Graphics file format summary

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Here is a summary of the most common graphics file formats:

File extension	MIME type	Raster / vector	Proper name	Description
.ai	application /illustrator	vector	Adobe Illustrator Document	Vector format for Adobe Illustrator (originally a subset of PostScript, if an appropriate file header was present).
.art	?	raster	ART	ART is a proprietary image file format mostly used by the America Online® client software. The ART format holds a single still image that has been highly compressed. ART files are also the containers of textures and sprites on Ken Silverman's build engine.
.bmp	image/bmp	raster	Windows Bitmap	Commonly used by Microsoft Windows programs, and the Windows operating system itself. Lossless compression can be specified, but some programs use only uncompressed files.
.cgm	image/cgm	vector	Computer Graphics Metafile	Defined by ISO Standard 8632. Often used for complex engineering drawings, e.g. in the aviation industry. (CGM members)
.cin	image/cineon	raster	Cineon	Cineon is a subset of the ANSI/SMPTE DPX file format with fixed headers.
.cpi	image/cpi	raster	Cartesian Perceptual Compression	Hypercompressed format for black-and-white raster images. Typically compresses images 5-20 times smaller than corresponding TIFF or PDF versions, leading to dramatic reductions in download times and server network traffic.
.cpt	?	raster	Corel Photo-Paint Image	Default proprietary format for Corel Photo-Paint documents. Has many extra features such as image layering. Supported by very few image editing programs other than Corel Photo-Paint. Photo-Paint Images are usually smaller than Photoshop Documents.
.dpx	image/dpx	vector	Digital Picture eXchange file format	DPX is an ANSI/SMPTE standard (268M-2004) similar to Cineon but with flexible and variable image headers.
.dxf	image/vnd.dxf	vector	ASCII Drawing Interchange	Standard ASCII text files used to store vector data for CAD programs.
.eps	application /postscript	raster / vector	Encapsulated PostScript	A PostScript file that describes a small vector graphic, as opposed to a whole page or set of pages.
.emf	?	vector	Windows Enhanced Metafile	An enhanced version of Windows Metafile. Supported in Windows NT and later.
.exr	image/exr	raster	Extended Dynamic Range Image File Format	OpenEXR is the Open Source high dynamic-range (HDR) file format developed by Industrial Light & Magic for advanced imaging in movie production. The main advantage of that format are up to 32-bit floating-point pixels and multiple lossless image compression algorithms up to 2:1 lossless compression on film grained images.
.fh	?	vector	Macromedia Freehand Document	Vector format for Macromedia Freehand.
.fla	?	vector	Flash Source File	Shockwave Flash source file, only usable by Macromedia Flash authoring software.
.fpx	image/vnd.fpx	raster	Flashpix (1.0.2)	Uncompressed / lossy, 8-bit grayscale & 24-bit color. Provides multiple resolutions of each image.
.gif	image/gif	raster	Graphics Interchange Format	GIF is used extensively on the web. Supports animated images. Supports only 255 colors per frame, so requires lossy quantization for full-color photos (dithering); using multiple frames can improve color precision. Uses lossless LZW compression, that used to make GIF avoided sometimes due to patent issues concerning LZW.
.iff .ilbm	?	raster	Interchange file format / Interleave bitmap	File format popular on the Amiga computer. ILBM is a subtype of the IFF fileformat, which can contain more than just pictures. It is a bitplane format, commonly using 32 colours from 4096 but a 24 bit version exists. It usually employs a lossless compression.
.jpeg .jpg	image/jpeg	raster	Joint Photographic Experts Group	JPEG is used extensively for photos and other continuous tone images on the web. Uses lossy compression by trying to equalize eight by eight pixel blocks; the quality can vary greatly depending on the compression settings.
.jpg2 .jp2	image/jpeg2000	raster	Joint Photographic Experts Group	JPEG 2000 is the successor of popular "JPEG", a new wavelet based file format that includes both lossy and lossless compression options. It's commonly considered the actual "state-of-the-art" lossy format for photographic imaging, however its support in modern systems is still weak due to heavy requirements for hardware and many patents for software.
.mng	video/x-mng	raster	Multiple-image Network Graphics	Animation format using datastreams similar to those of PNG and JPEG, originally designed to replace the use of animated GIF on the web. Free of the patent associated with animated GIF.
.myd	?	raster	Myd format	A raster format supported in many programs, 3bpp format
.myv	?	vector	Myv vector format	A vector format supported in many programs such as M-PainteR
.pbm	image /x-portable-bitmap	raster	Portable Bitmap Format	A simple black and white graphics format. It uses 1 bit per pixel. It is related to the PGM (grayscale) and PPM (color) graphics file formats.
.pcd	image/jpcd ??	raster	ImagePac Photo CD	Proprietary Kodak format, lossy, 24-bit color.
.pdf	application/pdf	raster / vector	Portable Document Format	A page description language (loosely based on Postscript, but not a programming language), which allows for files containing multiple pages and links. Works with Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe eBook Reader, or third-party compatible software. The "native" metafile format for Mac OS X.
.pgm	image /x-portable-graymap	raster / vector	Portable Graymap Format	A simple gray scale graphics format. It uses 8 bits per pixel. Unlike most graphics file formats, a PGM file is plain text and can be processed with text processing tools. It is related to the PBM (black and white) and PPM (color) graphics file formats.
.pict	image/pct ??	raster / vector	Picture	Default for Macintosh operating systems before version OS X.
.png	image/png	raster	Portable Network Graphics	PNG is an image format with lossless compression, offering bit depths from 1 to 48. It was mainly designed to replace the use of GIF on the web. Free of the patent, which expired in 2003, associated with GIF.
.ppm	image /x-portable-pixmap	raster	Portable Pixmap Format	A simple color graphics format. It uses 24 bit per pixel, 8 for red, 8 for blue, and 8 for green. Unlike most graphics file formats, a PPM file is plain text and can be processed with text processing tools. It is related to the PBM (black and white) and PGM (grayscale) graphics file formats.
.ps	application /postscript	vector	PostScript	Generic vector-based page description language, created and owned by Adobe. Postscript is a powerful stack-based programming language. Supported by many laser printers.
.psd	application /x-photoshop	raster	Photoshop Document	Default proprietary format for Adobe Photoshop documents. Has many extra features such as image layering. Also supported by some other image editing programs than Adobe Photoshop.
.psp	?	raster	Paint Shop Pro Document	Standard Jasc format for Paint Shop Pro documents, similar to .psd for Photoshop. Supported by very few other programs.
.sgi .rgb .rgba .int .inta .bw	?	raster	Silicon Graphics Image	Native image format for Silicon Graphics workstations.
.svg .svgz	image/svg+xml	vector	Scalable Vector Graphics	An XML based vector graphics format, as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium for use in web browsers.
.swf	application /x-shockwave-flash	vector	Shockwave Flash	Flash is a web page plug-in that displays vector based animations contained in SWF files. Several applications can create SWF files; these include the Flash authoring tool from Macromedia.
.tiff .tif	image/tiff	raster	Tagged Image File Format	TIFF is used extensively for traditional print graphics. Lossy and lossless compression available, but many programs only support a subset of available options.
.tga	image/tga	raster	Truevision TGA	TGA is the native format of Truevision Inc.'s TARGA boards, which were some of the first graphic cards for IBM-compatible PCs to support truecolor display.
.wbmp	image /vnd.wap.wbmp	raster	Wireless Application Protocol Bitmap Format	Mainly used with WML for wireless devices.
.wmf	image/x-wmf	vector	Windows Metafile	Stores vector graphics and raster graphics as a sequence of commands to be issued to the graphics layer of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
.xar	?	vector	Xar	Fully documented vector graphics format used by Xara X and Xara Xtreme. Ultra compact.
.xbm	image/x-xbitmap	raster	X BitMap	Native B&W format for the X Window System, supported by most web browsers. XBM is an ASCII format which uses no compression; since files are in C(++) syntax, images can be included in source code.
.xcf	application /x-gimp-image	raster	eXperimental Computing Facility	Native format for the GIMP. Has many extra features such as image layering. Used mostly in the GIMP, but also readable by ImageMagick.
.xpm	image/x-xpm	raster	X-Pixmap	Used almost exclusively on UNIX platforms with the X Window System, inspired by the XBM format.

Some file formats, e.g. PDF, allow both raster and vector graphics. This is because the underlying PostScript system of the Portable Document Format is designed to handle both methods of creating graphics.

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References

Murray, James D., and William van Ryper. Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats, Second Edition. Sebastopol, Calif.: O'Reilly, 1996. ISBN 1565921615.
Miano, John. Compressed Image File Formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, XBM, BMP. Boston: Addison-Wesley Professional, 1999. ISBN 0201604434.

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Specialized Graphics Formats

ICER (Mars Rover Missions)
NITF (National Imagery Transmission Format)

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Graphics file format summary

From Free net encyclopedia

References

Specialized Graphics Formats

See also

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