7 Common And Need-To-Know Design File Formats.

What format do you usually use for your online design files? Usually, you will think of two formats as JPG or PNG. So besides the two basic formats above, what file formats can you use for online design?

By Netbase
December 25, 2024
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Information technology is developing more and more, leading to a variety of specialized software for imaging and graphic design, from which many different types of images and design file formats have emerged. This causes difficulties for designers, especially beginners, who often find it difficult to distinguish the usage of those file formats.

Understand the difficulties that designers are facing, We will help you summarize the 7 most common design file formats in the article below.

Let's find out

1. JPG format

JPG or JPEG (short for Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a 16bit image format, combined with 3 basic colors, red, blue and green to display millions of colors for the image. For that reason, the JPG file format is very popular and is widely used on the Internet platform and most digital cameras (Digital Camera) use this image format. You will easily see that JPG images are quite eye-catching when viewed on electronic display devices such as phones, LCD screens ...

JPG is capable of compressing images quite well.

Assuming you have a 1MB photo, you can compress it to 500KB or 100KB. But JPG belongs to the type of image compression that will lose data, which means the image will lose quality if you export the image as JPG continuously many times, or you copy or save a JPG image from the internet. reduced image quality. That makes us see blurred and defocused areas in image areas when we enlarge the image. Therefore, JPG images are only used for display on electronic devices, but rarely used for editing and printing, and professional photographers do not prioritize this format.

Characteristics of JPG files:

File type commonly used for types of digital images and images displayed on media.
JPG format when compressed will cause loss of image quality
Does not support background image (Transparency)
Do not use for printing, except for high-quality images and small size printing (e.g. photo development, color document printing)

2. PNG format

PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics. With the original lossless compression, no matter how many times you save a PNG file, its quality will be preserved.

With transparent background support, the background splitting images are usually saved as PNG image extensions. So images like icons, letters without a background in PNG format can be used to mount anywhere without fear of borders.

Note that the PNG file is quite large, larger than the two formats JPEG and GIF mentioned above because it is not commonly used for websites except that the Logo has a translucent and transparent effect.

Characteristics of PNG files:

Is the format commonly used to display on media, in graphic design, images with text.
PNG format when compressing the image will keep the image quality
Supports images without background (Transparency)
Not used for printing

3. PSD format

PSD (Power Spectral Density), or short for the software that created it: Photoshop Document, is a file saved as layers that allow the user to work with them even if the file is saved. After the user has modified to a certain extent, Photoshop allows you to "merge" layers into one and convert them into another format to use such as.JPEG, .GIF, .TIFF.

Remember that when you save in a format other than .psd, you cannot edit it again. So save a PSD copy somewhere, just in case you need to edit it later.

It is also a design format, but unlike Illustrator colleague with an infinite vector of unbreakable stretching, Photoshop builds on the Raster platform, not when enlarging the image beyond the quality you first will reduce its quality.

Characteristics of PSD files:

Is a specialized file format for editing images, designed with Adobe Photoshop software with specialized tools such as layers, masks, actions, filters, ...
Built on Raster platform so it is impossible to enlarge the image beyond its original quality without losing quality
Does not support printing and vectors

4. GIF format

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is also a long-standing format and is commonly used on the Internet. GIF is an 8-bit color file, which means its image is limited to a maximum of 256 colors. Complex images often have many different color tones, so when converting images to GIF format, there will be a loss of color space. This is the reason very few people choose the GIF image file format.

But because of the support for such few colors, often the GIF file is many times smaller than JPEG. Besides, you can create GIF animations through Photoshop software or gifmaker.me website which is quite good and easy to compatible with web browsers so it is quite convenient to upload. GIF images are compressed according to Lossless standards, so there is no loss of data when compressing.

Characteristics of GIF files:

The animated image file commonly used online on social networks
Allows for reduced file size and supports transparency similar to PNG but lower quality.

5. EPS format

EPS, short for Encapsulated PostScript, is a file format for saving graphic products such as logos, drawings, illustrations in vector format. Therefore the EPS format is often used for print, very little for online display.

Because it is built on a vector foundation, it can be freely increased in size without changing quality. EPS format is supported by a number of popular design software and can be converted to other formats such as JPEG, PDF, TIFF by software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw ...

Note that it is possible to convert .ai files to .eps to cut the size in half.

Characteristics of the EPS file:

Used for icons and illustrations as vectors
Due to be built on a vector platform, the image size can be increased or decreased arbitrarily without losing quality
Can be used for printing, not for online display
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop can be used to open .eps files

6. PDF format

PDF files have limited editing capabilities because it is intended to be a more publishing format. You can see that when we send a Word file (.doc) to other people, there will be cases where the font error occurs because their Word software is not the same font as you. Therefore, many people, after creating Word documents, will save 1 more PDF format to send to friends, colleagues, and partners.

This also applies to complex design files like Ai or PSD, when you go to print, you just need to save the file as a PDF to be able to print anywhere, any device. In addition, the PDF file is quite small in size, so moving and sharing is also very convenient.

Characteristics of PDF files:

Used as a way to share documents with design or quality
Built on a vector basis, so it can increase or decrease arbitrarily without losing quality
Can be used to display, store online, very suitable for printing

7. AI format

AI is a file format created by one of the leading design software, Adobe Illustrator. It is also a vector graphics file format like EPS, so it is possible to zoom in and out at will without affecting product quality.

When saving, space will stay the same, so the .ai file is usually quite heavy. People often save them as .eps or .pdf files for fast printing and no data loss.

In addition, the .ai format is also very popular because it can be opened in other filmmaking and 3D-making software such as After Effects, Cinema 4D, Maya ...

Characteristics of AI file:

Is a specialized file for graphic design, publications using Adobe Illustrator (AI) software
Built on a vector basis, so it can increase or decrease arbitrarily without losing quality
Not intended for display online or in the media
Can be used to print in .eps or .pdf format

Hopefully, with this information, students as well as designers will grasp the basic knowledge about the types of file formats so as not to encounter difficulties and confusion in their design process.

Currently, NBDesigner has added PDF format so that you can have choices when designing online forms,

This format will give you more choices and is very convenient to display, and with this format, it will be very suitable for printing.

For more detail, please follow the video tutorial below to understand How to open a PDF file in NBDesigner

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Conclusion

Understanding the diverse range of design file formats is crucial for any designer, from beginners to seasoned professionals. Each format serves unique purposes and offers specific benefits that can optimize both the creation and distribution of your digital works. By choosing the right file format for each task, you enhance the effectiveness of your designs and ensure they are presented at their best, regardless of the medium or platform. Embrace this knowledge to streamline your workflow, improve project outcomes, and boost your efficiency in the dynamic field of graphic design.

Remember, the right tool for the right job not only elevates the quality of your projects but also reinforces your professionalism in the eyes of clients and collaborators. Continue to explore and experiment with these formats to find the perfect balance for your creative needs and professional demands.

Best regards.