Choosing the Right File Type to Export Your Designs

So, you’re working in one of the many designing software programs (Illustrator, Designer, Photoshop, etc.). You finished your design, and now it’s time to share it with the world. Next, you click on Export and see a variety of file formats appear. If you’re new to this process, you’re probably wondering which file format you should choose. Your work could become distorted or loss if you choose the wrong file type. As a result, this could make your designs seem mediocre. Well, no need to wonder or worry anymore. This article will show you how to choose the right file type to export your designs.

File Types for the Web

These are the file types to use for the design work you want to place on the web.

JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

• JPG uses a lossy compression technique which means that some of the details in an image lose its quality.
  1. In the lossy compression technique, “inexact approximations and partial data discarding” takes place.
  2. This process is irreversible.
• It saves images as a smaller file size.
• JPG files can be saved in three different qualities: high quality (printing), medium quality (Web), and low quality (email attachments).
• This file format is good for saving digital images.
• JPG is the most popular format for sharing images online.
• Blogs, social media, and other websites use JPG images.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

• The PNG file format was created as a non-patented, improvement and replacement for GIF.
• It uses lossless compression.
  1. This lossless compression technique uses an algorithm that removes things such as metadata from an image and then reduces the file size of that image.
  2. The lossless compression algorithm was created by Abraham Lempel, Jacob Ziv, and Terry Welch.
• It saves images as a large file size.
• Images saved in this format can be transparent.
• You can place the transparent images on different illustrations and designs.
• PNG is good for saving illustrations and logos.
• Web browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera support PNG files.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

• The GIF file format was created in 1987.
• GIF is a bitmap format that uses lossless data compression to minimize the size of an image.
• It’s palette-based and holds up to 256 colors.
  1. Each of the colors in the palette is part of an RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color.
• In addition, GIF supports animations.
• It’s also portable and supported by many applications and systems
• Line art (logos) with a minimum number of colors use GIFs.
• GIFs also store low color sprite (2D Bitmap) data for games.
• You can use a GIF for video clips with low resolution.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic)

• SVG is based on XML (Extensible Markup Language).
  1. This language consists of a text format that is used to describe data and to share that data via the internet or a corporate network.
• It’s a vector image format that is used for 2D graphics.
• SVG files can be edited and created with a text editor.
• You can create an SVG file in drawing software.
• These files consist of plain text that “describe lines, curves, shapes, colors, and text.”
• In addition, you can scale SVG files without distorting them.
  1. This is because SVG files contain numbers, coordinates, and shapes (instead of pixels) that render graphics in a web browser.
• Additionally, you can animate SVG files.
• Moreover, you can edit SVG files with CSS or JavaScript.
• Many web browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Explorer) support SVG files.
• Logos, icons, animations, special effects, and infographics/charts/graphs can use SVG files.
• Furthermore, you can turn traditional pencil drawings into an SVG file.

File Types for Print

When designing work that is for print, use these file formats.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

• Adobe Systems created the PDF file format.
• This file type looks just like the original because it keeps all the data from the original file.
• These can include audio, videos, links, text, graphics, forms, spreadsheets, etc.
• PDFs are good for sharing and editing documents.
• Some of the documents you can share as a PDF file are manuals, scanned documents, and eBooks.
• Adobe’s Acrobat Reader, web browsers, and third-party apps can open PDF files.
• You can turn Word documents and web pages into PDF files.
• In addition, PDF files are edited in software such as Adobe Acrobat and free software such as PDF Buddy, PDFescape, and DocHub.
• Furthermore, PDF files consist of special-purpose standards.
  1. PDF/A is for long-term archiving. Legal professionals use this format.
  2. PDF/E is for engineering. It opens and creates technical and engineering files. People in the construction or manufacturing industry use this format.
  3. PDF/X is for printing. It carries certain restrictions or requirements that don’t apply to regular PDF Files. For example, all images have to be in CMYK before going to print.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

• A software company called Aldus Corporation created TIFF.
• TIFF stores raster graphic images.
• In addition, TIFF uses lossless compression which allows you to edit it and resave it.
• It’s good for commercial print work and deep color images.
• TIFF files can include images in grayscale and RGB color.
• 3D applications, faxes, and desktop publishing software use TIFF files.
• TIFF is a large file size.
• This file format is popular among photographers, graphic artists, and publishing companies.

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)

• EPS files are compatible with Postscript printers.
• It stores font and vector image information.
• EPS files are scalable.
• In addition, many stock photo sites use EPS files.
• When you save EPS files, a low-resolution preview image of those files will also be saved.
  1. This allows certain programs to display a preview of the file on the screen.
• Some applications that support the EPS file format are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Designer, and CorelDRAW.  
• EPS is the right file type to export illustrations, fonts, and photos you want to edit.

Conclusion

These are the major file types used to export and share design work, images, and other documents. Hopefully, this has helped you in choosing the right file type to export your own designs.