Knowing the Different Image File Extensions & When to Use Them
Your computer or the internet is composed of millions of data or files, which are stored in a central operating system. These files are different in nature, and it’s crucial for your computer to identify what type of files these are so they can let you access them. But in order for your computer to identify them, these files need to have a file name extension. These can be found at the file name itself, and it’s followed by a dot and an acronym, which can be composed of numbers or letters.
There are many file name extensions, and one of the most common is image file extensions. So if you’re currently wondering what these are and want to know when you can use them, read on below to find out! Sooner or later, you will learn how to open file of images without any problems.
JPED or JPG
One of the most common image file name extensions you will run into is the JPEG or JPG file name extension. These are known for their lossy compression, which means the quality of the image decreases as the file size decreases. These are perfect for projects on the web, Microsoft documents, or any projects that require printing images at a high resolution. But in order to do so, you need to take note of the resolution and file size of the JPEG to get a nice-looking result.
Portable Network Graphics or PNGs
Another common image file extension is the PNG or Portable Network Graphics. These are perfect for interactive documents, such as web pages, but they’re not suitable for printing. They are lossless, which means they can be edited and not lose quality. But, in general, they are low in resolution. One of the reasons PNGs are used in projects is that you can save the image with more colors. As a result, the image looks sharper and has the perfect web-quality finish.
Graphics Interchange Format – GIF
GIFs are the most common animated form of image file extensions. You can see these all over the internet today, and these started in Tumblr pages and ad banners. In basic form, GIFs are composed of 256 colors in the RGB colorspace. But because of the limited number of colors, the file size is also significantly reduced. Instead of adding a video, you can add a GIF for web projects where you need an image that loads quickly.
Working with images can be difficult, and it’s not as simple as you think it is. It involves file name extensions, which will affect the quality of the image. So knowing these different image file extensions can help you out when you’re doing web projects in the future.
