Explaining Image File Formats

Image file formats and related concepts explained, including raster vs vector graphics, colour spaces and alpha channels, and bit depth. File formats covered include JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PSD, RAW, AI, SVG, EPS and PDF.

Also of interest may be my latest video on the DaVinci Resolve free video editor:

. . . on the Inkscape and Affinity Designer vector illustration packages:

And on Linux Photopshop alternatives:

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Key concepts
04:47 JPEG
05:59 PNG
06:57 GIF
07:33 TIFF
08:26 PSD
09:15 RAW
10:31 Other Raster Formats
11:06 Vector Formats
12:55 The Best Format

#ImageFormats #FileFormats #ExplainingComputers

[mystarstudios]

You have a god-given talent for breaking down the complicated into simpler conceptual parts. I have been working with image files for the past 50 years and although I understand the difference there is no way I could explain it as well as you have in this video. Thank you!

[somnath]

This guy's bucket is always full of content and it will never empty..


Thank you for sharing your never ending knowledge with us..😍😍

[paulvanobberghen]

Nice thing about SVG is it’s an XML text tag based document, which means it has a DOM that can be manipulated via scripting (JavaScript most likely) or even CSS. Very useful for the web. Several JavaScript libraries exists to do so.

[CarneyBryan]

wow!!! thank you a million times. no one can ever explain this but you have done it in just 14 minutes. this is the best resource ever. I really appreciate your time in making this video and sharing it. Great job!!!

[andrekz]

This video is timeless. People will continue seeking this particular condensed, informative content for years to come

[JendaLinda]

Very informative video!
PNG format is very versatile, it actually supports 16 bits per channel. Additionally, it supports low bit depths down to 1 bit per pixel for images consisting of fewer colours.
TIFF provides some interesting features too. For the most interesting feature, TIFF may include more pictures (pages) in a single file.

[bfapple]

Fantastic to finally understand the typical use cases for each file format. I work with pngs a lot, it's good to finally understand what the "alpha channel" actually means.

[SiphesihleKhoza]

I missed these explaining videos... Please make more and more :) They are one of the reasons i fell in love with the channel some 7 years ago :)

[Remington]

I wonder how many subscribers unsubscribed when they heard, that Chris is in the "GIF" camp, not "JIF" :P

SVG is awesome, this format can do a lot of tricks that are not widely known, especially in web development. It's worth mentioning that SVG is basically a text file, you can open it with a notepad and embed in your website without using the file and later animate it by manipulating the data over time with scripts.

[djzio]

Professor Barnatt, this content not only was as informative on a grand scale as always, but gave me a good start to my day. I've needed to engage my brain. Despite being in the imaging industry for over 40 years, I had never heard image file formats explained so well. Thank you.

[Ynhockey]

My favorite part in these videos is that even when I know everything, it's still interesting and deserves watching until the end. Great job as usual with this video.
Surprised that Webp wasn't mentioned, given that it's the only relatively-common format, as far as I know, that has been invented recently.

[walts]

👍Excellent summary and personal story at the end. I had a similar png epiphany years ago.

[otakuribo]

You're like the Techmoan of computer topics, thank you so much for putting out basic explainers like this!

[MicrobyteAlan]

Excellent, interesting and well presented. Information I needed right about now. Thanks from my 3D printer lab in Orlando Florida 👍👍

[PS_Tube]

Interesting video Chris. As someone who works with images, it's nice to see this topic greatly explained particularly the lossy compression.
BTW, isn't it Leica and not *Lecia* ?

[brentlaube]

Mr. Scissors always gets a moment in the spotlight. Love it!

[anthonymccarthy]

Everything you ever wanted to know about image file formats but were to intimidated to ask. Very useful for we the confused.

[JosephXFS]

Thanks for being the most straight to the point tech tuber.

[RoyNeeraye]

My favourite moment of the day! Thanks again for another awesomely instructive and entertaining video, Chris.

[SLATEBY]

Another great video. Been dealing with these formats since windows 95 and you still educate me with clarity and thorough explanation . Thank you