File Formats

“JPEG- JPEGs are compressed at the moment of capture; therefore, when you take a JPEG, you instantly lose some image detail. A benefit of this compression, however, is file size: JPEG is many times smaller than alternative formats

HIEF- HEIF image files are smaller than JPEGs yet offer similar or even increased quality. In other words, HEIF files take up less space than JPEGs, yet they look equally good. Therefore, the HEIF format offers a lightweight JPEG alternative that’s perfect for rapid image transfer and efficient storage.

TIFF- TIFF files are usually uncompressed, so they’re extremely high quality and offer the opportunity for extensive post-processing. They are much bigger and take up a lot of space both on your memory card and on your computer.

RAW- Like TIFFs, RAW files are very large and take up significant space. Unlike TIFFs, RAW files are not displayable on browsers or even computer desktops; to view a RAW file, you must use special processing software such as Lightroom, Capture One, or ON1 Photo RAW.

DNG- The DNG is offered as a main RAW file format or as an alternative to the manufacturer’s native RAW format. One of the problems with keeping images in the original RAW format is that, several years from now, you may struggle to access these files because they are specific to cameras and manufacturers. But if you convert your files to Adobe DNGs, they’ll be future-proof.

PNG- PNGs are compressed in a lossless format and therefore retain plenty of detail for viewing and editing. But unlike many other file formats, high-quality PNGs don’t require lots of storage space; this is useful on the internet because you want images to load quickly.

GIF- Like PNGs, GIFs are perfect for internet use. Lossless compression means that files are small but image quality is not sacrificed, and GIF supports transparency. GIF also allows for animation.

BMP-