Graphics file formats

Here is a summary of the most common graphics file formats:

Common Raster Graphics Formats
[file extension]?	MIME type	proper name	description
.bmp	image/bmp	Windows Bitmap	Commonly used by Microsoft Windows programs, and the Windows operating system itself. Lossless compression can be specified, but some programs use only uncompressed files.
.tif	image/tiff	Tagged Image File Format	Used extensively for traditional print graphics. Lossy and non-lossy compression available, but many programs only support a subset of available options.
.png	image/png	Portable Network Graphics	New format designed primarily for web graphics, intended to replace "gif" format. Uses non-lossy compression.
.gif	image/gif	Graphics Interchange Format	Used extensively on the web. Supports only 256 colors, so requires lossy quantization for full-color photos. Uses non-lossy compression. Supports animated images.
.jpeg .jpg	image/jpeg	Joint Photographic Experts Group	Used extensively on the web. Uses lossy compression; the quality can vary greatly depending on the compression settings.
.xpm	image/x-xpm	X-Pixmap	Used almost exclusively on UNIX platforms. Uses no compression.
.psd	?	Photoshop Document	Standard Adobe format for Photoshop documents. Has many extra features such as image layering. Supported by very few programs other than Adobe Photoshop.
.psp	?	Paint Shop Pro Document	Standard Jasc format for Paint Shop Pro documents, similar to .psd for Photoshop. Supported by very few other programs.

Common Vector Graphics Formats
[file extension]?	MIME type	proper name	description
.ps	application/postscript	PostScript	Generic vector-based page description language, created and owned by Adobe.
.eps	?	Encapsulated PostScript	A PostScript file that describes a small vector graphic, as opposed to a whole page.
.pdf	application/pdf	Portable Document Format	A PostScript file containing multiple pages and links, that works with Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe eBook Reader.
.ai	?	Adobe Illustrator Document	Vector format for Adobe Illustrator.
.fh	?	Macromedia Freehand Document	Vector format for Macromedia Freehand.
.swf	?	Shockwave Flash	Shockwave Flash is a web page plug-in that displays vector based animations. The Flash authoring tool from Macromedia is required in order to author .swf documents.
.fla	?	Flash Source File	Shockwave Flash source file, only usable by Macromedia Flash authoring software.
.svg	?	Scalable Vector Graphics	An XML based vector graphics format, as defined by the W3 consortium for use in web browsers.