Image File Extensions - Descriptions & Uses

.jpg

JPEG is a widely used compressed image format, ideal for photographs and web graphics.

.jpeg

Alternate extension for JPEG format, widely compatible and commonly used for photos.

.png

PNG is a lossless format supporting transparency, often used for logos and web graphics.

.gif

GIF is a format for simple animations and images with limited colors, popular for web use.

.bmp

BMP is an uncompressed image format developed by Microsoft, used for high-quality images.

.tiff

TIFF is a high-quality image format often used in printing and professional photography.

.tif

Alternate extension for TIFF files, commonly used for images requiring high resolution.

.svg

Scalable Vector Graphics, a vector format for web graphics that can scale without quality loss.

.webp

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google, offering high-quality compression for web use.

.heic

High Efficiency Image Coding, used by Apple for storing photos on iOS devices.

.heif

High Efficiency Image Format, known for efficient storage and high quality, popular on Apple devices.

.raw

RAW image format captures all data from a camera sensor without processing, popular in photography.

.cr2

Canon RAW format, used by Canon cameras to store unprocessed image data.

.nef

Nikon RAW format, used by Nikon cameras for uncompressed, high-quality images.

.arw

Sony RAW format, used in Sony cameras to store unprocessed image data.

.orf

Olympus RAW format, used in Olympus digital cameras.

.rw2

Panasonic RAW format, used in Panasonic cameras for high-quality image storage.

.dng

Digital Negative, an open RAW image format developed by Adobe for editing and archiving.

.pef

Pentax RAW format, used in Pentax cameras for unprocessed photos.

.raf

Fuji RAW format, used in Fujifilm cameras for uncompressed images.

.sr2

Sony RAW format, an older version used in some Sony cameras.

.srf

Sony RAW file, commonly used in earlier Sony digital cameras.

.mrw

Minolta RAW format, used in Minolta cameras.

.kdc

Kodak RAW format, used in some Kodak digital cameras.

.x3f

Sigma RAW format, used in Sigma cameras for high-quality images.

.erf

Epson RAW format, used in Epson cameras.

.3fr

Hasselblad RAW format, used in professional Hasselblad cameras.

.iiq

Phase One RAW format, used in high-end Phase One cameras.

.fff

Hasselblad format for storing high-quality, unprocessed images.

.mos

Leaf RAW format, used in Leaf medium format digital backs.

.mef

Mamiya RAW format, used in Mamiya cameras.

.jxr

JPEG XR, an enhanced version of JPEG with better compression and quality.

.hdp

High Definition Photo, used in Microsoft’s JPEG XR format.

.wdp

Alternate extension for JPEG XR, developed by Microsoft.

.ico

Icon format used in Windows for icons, stores multiple resolutions.

.psd

Photoshop Document, used in Adobe Photoshop, supports layers and effects.

.psb

Large Document Format for Photoshop, used for very large images exceeding PSD limits.

.ai

Adobe Illustrator Artwork, a vector format used for illustrations and logos.

.eps

Encapsulated PostScript, used for vector graphics, compatible with many illustration programs.

.pdf

Portable Document Format, supports images and text, widely used for document sharing.

.cpt

Corel Photo-Paint image, used in Corel’s image editing software.

.sgi

Silicon Graphics Image, used on SGI workstations for high-quality images.

.rgb

RGB format, stores uncompressed images in RGB color space.

.rgba

RGB format with an alpha channel for transparency.

.bw

Black and white format for grayscale images.

.pbm

Portable Bitmap, a monochrome image format used in Netpbm software.

.pgm

Portable Graymap, a grayscale image format used in Netpbm.

.ppm

Portable Pixmap, a color image format used in Netpbm.

.pnm

Portable Any Map, supports monochrome, grayscale, and color images.

.pxm

Pixelmator Image, used in Pixelmator on macOS.

.dpx

Digital Picture Exchange, used in digital film production.

.cin

Cineon Image, used in film production for high-quality image storage.

.vda

Targa format, used in graphics applications.

.icb

Alias format, used for graphics and texture storage.

.vst

Targa format variant, used in graphics software.

.img

IMG format, used for raster graphics and bitmap images.

.ce1

Capture One Image format, used for raw image editing.

.jp2

JPEG 2000, an improved version of JPEG with better quality and compression.

.j2k

JPEG 2000 format extension, used for high-quality images.

.pcx

PC Paintbrush format, used in early PC graphics software.

.rle

Run-Length Encoding, a simple compression format used in Windows.

.dcr

Kodak RAW format for digital cameras.

.dc2

Kodak DC2 RAW format, used in some Kodak cameras.

.pcd

Photo CD, a format developed by Kodak for storing high-quality images.

.xpm

X Pixmap, used in X Window System for bitmaps and icons.

.xwd

X Window Dump, used to capture screen images on X Window systems.

.cur

Cursor file format, used in Windows for custom cursors.

.ani

Animated Cursor, used in Windows for animated mouse cursors.

.wmf

Windows Metafile, used for vector and bitmap images on Windows.

.emf

Enhanced Metafile, an improved version of WMF for graphics on Windows.

.afphoto

Affinity Photo file, used in Affinity Photo for image editing.

.afdesign

Affinity Designer file, used for vector design in Affinity Designer.

.dds

DirectDraw Surface, used for textures in 3D graphics and video games.

.psp

PaintShop Pro image, used in Corel PaintShop Pro for raster graphics.

.sai

Paint Tool SAI image format, used in the SAI software for digital art.

.ora

OpenRaster, an open format for layered images, used in digital painting software.

.tga

Targa Image, often used for textures in video games.

.icns

Apple Icon Image, used for icons on macOS.

.jfif

JPEG File Interchange Format, a standard for exchanging JPEG files.

.xbm

X Bitmap, used in X Window System for monochrome bitmaps.

.spr

Sprite file format, used in game development.

.tex

Texture file format, used in 3D applications and gaming.