the camera processing the image itself, and then turning into a JPEG, it allows you to process the image yourself and that is why it is very popular with photographers, which is the type of graphic work this file is used for11. The biggest positive that I can see when looking at the specs of a RAW file is the fact that an 8-bit raw file can reproduce a whopping 68 billion colours but a 14-bit can reproduce an unbelievable 4.3 trillion colours, which obviously will enhance the colours of a photo, helping to make it look far neater and crisp than a jpeg image. However the file sizes are absolutely huge because of this making it very difficult to transfer. This is a good file format to use as you are then able to adjust the image how you wish as all the image information received by the camera is saved. When a raw image is changed, it doesn’t ruin the images, whereas when editing a jpeg it is a destructive method. 12

Another file format that is used commonly in the graphic design industry is an EPS file, which stands for Encapsulated Postscript Vector file, there are advantages and disadvantages to this such as that an EPS file can accurately reproduce digital images through PostScript printers which then makes EPS filed images look perfect on paper and gives a far better quality of printed image than the other file formats which are available, however a disadvantage would be that EPS files require adobe programs and PostScript printers which for businesses that operate in the graphic design work isn’t a problem but this makes it fairly inaccessible for those new to the industry of desktop publishing without splashing a fair amount of cash which some may not have, nor be willing to spend. Another disadvantage is that your PC must also support PostScript printing, and the quality that you are shown on your computer screen could be potentially different to the quality of the colours and detail that the image offers when printed, and could be a letdown13. There are many different programs that can create a vector image, some of these are InkScape (Mac, Win, Linux), DrawIt (Mac), SK1 (Linux), Xara Xtreme (Mac, Linux), Skencil (Linux) and Scribus (Mac, Win, Linux, OS/2)14. Just like vector images, there are multiple applications that will support and create Raster images and these include Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe

11 http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/adam-savage-dont-let-science-scare-you/12 Poppy E, 2004, Forms, Folds and Sizes: All the details graphic designers need to know but can never find paperback.13 http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/73337.aspx14 https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/12/20-vector-graphic-editors-reviewed/

Fireworks, Corel Photo Paint (CPP), GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) as well a s Microsoft Paint.