Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (2023)

When you talk about pixels, you're actually talking about raster images. Raster images can be low to high quality images that contain pixels. While vector images contain vector lines, fills, and patterns that can be dynamically stretched without losing resolution and are not limited to pixels.

In the history of images, raster images came first. Because of this, we wanted to emphasize raster images first, and then cover vector image formats throughout the story.

Grid category images are used for simple or complex purposes. Each image file type has its own details and different extensions. They are designed to be used for different purposes and have some advantages over using the platform variant.

What is a raster file?

A raster file is a grid of colored squares called pixels. Each pixel represents a specific color and is given a number that indicates its color value. This color value can be an index to a specific color table or the actual color value.

Raster files are best for digital art, such as photographs, illustrations, and more complex graphics, such as digital paintings or drawings. They can also be used for simple graphic based logotypes and designs.

The main disadvantage of raster images is that they cannot be enlarged without losing quality. This is because pixels become visible when an image is enlarged too much.

Raster image formats for the web

JPEG

JPEG is the most common image format on the World Wide Web, and most digital cameras produce embedded JPEG images. The compression level of the JPEG image can be adjusted and you will usually get 10:1 compression and you can feel the quality loss in the image. This filename extension is usually .JPEG or .JPG. A JPEG image can be easily edited or compressed, but once you edit a high-quality JPEG image, you cannot restore that quality by inverting it.

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (1)

Still, the benefit of compression has made JPEG images more popular than other image formats. This reduced image data and compressed image format is useful for responsive web presentations, but cannot be used for iconic drawings and graphics that need to be enlarged. This format is not suitable for creating medical and scientific image data, since the JPEG format is a lossy compression method. It cannot be restored to its original quality if edited multiple times.

A fact that most designers don't know is that JPEG/JPG files also have many plugins likeclipping paths, EXIF, metadata and more. One disadvantage of using JPEG is that it doesn't support web transparency.

JPEG2000

(Video) Explaining Image File Formats

This format offers lossy and lossless storage. Its compression methods improve quality and compression ratios. This file format also includes features that JPEG lacks. No longer common today as a general JPEG, however, this format is used in professional film editing, especially for individual film frames.

GIF

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (2)

GIF is very popular on the web for light animation. Nowadays they are also used in various chat apps instead of emoticons. But for scanned images with text and general images with text, it also offers clear visibility on the web.

GIF, a bitmap image format, is gaining popularity due to its wide compatibility and portability. GIF supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image and animation. It also allows for a separate palette of 256 colors for each frame. Lempel-Ziv-Welch lossless data compression technique is used to reduce file size without sacrificing visual quality. This GIF image can be easily downloaded even with very slow modems and this fact has made this image format popular.

PNG

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (3)It is an acronym for Portable Network Graphics. It is a raster image format that supports lossless data compression and also background transparency. Because they have transparent effects, PNG images are the best options for web professionals.

The PNG image format supports palette-based images, grayscale images, and RGB color images. The file extension is .png and if you want to get a transparent background image, you must use PNG image format. This image format is mainly used to provide a transparent image background for logos, banners, etc.

EXIF

It's not really an image format, but it's built into JPEG capture software and capture devices (camera). It is basically designed to exchange image metadata.EXIFThe format can store different types of metadata such as B. Camera settings, time and date of the captured image, shutter speed, exposure and image size, compression, camera name, color information and most importantly the geological location.

Bitmap/BMP

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (4)

Also known as a bitmap image file or raster graphics file, which is a dot matrix data structure. It is used to store bitmap digital images free of display device barriers. This file format can store two-dimensional digital images. You can save raw image data. One of the many advantages of bitmap formats is that it can maintain its quality while being saved in various other raster formats. It is compatible with most virtual devices. Before JPEG, BMP was quite popular.

(Video) Image File Formats for Design Explained

PSB

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (5)PSB stands for Photoshop Big. The primary layer-based image file is PSD, which can be a maximum of 30,000 x 30,000 pixels. But if you still need large files, you can use a PSB file, which can be a maximum of 300,000 x 300,000 pixels, since a PSD file cannot be stretched to more than 30,000 pixels. You can export PSB files to TIFF for compatibility with other programs.

DCS

The DCS image file format is derived from EPS and stands for Desktop Color Separation. DCS is actually a collection of EPS files. The main benefit of using this file is that you can have some kind of OPI functionality for the file format. The DCS file format used to be very efficient back when Macs, PCs and other tools weren't as powerful as they are today. Because DCS files contain separate EPS files for each plate, any software can create and print color separations faster when using the DCS format. You can have a preview image as an EPS file.

JPS

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (6)A JPS file is actually a JPEG file and is used for stereoscopic images. Stereo images typically involve placing copies of the same image side by side. There are slight variations in lighting or perspective in such an image. This image format allows viewers to see a 3D effect of 2D photos in one of three ways.

WebP

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (7)

It's a new image designed by Google. It is used for both lossless and lossy compression. Reducing the image file size speeds up web page loading. This format suggests a JPEG file as the primary format for web photographers.

SPIFF

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (8)It is the official file format for JPEG and has received the ISO designation. This file format offers versatile compression, color management, and more metadata features than other formats such as JPEG. In any case, it is not widely supported.

BIP

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (9)

(Video) Vector vs Raster Image File Type Differences

It is a new image format created to replace the JPEG format to solve quality or file size issues. Its file size is much smaller than JPEG and it has high compression rate. It is compatible with most web browsers. Supports all color spaces and lossless compression. It also supports various metadata.

It is a new image format and is intended to replace JPEG. It has many advantages. It offers a high compression rate and the files are much smaller. It is compatible with most web browsers. This format can reduce losses during conversion and supports all color spaces. It can also contain metadata and offers lossless compression.

HEIF

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (10)

It is primarily an image container format. This file is compatible with ISO-based media file format and can contain other media streams like timed text, audio, etc. This format is compatible with digital cameras, smartphones, internet-connected websites and image editing applications, etc.

Image formats from the web

CRU

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (11)

These images are not processed and are therefore not ready for printing. Images in this format are also known as digital negatives because they retain all of the information from the previous negative, and in some cases more information than with minimal loss of data or metadata.

The other benefits of using RAW files are that they produce the highest image quality, record higher brightness and adjust white balance easily, have the benefit of easy dodge-and-burn correction of images, allow for non-destructive image editing, etc. . You'll also get better print selection and color space in your output when using the RAW format.

PSD

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (12)

PSD stands for Photoshop Document and is the main format that Photoshop produces. It is a layered image file and a proprietary file. It can be edited at any time through its individual layers. The user can reduce the image to other image formats so that it can be used on the web. You need to save PSD files before converting them to other formats. Otherwise you will not be able to restore PSD again. A PSD file can have a maximum height and width of 30,000px and a file size of 2GB.

STREIT

(Video) Raster formats

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (13)

It is an abbreviated form of Tagged Image File Format for storing raster graphics images. This format is popular with graphic designers, photographers and print media. Applications for scanning, word processing, faxing, optical character recognition, desktop publishing, image editing and page layout. TIFF is flexible, adaptable, and capable of storing image data in a lossless format.

PCX

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (14)It stands for Picture Exchange. This file is used in Windows, especially in the world of MS-DOS and Windows-compatible software. It is the first file format to support color images. Supports 256 colors. The image file is easy to read, use and unzip. It supports built-in compression and is suitable for Windows-based programs. However, the disadvantage of this file is that it is not compatible with web browsers.

Formats that are (mostly) dead

PXR

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (15)

It is an uncompressed raster image format. It can store image data in RGB or grayscale at 8 bits per channel and was primarily used for animation and medical imaging purposes. This image format is now a less supported file format.

PALO

Explanation of different types of raster image file formats and their properties (16)

This format has wide acceptance and ISO designation. It offers versatile compression, color management and metadata functions. However, this format has little support and is therefore less used.

By the way, these are the most popular image formats. Some of them offer many benefits to user experience by providing high quality lossless images. It is important to understand image formats and their benefits as using the right images can make your web experience smoother. Proper use of images speeds up web applications. There are also some raster image formats that are obsolete and less supported. It is therefore necessary to use the most common image formats.

If you are interested in different types of vector image file formats, please read this blog post
>>

FAQs

What are the different types of raster images? ›

Popular types of raster files include JPEG, PNG, and GIF images.

What is a raster image file format? ›

A raster image file is a rectangular array of regularly sampled values, known as pixels. Each pixel (picture element) has one or more numbers associated with it, specifying a color which the pixel should be displayed in.

What is image explain different types of image and file formats? ›

Image Format describes how data related to the image will be stored. Data can be stored in compressed, Uncompressed, or vector format. Each format of the image has a different advantage and disadvantage.

How many types of raster are there? ›

raster data types. There are three types of raster data that can be stored in a geodatabase: raster datasets, raster catalogs, and raster as attributes. Raster datasets are single images that are stored in the database.

What are the four basic types of data that can be stored in a raster file? ›

Within a GIS, the uses of raster data fall under four main categories:
  • Rasters as basemaps. A common use of raster data in a GIS is as a background display for other feature layers. ...
  • Rasters as surface maps. ...
  • Rasters as thematic maps. ...
  • Rasters as attributes of a feature.

What are raster images and their features and characteristics? ›

Raster Images

These are the types of images that are produced when scanning or photographing an object. Raster images are compiled using pixels, or tiny dots, containing unique color and tonal information that come together to create the image. Since raster images are pixel based, they are resolution dependent.

What is a raster image and what are they used for? ›

Raster images are often used for digital photographs, but they can also be used for illustrations, logos, and any other type of image. Raster images are made up of pixels, which are tiny dots of colour. When you zoom in on a raster image, you can see the individual pixels that make up the image.

What are raster images commonly called? ›

raster graphics, also called bitmap graphics, a type of digital image that uses tiny rectangular pixels, or picture elements, arranged in a grid formation to represent an image.

What are the 3 common file type of an image file? ›

Raster images are typically used for photographs, illustrations, and other types of graphics. Some of the most common raster image file formats are JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF. Learn more about raster images.

How many different file formats are there? ›

Types of files. Files can be stored in a variety of ways. There are twenty main types of files.

What are the different image file formats and when is the best? ›

1) .

JPEG (or JPG) is short for Joint Photographic Experts Group. They work best with photographs both in color and black and white. JPEGs are also the file format that we print most often for our customers. Unlike PNGs, JPEGs can compress your files better to store on your computer more effectively.

What are the three types of file formats? ›

6 Different Types of Files and How to Use Them
  • JPEG.
  • PNG.
  • GIF.
  • PDF.
  • SVG.
  • MP4.
Jan 8, 2023

What are the five common file formats? ›

5 types of document files
  • Portable document format (PDF) A PDF file is a common file type in many work environments. ...
  • Word document (DOC and DOCX) ...
  • Hypertext markup language (HTML and HTM) ...
  • Microsoft excel spreadsheet file (XLS and XLSX) ...
  • Text file (TXT)
Jun 24, 2022

Why are there different image formats? ›

Well, different file formats exist because some are better at certain tasks than others. Some file formats are good at compressing the image so that it takes a small amount of space on the memory card. Other file formats more accurately represent the original image, or are optimised for the Web.

What are 7 examples of raster graphics? ›

The different types of image file formats
  • Raster file formats. JPEG. GIF. PNG. TIFF. RAW. PSD.
  • Vector file formats. PDF. EPS. SVG. AI.

What are the most common format of raster data set? ›

Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is a widely known generic container format for raster data.

What are the five different vector and raster formats? ›

The most common raster file types include JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP, and PSD. The most common vector file types are AI, CDR, and SVG.

What are different types of raster data? ›

There are two types of raster data: continuous and discrete. An example of discrete raster data is population density. Continuous data examples are temperature and elevation measurements. There are also three types of raster datasets: thematic data, spectral data, and pictures (imagery).

What are the characteristics of the raster data structure? ›

Characteristics Of Raster Data Model

Simple 'grid' structure of rows and columns. Based on cells or picture elements (pixels). Linear feature (e.g. a road) is a contiguous set of cells. Resolution based on size of grid (cell) the smaller the cell, the higher the resolution.

How are raster images stored? ›

There are three methods to store image and raster data: as files in a file system, in a geodatabase, or managed from the geodatabase but stored in a file system. This decision also involves determining whether to store all the data in a single dataset or in a catalog of potentially many datasets.

What are the properties of raster? ›

These properties include: number of bands (channels or layers) number of rows and columns (lines and pixels) cell size (spacing) cell origin.

What are the three factors that determine raster image quality? ›

What are three factors that determine raster image quality? Raster image quality is determined by resolution, image dimensions, and color depth.

What are raster scan systems explain with its structure? ›

It is based on television technology. In raster scan system electron beam sweeps across the screen, from top to bottom covering one row at a time. A pattern of illuminated pattern of spots is created by turning beam intensity on and off as it moves across each row.

What are the 4 most commonly used formats for raster images? ›

Top 8 Raster Formats
  1. JPEG and JPG. It's important to note that JPEG and JPG are the same file formats, with different acronyms and file extensions. ...
  2. PNG. Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a raster with lossless compression. ...
  3. BMP. ...
  4. GIF. ...
  5. TIFF. ...
  6. HEIF. ...
  7. RAW. ...
  8. PSD.

What are examples of raster files? ›

Examples of raster image file types are: BMP, TIFF, GIF, and JPEG files.

What are raster images advantages and disadvantages? ›

Raster graphics can reveal a multitude of colors in a single image and allow for more precise color editing. They showcase finer nuances in shading and light at higher resolutions. However, raster files, especially high resolution files, are very large. They also have a limit to their scalability.

How do you identify a raster image? ›

An easy way to tell if an image is raster or vector is to increase its size. If the image becomes blurred or pixelated, it's most likely a raster file. With vector image files, resolution is not an issue. You can resize, rescale, and reshape vectors infinitely without losing any image quality.

What is the most common file type for raster images on the Web? ›

1. JPEG (or JPG) - Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEGs might be the most common file type you run across on the web, and more than likely the kind of image that is in your company's MS Word version of its letterhead.

Why is it called raster image? ›

The name derives from the early CRT video technology, which would “paint” an image on a screen line by line by magnetically steering a focused electron beam across a fluorescent viewing surface. This process of building an image was known as a Raster Scan, and the resulting pattern — or picture — was known as a Raster.

What is the most common image file format? ›

JPEG (And JPG) — Joint Photographic Experts Group

JPEGs are “lossy” meaning they reduce file size, but also the quality of the images when you use the format. JPEG is still one of the most used image file types that you'll see on the internet because of its compression and virtually universal browser/OS support.

What is the difference between TIFF and JPEG? ›

TIFF files are significantly larger than their JPEG counterparts, and can be either uncompressed or compressed using lossless compression. Unlike JPEG, TIFF files can have a bit depth of either 16-bits per channel or 8-bits per channel, and multiple layered images can be stored in a single TIFF file.

Which three 3 image file formats are commonly used in today's web design? ›

There are three file formats for graphics used on the web: JPG, GIF, and PNG. Each of these file formats are designed with a specific purpose in mind, so it is important to understand the differences when we use them in our websites.

What are the different types of files explain each of them? ›

The types of files recognized by the system are either regular, directory, or special. However, the operating system uses many variations of these basic types. All file types recognized by the system fall into one of these categories. However, the operating system uses many variations of these basic types.

Why is it important to know different types of files? ›

File formats determine how data can be used. It is important to decide what file formats to use for data collection, data processing, data archiving, and long-term preservation.

How many image formats are there? ›

The 5 Types of Digital Image Files: TIFF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and Raw Image Files, and When to Use Each One. There are 5 main formats in which to store images. Why would you choose one over another, and what are the differences? TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format.

Why is image file format important? ›

Summary. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with JPG, GIF, and PNG and their various uses. These are the three primary image formats used on the web today. Knowing when to use which format will lead to better image quality and faster website load times.

Which of the following image formats have the best image quality? ›

RAW files are the highest quality image format. They are loved by photographers as RAW format records all data from the sensor of the camera. Since RAW is an uncompressed format, it gives immense creative liberty to the photographers during post-processing.

What are the 4 types of file system? ›

File system types can be classified into disk/tape file systems, network file systems and special-purpose file systems.
  • Disk file systems. ...
  • Tape file systems. ...
  • Database file systems. ...
  • Transactional file systems. ...
  • Special file systems. ...
  • Minimal file system / audio-cassette storage.

What are the two main types of files? ›

There are two types of files. There are Program files and Data Files. Program files, at heart, can be described as files containing software instructions. Program files are then made up by two files called, source program files and executable files.

What is a TIFF file format? ›

A TIFF, which stands for Tag Image File Format, is a computer file used to store raster graphics and image information. A favorite among photographers, TIFFs are a handy way to store high-quality images before editing if you want to avoid lossy file formats. TIFF files: Have either a . tiff or .

Which of the following is not a raster image file format? ›

Detailed Solution. The correct answer is ". img".

Which file format type is used most? ›

Below is the most common file extensions used with text files and documents.
  • .doc and .docx - Microsoft Word file.
  • .odt - OpenOffice Writer document file.
  • .pdf - PDF file.
  • .rtf - Rich Text Format.
  • .tex - A LaTeX document file.
  • .txt - Plain text file.
  • .wpd - WordPerfect document.
Jan 18, 2023

What are the image file formats explain briefly? ›

An Image file format is a file format for a digital image. There are many formats that can be used, such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Most formats up until 2022 were for storing 2D images, not 3D ones. The data stored in an image file format may be compressed or uncompressed.

What is the explanation of image formats? ›

Image Format describes how data related to the image will be stored. Data can be stored in compressed, Uncompressed, or vector format. Each format of the image has a different advantage and disadvantage. Image types such as TIFF are good for printing while JPG or PNG, are best for the web.

What are the 2 types of images? ›

Hence, real and virtual images are two types of images formed.

What are the characteristics of raster images? ›

Raster Images

These are the types of images that are produced when scanning or photographing an object. Raster images are compiled using pixels, or tiny dots, containing unique color and tonal information that come together to create the image. Since raster images are pixel based, they are resolution dependent.

What is the resolution of raster image? ›

The spatial resolution of a raster refers to the size of the cells in a raster dataset and the ratio of screen pixels to image pixels at the current map scale. For example, one screen pixel can be the result of nine image pixels resampled into one—a raster resolution of 1:9.

What are the three popular image formats? ›

The most common image formats for the web (JPEG, GIF, and PNG) are all under the raster category. Raster image file types display static images where every pixel has a defined color, position, and proportion based on their resolution (for example 1280×720).

What are the types of image features? ›

In computer vision and image processing, a feature is a piece of information about the content of an image; typically about whether a certain region of the image has certain properties.
...
  • 2.1 Edges.
  • 2.2 Corners / interest points.
  • 2.3 Blobs / regions of interest points.
  • 2.4 Ridges.

What are the two types of raster data? ›

There are two types of raster data: continuous and discrete. An example of discrete raster data is population density. Continuous data examples are temperature and elevation measurements. There are also three types of raster datasets: thematic data, spectral data, and pictures (imagery).

Why are raster images used? ›

Raster images are often used for digital photographs, but they can also be used for illustrations, logos, and any other type of image. Raster images are made up of pixels, which are tiny dots of colour. When you zoom in on a raster image, you can see the individual pixels that make up the image.

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