At 02:45 PM 1/31/99 EST, you wrote:
>When would one want to save graphic images as .bmp, .jpg, and .gif.   It
seems
>to me .jpg saves with the best resolution....but depending on what program
>it's being saved out of, .jpg has a range of resolutions.
>

Ira:

Each of these formats has a different purpose. Both .jpg and .gif result in
lower file size than bitmap file such as .bmp, .tif, .psd, or .pic.

.Gif can support only 256 colors, and as such should be used when you have
many large areas of flat color, without many gradients, such as a line
drawing or a cartoon.

Jpeg, on the other hand supports may millions of colors, and is best
selected when saving images with a lot of soft transitions and gradients
such as a photograph.

Both of these formats are widely used for web graphics because of the
reduced file size. Having said this, I would caution you when using .jpg to
do all your changes in a bitmap file first, and then when you're sure there
will be no more changes, that's the time to convert to a .jpg. This is
because .jpg is a "lossee" compression that compresses ever further every
time you "save" the image. The more often you "save" the same image, the
poorer the image quality as a result.

The safest way to work with image files is to keep a master copy in a
bitmap type. . if you use Photoshop, the .psd (Photoshop Document) is
perhaps you're best bet, because it supports layers, alpha channels, and
paths as part of the document. When you are satisfied that you have what
you want, and if you are preparing for the web, this is now the time to
save a copy as .jpg or.gif and export to your web document.

Hope this helps.

Don Kendrew

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