Graphic File Formats

Widespread for web graphics got two formats - GIF and JPEG. Their versatility, versatility, a small amount of the source files for a site with sufficient capacity, it was joined by a positive service, actually defining them as web-image standard. There is still the PNG format, which is also supported browsers by adding images and exists in two forms - PNG-8 and PNG-24. However, the popularity of PNG is inferior GIF and JPEG formats recognition.

GIF

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) - image file format that is widely used when creating websites. GIF uses 8-bit color and efficiently compresses solid color areas, while maintaining image detail.

Features

• The number of colors in the image may be from 2 to 256, but it can be any color from 24-bit palette.
• The file in GIF format can contain transparent areas. If you use a non-white background color, it will show through the "hole" in the image.
• It supports frame-shift image that makes a popular format for creating banners and simple animation.
• It uses free compression method losses

Application area

Text, logos, images with distinct edges, animated images, images with transparent areas, banners.

JPEG

JPEG ((Joint Photographic Experts Group) -. A popular image file format, commonly primenyamy when creating websites and image storage JPEG supports 24-bit color and preserves the brightness and color tones in photographs unchanged This format is called lossy compression as the JPEG algorithm selectively. rejects data. the compression method can distort the picture, especially text containing small parts or sharp edges. the JPEG format does not support transparency. When you save a picture in this format, transparent pixels are filled with a certain color.

Features

• The number of colors in the image - about 16 million, which is enough to store the photographic image quality.
• The main characteristic of the format - quality, allows you to control the final file size.
• It supports technology, the so-called progressive JPEG, in which a low-resolution version of the picture appears in the browser window to full load the image.

Application area

It is used mainly for photos. Not very suited for pictures containing transparent areas, small parts or text.

PNG-8

PNG-8 (Portable Network Graphics) - format in its effect is similar to GIF. On assurance of the developer uses an improved data compression format, but as practice shows, this is not always the case.

Features

• It uses an 8-bit palette (256 colors) in an image, for which he received in his figure-eight title. At the same time, you can choose how many colors will be saved in a file - from 2 to 256.
• Unlike GIF, does not display the animation in any form.

Application area

Text, logos, images with distinct edges, images with gradient transparency.

PNG-24

PNG-24 - a format similar to PNG-8, but using 24-bit color palette Like the JPEG format, keeps brightness and color tones in images. Like the format of GIF and PNG-8 preserves image details, such as a linear figures, logos, or illustrations

Features

• It uses approximately 16.7 Mill. Flowers in a file for which the format is used for full-color images.
• Supports multi-level transparency, it allows you to create a smooth transition from the transparent areas of the image to the color, the so-called gradient.
• Due to the fact that the compression algorithm used retains all color and pixels in the image unchanged when compared with other formats, the PNG-24 in the final volume of the image file gets the most.

Application area

Photos, pictures containing transparent areas, images with lots of colors and sharp edges of the image.