Thursday, October 29, 2009

The 3 Top File Formats For Photoshop - Which Is Best?

By Jeanene Fisher

You have probably noticed that Adobe Photoshop files can be saved in different formats or types of files.

Having a working knowledge and understanding of the different file formats is essential if you want to make the most of your photo projects.

Although there are several types of image files within Photoshop, these three are used most often.

The most important file format for saving edited digital photo projects is PSD. This is actually a Photoshop file format. Using PSD files allows you to work in layers and channels. When you save your work, the layers are not compressed. Although this results in a large file, the PSD files will retain their image quality as you work on them. Also, all pf the data is saved with a PSD file. While still editing, save your work in a PSD file, then when finished editing, you should save it in the appropriate file for that project.

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG is the most well-known for the digital file formats. Files saved in JPEG are smaller because they are compressed. The problem with JPEG, as well as any compression file, is that some data will be lost every time you edit the file and then save it again. However, JPEG files work great on the Web and come with a variety of applications.

GIF, or Graphic Interchange Format, is a very popular format used for Web and Internet applications. GIF files are usually small in size, allowing them to load more quickly in Internet browsers. These GIF files are actually limited to a maximum of 256 colors.

Other file formats are available on Photoshop; however, they are not good for Internet use so as not used very much.

For your use, it will be best to save your projects in a PSD file until you are finished editing them. Then, save them in a JPEG or GIF file to save space.

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