Image file extension is the way we know that these are precisely images and not another type of resource such as videos or text. In this way, when they send us one, we already know what to expect, for example.
However, knowing this information goes much further and that is, in fact, the least of the benefits. If you want, know what it means to have knowledge about this keep reading because we are going to tell you.
In the following lines you will discover what exactly an image format is , which ones exist, which ones are the most important, what they are necessary for and where you can reproduce each one.
>
Index:
What is the extension of a file or image format and what is it really for?
We all know what an image is, right? A digital file in which we can see a visual representation of anything, whether or not it exists . The photos we take, the drawings we make, the tweaks we add, the logos we create … These are images that, in this case, we have in digital format, that is, they do not exist physically.
These can be seen in a multitude of devices: computers, phones, cameras, televisions … In fact, every time the compatibility with different devices is greater.
However, for this to happen it is necessary that these devices (and more specifically the softwares that they carry inside) be able to know that this file is precisely an image, interpret it and Finally, find the right program with which to show it. For this is precisely what the image file extension is for .
An extension or format is a name given to a file type . This is done by adding, behind its name, the name of the extension itself , separating both with a period.
Let’s take as an example «kitty.jpeg»:
“Kitty” is the name we have given, surely, to a photo we have taken of our cat, which makes users know what the image in question is while “.jpeg” is the part of the name that tells the system the type of file in question , in this case, an image.
This also serves for the OS to choose the appropriate program to be able to open the file in a compatible way so that it is displayed correctly.
In addition, the extension types will also tell us some “little things” about the file. For example, we can identify if the images are rendered or are vector, if they have been compressed, what color mode they have … One of these aspects, that of rendering and vectorization, is worth being developed .
Raster image
They are made up of pixels , which are assigned, each of them, a color. This means that higher resolution (more pixels) more quality we can get , because more pixels, of different colors, we can include to generate details.
Their problem is that they lose quality when they grow up since there is no more content to see than the one that has already been worked on, resulting in an image that is becoming increasingly blurred.
These images, which we can also refer to as bitmaps, are the ones that make up photographs, web graphics, illustrations … When you are looking, in essence, for the highest quality.
Raster image formats (Bitmaps)
Because of its importance, I would like to end up showing more clearly what are the extensions of the images that are randerized and those that are vector, since this is a general feature that often makes us discard or choose a file, as we have indicated before.
Raster images are those given in the following formats:
- .jpg or .jpeg
- .gif
- .png
- .tiff or .tif
- .RAW
- .bmp
- .psd
- .eps
- .pic
Vector image
On the contrary we have vector images, which are formed , in effect, by vectors, control points connected by mathematically defined curves .
This means that there is no problem that we have just seen for render images, being able to expand and enlarge the vectors without suffering loss of quality . They are used in simple graphics such as typography compositions, teaching materials, icons …
Similarly, it is also interesting to know the different color modes, also specific to many of the types of image files that we will see later.
- Monochrome: Only white and pure black are used.
- Grayscale: In addition to black and white, They include 256 shades of gray.
- Indexed: We give up to 256 shades while maintaining an 8-bit file.
- HSB: Colors created from three parameters: hue, saturation and brightness. The color palette is 24 bits.
- RGB: There are three primary colors (red, green and blue) that, in additive synthesis, form the others. It is the one used in screens.
- CMYK: It works by subtracting the luminosity of four main tones (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). It is the mode used for physical format.
In short, the format will give us a lot of information for both the user and the system so that we know how to determine the type of information that this file is about, its characteristics and, of course, the needs to be interpreted and visualized.
Vector image formats
On the other hand, we find the vector images, which are:
- .psd
- .eps
- .SVG
- .AI
- .DWG
Types of extensions and image file formats and their associated programs to open them
Now that you know everything this seemingly simple nomenglature offers you to offer about your images, let’s see, one by one, its characteristics.
* If you are viewing the web from your smartphone, slide the table to the right to see all the data
Do you know other extensions to open and edit image files? Leave them in the comments and we will add them to the list, it will surely be of great value to the other readers!