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Different types of Image Formats

In this article, we are going to learn about the different types of Images formats in computer.
Submitted by Diksha Tewari, on November 07, 2018

Image Format basically describes how data related to the image will be stored or we can say that simply it tells us the format in which the image is stored. Data can be stored in either compressed or in Uncompressed or also in vector format. Each format of the image contains a certain advantage and disadvantage. Image types such a JPG or PNG, are best for web whereas TIFF format images are good for printing.

1. JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg):
   Joint Photographic Experts Group is a loss-prone (lossy) format which basically means that the data is lost to reduce the size of the image. Due to compression, some data is lost but that loss data is not very high. It is a very common format and is mostly used in digital cameras, nonprofessional prints, E-Mail, PowerPoint etc., These type of images are basically ideal for web use.
2. GIF (.gif):
   GIF or Graphics Interchange Format files are basically used for web graphics. They can easily be animated and are limited to only around 256 colors and they can allow for transparency. These files are typically small in size and are easy to carry or we can say that they are portable.
3. PNG (.png):
   PNG or Portable Network Graphics files are basically lossless image format. These type of images were basically designed to replace gif format as gif supported 256 colors unlike PNG type file can support 16 million colors.
4. Bitmap (.bmp):
   These type of Image file is basically developed by Microsoft for windows. It’s working is same as that of TIFF due lossless, no compression property. It is generally recommended to use TIFF files because BMP being a proprietary format.
5. TIFF(.tif, .tiff):
   This format basically stores image data without losing any data. It does not perform any type of compression on images which have a high-quality image is obtained but the size of the image is also too large, which is good for printing, professional printing.
6. EPS (.eps):
   Encapsulated PostScript file is basically a common vector file type. EPS files can be opened in a different type of applications such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW.
7. RAW Image Files (.raw, .cr2, .nef, .orf, .sr2):
   Basically,these Files are unprocessed and created by a camera or scanner. So Many digital SLR cameras can shoot in RAW. These images are basically the equivalent of a digital negative, meaning that they hold a lot of image information. These images basically need to be processed in an editor such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. It saves metadata and is basically used for photography.