File format Abbreviations Lossless Lossy Compression Use

Compression Compression extent

Windows BMP ✓ Uncompressed On screen
Bitmap display
within
Windows
and OS/2
applications
Encapsulated EPS ✓ Uncompressed High
PostScript resolution
printing of
illustrations
such as large
signs and
banners
Graphics GIF ✓ For simple Icons,
Interchange diagrams, GIF animation,
Format often navigation
compresses menus, web
better than use
others – up to
256 colors
Joint JPG ✓ High High quality
Photographic compression, images, web
Experts images lose use
Group their quality
when edited
and saved
multiple times
Macintosh PCT ✓ Compression Macintosh
Picture method is applications
effective in used for
reducing the storing
file size of vector and
images that bitmap
contain a lot of images with
solid colour metadata
PC PCX ✓ Uncompressed, With
Paintbrush large file size, paintbrush
only supports software
256 colors
Portable PDF ✓ PDF files are in Publishing
Document a compressed, documents
Format binary form on the Web,
with tags that storing and
can be viewed distributing
only with documents
special electronically
software, such
as Adobe
Acrobat
Portable PNG ✓ Images are Transparent
Network compressed in or semi-
Graphics two stages, transparent
namely pre- images, web
compression use
and the
lossless data
compression
called
DEFLATE, a
method which
delays the
compression
process and
does not
decrease the
file size
Photoshop PSD ✓ Uncompressed. Save images
Document Retains in PSD
information format for
such as layers, editing, used
adjustments, by graphics
masks, and programs
other
Photoshop
adjustments
Truevision TGA ✓ Compressed Specific file
Targa and format for
uncompressed. TrueVision
Supported by digitising
DOS boards
applications
and TrueVision
digitising
boards
Tagged TIF ✓ ✓ Compressed Printed
Image File and material,
Format uncompressed. scanning,
No loss of manipulate
image data, big digital
file size images
Windows WMF ✓ ✓ Uncompressed Stores
Metafile images in a
portable
form,
storage of
vector
drawings
and bitmaps