How to Save Different File Formats in Photoshop

Have you ever wondered why you can save an image from Photoshop into so many formats? Have you ever taken your company logo to a printer for a letterhead and discovered it wasn't the correct format? No, Adobe isn't just being senseless, there really is a use for all those various file formats. I'll break down the most common files for you in plain english so you have a better understanding of how to save your images.

Photoshop .PSD - This is the native Photoshop file. This is great when you are working on a file and saving it often and coming back to it or printing a file in photoshop or wanting to import it into a program like InDesign.

Photoshop EPS (.EPS) - This is a great file format to save your files when you want to import your images into a page layout program and have a transparent background or "cutout" around your image. You will need a Clipping path around the part of the image you wish to be visible and everything else with be knocked out (like the background color you don't want to show up on your page layout program). Generally used by commercial printers, you must note this is not the same as a vector .eps If your printer asks for a vector .eps that means a drawing file (vector), not a picture file (bitmap), and is a whole other ball of wax.

CompuServe GIF (.GIF) - If you have a file saved as a GIF file then you have a web file for sure! A .gif file is terrible for printing but usually very small and excellent for email or a website. A gif file can handle only a specific, user defined color palette making it a poor choice for photos but excellent for logos or other material that isn't too color heavy. Commercial printers will not accept .gif files however as the quality in printing them is terrible.

JPEG (.JPG) - This is the most common file used for photographs. Digital cameras save files this way. It is great for photos as they compress the image to a small and manageable file size. This makes .jpg the most commonly accepted image files for the web. If saving pictures to share via email or online, save them as .jpgs. Take note of the settings when you save a file as a .jpg as it is compressed and image quality is compensated the more you compress the file. This is the obvious winner for emailing or posting photos to the web.

Photoshop PDF (.PDF) - This saves your image so that you can view or share your file as a PDF (portable document format). PDF files are cross-platform files and it will generally look the same on a PC as it does on a MAC. They can be emailed and printed with ease. A good choice for sharing your document via email.

PICT File (.pic) - The PICT file is a Macintosh formatted image file created long ago by Apple and is still common on some macs but has fallen out of favor for the more common .jpg

PNG (.png) - This file format was meant to replace the .gif standard that was and still is prevalent across the web. A PNG File can handle many more color palettes then the gif file. Files saved in this format are generally of smaller file size for use on the internet. A good choice for the web.

TIFF (.tif) - This is the preferred format for printers. Usually in CMYK color mode (must be in CMYK for commercial color printing) this file format saves photos in a high quality format. The file sizes are generally quite large and that is why .tif files aren't commonly used on the web, but they are the file format of choice for printing.

Those are the most common file formats used in Photoshop. I hope that helps why and when to use them.