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{{About|digital image formats used to store photographic and other images|disk-image file formats|Disk image|digital file formats in general|File format|introductory information on Wikipedia's use of images|Wikipedia:Images}}
{{Redir|Image format|the camera sensor format|Image sensor format}}
{{Original research|date=August 2025}}
An '''image file format''' is a [[file format]] for a digital image. There are many formats that can be used, such as [[JPEG]], [[
Raster formats are for [[2D image]]s. A 3D image can be represented within a 2D format, as in a [[
Image [[Computer file|files]] are composed of digital data in one of these formats so that the data can be displayed on a digital (computer) display or printed out using a printer. A common method for displaying digital image information has historically been [[Raster graphics|rasterization]].
== Image file sizes ==
The size of raster image files is positively correlated with the number of pixels in the image and the color depth (bits per pixel). Images can be compressed in various ways, however. A compression [[algorithm]] stores either an exact representation or an approximation of the original image in a smaller number of bytes that can be expanded back to its uncompressed form with a corresponding decompression algorithm. Images with the same number of pixels and color depth can have very different compressed file
For example, a 640{{resx}}480 pixel image with 24-bit color would occupy almost a megabyte of space:
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== Image file compression ==
There are two types of '''[[image file compression]]''' algorithms: [[
'''Lossless compression''' algorithms reduce file size while preserving a perfect copy of the original uncompressed image. Lossless compression generally, but not always, results in larger files than lossy compression. Lossless compression should be used to avoid accumulating stages of re-compression when editing images.
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== Major graphic file formats ==
{{See also|Comparison of graphics file formats#Technical details}}
<imagemap>
rect 26 4 94 28 [[Digital photography]]
rect 241 8 322 33 [[Image editing]]
rect 432 4 498 28 [[Digital art]]
rect 5 132 51 156 [[Raster graphics]]
rect 456 132 508 156 [[Vector graphics]]
rect 241 265 322 289 [[Publishing]]
rect 240 128 323 154 [[Image file format]]
rect 5 34 112 64 [[Raw image format]]
rect 117 56 158 99 [[EXR file]]
rect 172 41 205 96 [[GIMP]]
rect 211 40 261 96 [[Adobe Photoshop]]
rect 268 40 313 96 [[Krita]]
rect 318 40 368 96 [[Adobe Illustrator]]
rect 375 40 429 95 [[Inkscape]]
rect 436 40 485 96 [[Adobe InDesign]]
rect 29 72 66 117 [[High Efficiency Image File Format]]
rect 73 72 112 242 [[JPEG]]
rect 118 108 157 163 [[TIFF]]
rect 28 249 67 271 [[GIF]]
rect 73 250 112 284 [[WebP]]
rect 119 236 157 283 [[AVIF]]
rect 162 101 229 282 [[JPEG XL]]
rect 119 168 157 230 [[PNG]]
rect 273 170 321 244 [[Scalable Vector Graphic]]
rect 333 124 381 245 [[PDF]]
rect 387 147 437 195 [[PostScript]]
desc bottom-left
▲[[File:Image formats by scope.svg|thumb|upright=3|center|Categorization of image formats by scope]]
</imagemap>
Including proprietary types, there are hundreds of image file types. The PNG, JPEG, and GIF formats are most often used to display images on the Internet. Some of these graphic formats are listed and briefly described below, separated into the two main families of graphics: raster and vector. Raster images are further divided into formats primarily aimed at (web) delivery (i.e., supporting relatively strong compression) versus formats primarily aimed at authoring or interchange (uncompressed or only relatively weak compression).
In addition to straight image formats, '''[[Metafile]]''' formats are portable formats
=== Raster formats (2D) ===
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===== JPEG =====
[[JPEG]] (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a [[lossy compression]] method; JPEG-compressed images are usually stored in the '''[[JFIF]]''' (JPEG File Interchange Format) or the '''[[Exif]]''' (Exchangeable
===== GIF =====
The '''GIF''' ([[Graphics Interchange Format]]) is in normal use limited to an 8-bit palette, or 256 colors (while 24-bit color depth is technically possible).<ref name=aminet>{{cite web|url=http://uk.aminet.net/docs/misc/GIF24.readme |title=GIF 24 Bit (truecolor) extensions |author=Andreas Kleinert |year=2007 |access-date=23 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316215949/http://uk.aminet.net/docs/misc/GIF24.readme |archive-date=16 March 2012 }}</ref><ref name=philhoward>{{cite web|url=http://phil.ipal.org/tc.html |title=True-Color GIF Example |author=Philip Howard |access-date=23 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222123613/http://phil.ipal.org/tc.html |archive-date=22 February 2015 }}</ref> GIF is most suitable for storing graphics with few colors, such as simple diagrams, shapes, logos, and cartoon
===== PNG =====
The '''PNG''' ([[Portable Network Graphics]]) file format was created as a free, open-source alternative to GIF. The PNG file format supports 8-bit (256 colors) paletted images (with optional transparency for all palette colors) and 24-bit truecolor (16 million colors) or 48-bit truecolor with and without an alpha channel – while GIF supports only 8-bit palettes with a single transparent color.
Compared to JPEG, PNG excels when the image has large, uniformly colored areas. Even for photographs – where JPEG is often the choice for final distribution since its lossy compression typically yields smaller file sizes – PNG is still well-suited to storing images during the editing process because of its lossless compression.
PNG provides a patent-free replacement for GIF (though GIF is itself now patent-free) and can also replace many common uses of TIFF. Indexed-color, grayscale, and truecolor images are supported, plus an optional alpha channel. The [[
Animated formats derived from PNG are [[Multiple-image Network Graphics|MNG]] and [[APNG]], which is backwards compatible with PNG and supported by most browsers.
===== JPEG 2000 =====
[[JPEG 2000]] is a compression standard enabling both lossless and lossy storage. The compression methods used are different from the ones in standard JFIF/JPEG; they improve quality and compression ratios, but also require more computational power to process. JPEG 2000 also adds features that are missing in JPEG. It is not nearly as common as JPEG
===== WebP =====
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In 2011,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://groups.google.com/a/webmproject.org/group/webp-discuss/browse_thread/thread/4ab76cbde89e6ade/23512e5a1ed1dab0 |title=WebP-Mux (RIFF based container) framework |last=Arora |first=Vikas |date=3 October 2011 |work=[[Google Groups]] |access-date=18 November 2011 |archive-date=13 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313070636/https://groups.google.com/a/webmproject.org/group/webp-discuss/browse_thread/thread/4ab76cbde89e6ade/23512e5a1ed1dab0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Google added an "Extended File Format" allowing WebP support for [[animation]], [[ICC profile]], [[Extensible Metadata Platform|XMP]] and [[Exif]] [[metadata]], and tiling.
The support for animation allowed for converting older animated
The WebP container (i.e., RIFF container for WebP) allows feature support over and above the basic use case of WebP (i.e., a file containing a single image encoded as a VP8 key frame). The WebP container provides additional support for:
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===== HEIF =====
The [[High Efficiency Image File Format]] (HEIF) is an image container format that was standardized by [[
===== AVIF =====
===== JPEG XL =====
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=====TIFF=====
The '''TIFF''' ([[Tag Image File Format]]) format is a flexible format usually using either the '''TIFF''' or '''TIF''' filename extension. The tag structure was designed to be easily extendible, and many vendors have introduced proprietary special-purpose tags – with the result that no one reader handles every flavor of TIFF file. TIFFs can be lossy or lossless, depending on the technique chosen for storing the pixel data. Some offer relatively good lossless compression for [[bi-level image|bi-level (black&white) images]]. Some digital cameras can save images in TIFF format, using the [[LZW]] compression algorithm for lossless storage. TIFF image format is not widely supported by web browsers, but it remains widely accepted as a photograph file standard in the printing business. TIFF can handle device-specific color spaces, such as the [[CMYK]] defined by a particular set of printing press inks. [[Optical character recognition|OCR]] (Optical Character Recognition) software packages commonly generate some form of TIFF image (often [[
===== BMP =====
The '''[[BMP file format]]''' (Windows bitmap) is a raster-based, device-independent file type designed in the early days of computer graphics. It handles graphic files within the Microsoft Windows OS. Typically, BMP files are uncompressed
===== PPM, PGM, PBM, and PNM =====
[[Netpbm format]] is a family including the '''portable pixmap''' file format (PPM), the '''portable graymap''' file format (PGM), and the '''portable bitmap''' file format (PBM). These are either pure [[ASCII]] files or raw binary files with an ASCII header that provide very basic functionality and serve as a lowest common denominator for converting pixmap, graymap, or bitmap files between different platforms. Several applications refer to them collectively as PNM ("'''P'''ortable a'''N'''y '''M'''ap").
=====Container formats of [[raster graphics editors]]=====
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* [[Corel Photo Paint|CPT]] (Corel Photo Paint)
* [[Krita|KRA]] (Krita)
* MDP ([[MediBang Paint|Medibang]] and FireAlpaca)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fileinfo.com/extension/mdp |title=.MDP File Extension |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
* [[Paint.net|PDN]] (Paint Dot Net)
* PLD ([[PhotoLine]] Document)
* [[Adobe Photoshop#File format|PSD]] (Adobe PhotoShop Document)
* [[Corel Paint Shop Pro|PSP]] (Corel Paint Shop Pro)
* [[Paint Tool SAI|SAI]] (Paint Tool SAI)
* [[XCF (file format)|XCF]] (eXperimental Computing Facility format)
==== Other raster formats ====
* BPG ([[Better Portable Graphics]])
*
* [[Drawn File|DRW]] (Drawn File)
* [[ECW (file format)|ECW]] (Enhanced Compression Wavelet)
* [[FITS]] (Flexible Image Transport System)
* [[FLIF]] (Free Lossless Image Format)
* [[ICO (file format)|ICO]]
* [[ILBM]]
* [[ERDAS IMAGINE|IMG]] (ERDAS IMAGINE Image)
* IMG ([[Graphics Environment Manager]] (GEM) image file)
* [[JPEG XR]]
* [[Nrrd]] (Nearly raw raster data)
* [[PAM graphics format|PAM]] (Portable Arbitrary Map)
* [[PCX]] (PiCture eXchange)
* [[Progressive Graphics File|PGF]] (Progressive Graphics File)
* [[Silicon Graphics Image|SGI]] (Silicon Graphics Image)
▲* [[Silicon Graphics Image|SGI]] (Silicon Graphics Image) — native raster graphics file format for Silicon Graphics workstations
* [[MrSID|SID]] (multiresolution seamless image database, MrSID)
* [[Sun Raster]]
* [[Truevision TGA|TGA]] (TARGA)
* [[VICAR file format]]
* XISF (Extensible Image Serialization Format)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pixinsight.com/xisf/ |title=XISF |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
=== Vector formats ===
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As opposed to the raster image formats above (where the data describes the characteristics of each individual pixel), vector image formats contain a geometric description which can be rendered smoothly at any desired display size.
At some point, all vector graphics must be rasterized in order to be displayed on digital monitors. Vector images may also be displayed with analog [[Cathode
==== CGM ====
CGM ([[Computer Graphics Metafile]]) is a file format for [[vector graphics|2D vector graphics]], raster graphics, and [[character (computer)|text]], and is defined by '''[[
It has been adopted to some extent in the areas of [[engineering drawing|technical illustration]] and professional [[Industrial design|design]], but has largely been superseded by formats such as [[
==== Gerber format (RS-274X) ====
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==== Other 2D vector formats ====
* AFDesign ([[Affinity Designer]] document)
* AI ([[Adobe Illustrator Artwork]])
*
* !
* [[DrawingML]]
*
* GLE ([[Graphics Layout Engine]])
* [[HP-GL]] (Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language)
* HVIF ([[Haiku Vector Icon Format]])
* [[Lottie (file format)|Lottie]]
* [[MathML]] (Mathematical Markup Language)
* [[NAPLPS]] (North American Presentation Layer Protocol Syntax)
* ODG ([[OpenDocument Graphics]])
* PGML ([[Precision Graphics Markup Language]])
* [[PSTricks]] and [[PGF/TikZ]] are languages for creating graphics in [[TeX]] documents
*
* [[ReGIS]] (Remote Graphic Instruction Set)
* [[Remote imaging protocol]]
*
* VML ([[Vector Markup Language]])
* [[Xar (graphics)|Xar]]
* XPS ([[
==== 3D vector formats ====
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* [[Additive Manufacturing File Format|AMF]] – Additive Manufacturing File Format
*[[Asymptote (vector graphics language)|Asymptote]] – A language that lifts TeX to 3D.
*[[
*[[COLLADA]]
*[[DGN]]
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*[[.dwg]]
*[[.dxf]]
*eDrawings<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.edrawingsviewer.com/frequently-asked-questions |title=Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
*[[.flt]] – [[OpenFlight]]
*[[FVRML]] – and FX3D, function-based extensions of VRML and X3D
*[[glTF]] -
*HSF<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fileinfo.com/extension/hsf |title=.HSF File Extension |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
*[[IGES]]
*[[JT (visualization format)|JT]]
*.MA (Maya ASCII format)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://docs.fileformat.com/3d/ma/ |title=What is an MA file? |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
*.MB (Maya Binary format)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://docs.fileformat.com/3d/mb/ |title=What is an MB file? |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
*.OBJ [[Wavefront .obj file|Wavefront]]
*[[OpenGEX]] – Open Game Engine Exchange
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*[[U3D]] – Universal 3D file format
*[[VRML]] – Virtual Reality Modeling Language
*[[XAML]]
*XGL<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cadinterop.com/en/formats/mesh/xgl.html |title=XGL Guide for CAD Interoperability: Optimal Visualization and Conversion of 3D Models |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
*[[XVL]]
*[[xVRML]]
*[[X3D]]
*3DF<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fileinfo.com/extension/3df |title=.3DF File Extension |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
*.3DM<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000601.shtml |title=3D Model File Format Family |access-date=2025-05-01}}</ref>
* [[.3ds]] – Autodesk 3D Studio
*[[3DXML]]
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These are formats containing both pixel and vector data, possible other data, e.g. the interactive features of PDF.
*EPS ([[Encapsulated PostScript]])
*[[MODCA]] (Mixed Object:Document Content Architecture)
*PDF ([[Portable Document Format]])
*[[PostScript]], a [[page description language]] with strong graphics capabilities
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* WMF / EMF ([[Windows Metafile]] / Enhanced Metafile)
*[[SWF]] (Shockwave Flash)
*[[
=== Stereo formats ===
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*[[Display resolution]]
*[[Display aspect ratio]]
*[[List of common display resolutions]]
*[[
== References ==
|