Best image file format?

[Mixed]

Hello designers and everyone!

Honestly, I'm not sure if this is where it should be but I wasn't sure where else to put it.  I've created both a background and forum banner for a new theme for my forum in GIMP 2.  Now I need to export, host, and use them.

My question is: Which file format is best to use in this case? I have them exported to .png but I had noticed that .jpeg was also popular. There there's .tiff and such as well.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks a lot!

[Lynx]

I can tell you what I do know - but it would be a good idea to wait for someone like Phear (who works with graphics) to give you the good info on image formats. With that in mind, I know very little, but here goes:

PNG - Need a transparent background? This is the format to use. Not sure how file sizes would compare if not using a transparent background.

JPG (aka JPEG) - Quite popular and I think it has good compression to help keep file sizes down. This is what I use for static images.

GIF - If you want an animated image. If it's not animated, I'd probably go with JPG.

TIFF - I don't think it's supported on ProBoards (I could be wrong). Other than that, I know nothing about it.

[Mixed]

Thank you, Lynx! Honestly, I haven't even thought of using a gif. Though still, that is likely for when I have a better feel of everything. Baby steps, right?

[Lynx]

Definitely better with the baby steps. It's definitely better to take a bite out of that enchilada than trying to stuff the whole thing in your mouth at once.

Still, though, I'd wait to see what Phear can tell you about them - graphics is definitely NOT one of my strong points.

[Mixed]

I have no problem with waiting either. To be frank, I've been working on the content of my forum for nearly 8 months now. Waiting a few more days to work on the look isn't a big deal.

[Brian]

JPEG format is good for compressing images that don't have sharp lines that need to be distinguished. This is typically the case for most photos taken on your average digital camera.

PNG is the best solution for anything with sharp edges where quality is desired or for images that require transparency.

GIF is best for either small animated images or animated images that only contain a minimal amount of frames, though many modern sites are transitioning to using WebM video files wherever they can be supported since video files have less quality loss while still maintaining a reasonable file size.

[Lynx]

Nice info, Brian - I learned something new myself.

Just a curious question about the TIFF format asked about in the OP: Is TIFF even supported on ProBoards? I don't recall seeing it as a supported format, but definitely good to have confirmation.

Thanks!

[Mixed]

Thank you, Brian. I guess it is seeming like my background can take jpeg and maybe the banner would be nicer as png. I don't know. Maybe I'll try JPEG for both so I don't take up a lot of storage space.

And I'm curious about the TIFF format as well. We use it a lot in laboratory images but that's because it stores the information we need. But along the same lines, it also is a big file type.

[Brian]

I don't know anything about TIFF since I've never seen it used nor used it myself. I've discarded it in my mind as "that weird option in the save dialog of MS Paint that I never use."

To my knowledge all of our image upload areas only support the three formats in my previous post.

[Phear]

TIFF is actually best used as a large scale format, often used as a replacement for PDF, or EPS images. It's a lossless format that can scale the same way a vector image would, due to its massive resolution, and raster processing. Sadly, TIFF is rarely supported in most Image Uploaders because of file constraints. I often use TIFF files for Billboards and large scale advertisements.

To be honest, you're right on the money for file type choice. PNG is better suited for uploaders, as it stores more information than JPG files, and loses less information during the upload. Often times JPG files lose quality because of the compression that Uploaders use. That's why when you upload a JPG on Facebook, it loses a lot of its luster. That doesn't happen with PNG images. I would suggest using the PNG for your banner, as it scales better with multiple resolutions, while the background image isn't quite as necessary and would benefit from the file size of a JPG.

[Mixed]

Thank you, Phear! I'm happy you've confirmed my thoughts and even more grateful you've explained the logic behind file format choices! This has definitely been an enlightening conversation.

Thank you also to Brian and Lynx for their input as well!

:trots off to get my images together: