Descriptions of Various Image Formats
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A simple bitmapped graphics format, typically used for Windows desktop backgrounds -- but not for Webpages. Extremely inefficient with large file sizes, which makes it an extremely annoying choice for Webpage graphics. Also, it's not native to the Mac, so your Mac visitors would have to download a QuickTime plug-in just to see the file. |
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A popular Web-based graphics format that can include both transparent backgrounds and simple animations. GIF files are relatively efficient, and good for reproducing simple line drawings, illustrations, and cartoon art. |
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Perhaps the most widely used graphics format on the Web, JPG files are often slightly smaller in size than comparable GIF files and are better at reproducing both black and white and color photographic images. This is the least-annoying format available -- although you can still choose various levels of efficiency when creating a JPG file. |
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An older, not very efficient graphics format, not normally used on Webpages. Use of this format is extremely irritating to most Web users. |
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A file type from Adobe, Portable Document Format, lets you view pages on your screen exactly as you'd see them on paper. PDF files are typically very large, but reproduce both text and graphics with almost perfect accuracy. If you have a printed document to display online, use the PDF format; however it forces users to install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in. |
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A relatively new graphics format that originally was intended to ultimately replace the GIF format -- although that hasn't happened. Most newer browsers are configured to display these files without the need for additional plug-ins. |
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A high-resolution graphics format not widely used on Webpages. TIF files are typically used for printed graphics in magazines and newspapers, create much larger file sizes, and as such are totally unnecessary for Webpage use. |