Image file format

An image file format is a specification for a method of storing a digital image in a computer file or other digital file. All online images are stored in one or another digital file format.

Some digital file formats support only two color (black and white) images, some support greyscale images, and some support multi-color images. Some digital file formats include built in data compression, and are organized to facilitate that compression. Some include metadata -- information about the image.

Popular image file formats

Currently popular image file formats include:

• Bitmap (BMP) files -- a nearly raw representation of the displayed pixels
• JPEG (JPG) files -- include built-in lossy compression with a variable degree of quality. The name stands for "Joint Picture Experts Group", the committee which created the format.
• GIF files -- "Graphics Interchange format" -- includes a compression routine, at one time threatened by patent issues. Allows animated images.
• PNG files -- "Portable Network Graphic" -- open format.
• TIFF files -- "Tagged image file format"
• Windows metafile (WMF) files
• SVG files -- "Scalable Vector Graphics"

See also

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