Images come in all shapes and sizes, and for graphics designers, it is imperative that they know the difference between each of them. When you are working with images, you have to learn about the particular strengths and weaknesses of each format so that you can present the project to your client in the best way. Three of the most used and common file formats are PNG, JPG, and PDF. In this article, I am going to give you a breakdown of each of these formats so that you understand them and learn how to use each of them in the best way possible. So, without further ado, let’s carry on with our article.
Table of Contents
JPG or JPEG
Developed by Joint Photographic Export Group, JPEG is one of the most common image formats. Most people are confused between JPG and JPEG, but essentially, both of them are the same formats. In the past, file types had a character limit of three, hence the format JPG. But, as technology is becoming more advanced, JGEP is becoming more and more common. The JPG file format is designed to make the file size smaller so that they are suitable for sharing and can be used in web designs. So, if you want to send a large sized image file like PDF to someone, you can convert it in JPG using image converters such as https://img-converter.com/en/convert/png-to-jpg/.
PNG
Another famous file format, which is an acronym for Portable Network Graphics, is optimized for files containing graphs, logos, and text, but it can also be used for photographs. The image stored in this format is often of a higher quality than JGP, which is why it is one of the most used formats by graphic designers. They retain more information and image detail as the LZW compression is used when creating a PNG file. However, due to its higher quality image, the size of these files is also large, which is something you have to keep in mind.
You might be familiar with PDF as the best format for sending documents. PDF files aren’t typically mentioned when discussing image files, but designers often need to convert png to pdf, so they need to know the basics about it. The Portable Document Format is the standard when it comes to document sharing as you can easily create, store, and duplicate your documents. While, usually, you may not want to store an image in the PDF format, it is going to come in useful when you want to share a document containing text and images with someone. The main reason why PDF is the undisputed king of text files is because of the fact that it is reliable. You get the benefit of customizing your documents as you like, meanwhile retaining its quality.
Conclusion
When you sort them down to their basics, each format has its own advantages. JPG images are ideal if you want to post photos and images online. While PNG format is best if you want to share web graphics, logos, illustrations, and graphs, and PDF is best for documents containing text and images.
