Image files are of two types
Bitmap and What?
A young university student once ask me about image file formats. As I was explaining, he interrupted and said "bitmap and what?" In general Image files are of two types .
Bitmap files are also called Raster files. Bitmap images are made up of pixels in a grid. The size of the grid is based on the image's resolution. For example, a bitmap-based image of 1 inch x 1 inch with a 600 dpi resolution would be defined by a grid of 600 x 600 pixels. A bitmap-based image is like a mosaic of pixels with each pixel holding a specific color value.
Bitmap-based files are more suitable for photo-realistic images that require complex color variations. They are, however, not easily re-sized because each bitmap-based image is mapped to a non-flexible grid. If a bitmap-based image were to be enlarged, it would lose sharpness – the edges within the image would appear to be jagged or fuzzy.
Scanned images and images from a digital camera are bitmap files.
Vector-based files are more suitable for illustrations that require precise measurements. They are also easily re-sized due to their mathematical nature. However, the vector-based file format has its drawbacks as well. It is not good for displaying photo-realistic images such as a photograph because images of this type generally do not contain well-defined shapes and curves.
A young university student once ask me about image file formats. As I was explaining, he interrupted and said "bitmap and what?" In general Image files are of two types .
Bitmap files are also called Raster files. Bitmap images are made up of pixels in a grid. The size of the grid is based on the image's resolution. For example, a bitmap-based image of 1 inch x 1 inch with a 600 dpi resolution would be defined by a grid of 600 x 600 pixels. A bitmap-based image is like a mosaic of pixels with each pixel holding a specific color value.
Bitmap-based files are more suitable for photo-realistic images that require complex color variations. They are, however, not easily re-sized because each bitmap-based image is mapped to a non-flexible grid. If a bitmap-based image were to be enlarged, it would lose sharpness – the edges within the image would appear to be jagged or fuzzy.
Scanned images and images from a digital camera are bitmap files.
- Here is a list of the most common bitmap file formats. There are many others but these are the ones you will most likely encounter.
- jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
- tif (Tagged Image File Format)
- png (Portable Network Graphics)
- gif (Graphics Interchange Format)
- bmp (Windows bitmap format)
- psd (Adobe PhotoShop Document)
- psp (Corel Paint Shop Pro
Vector-based files are more suitable for illustrations that require precise measurements. They are also easily re-sized due to their mathematical nature. However, the vector-based file format has its drawbacks as well. It is not good for displaying photo-realistic images such as a photograph because images of this type generally do not contain well-defined shapes and curves.
- The following vector file formats are the most common and the ones you are most likely to see.
- svg (Scalable Vector Graphics)
- eps (Encapsulated Post Script)
- ai (Adobe Illustrator)
- cdr (Corel Draw)
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