Discussion Point 4 - Jessica Lightfoot

File Prep Problems - Different File Formats.

An area of the readying files for their final preparation that I am a little uneasy with and can learn a great deal more about is the area regarding different file formats. Understanding different file formats is fundamental to the success of a piece of work as your design work is underpinned by its desired function – i.e digital, print, film etc. Different applications of our design work need to be save as different file formats in order to ensure their quality, colour, size and overall information is optimised for functioning at it’s highest potential and allowing for positive cross compatibility through different design programs.

With majority of print work, we should be saving these pieces as TIFF and EPS files. TIFF files are great as they are compressed, lossless files (unlike their counterparts the JPEG) and are able to be edited multiple times whilst retaining their high quality. EPS files are ideal for pieces of work that are going to be added into another piece of work – ie a logo for a business card. Extremely flexible, they contain editing capabilities again with the ability to retain their quality and colour and for further efficiency when created they are created with a thumbnail counterpart which allows for the designer to quickly view the file.

The even scarier world of digital online publishing also requires for different file formats which can potentially prove more efficient for their desired applications. GIF files are primitive but are typically found for use for non-photographic works, which are primarily to be viewed online and through a screen interface. PNG’s act as more ‘efficient’ GIF files which and are ideal for illustrative works with different transparency layers and last but not least the JPG file format is ideal for the use of highly photographic images that will be viewed through a digital interface.