What Image format to save your images in

  

What is the difference between the following file formats - png  jpg and tiff by Peter

 

 

 

png is preferred - it is a lot like jpg in that it is a compressed format - however - it is not like jpg in that it is more like a zip file  The file is still 100% even after compression meaning it is a lossless format.  Png also can be two formats - 24 and 32 - Blender has 8 and 16

24 is basically r g b - 8 its each - so 24

32 is r g b plus alpha - just 8x4=32 

the ability to save an alpha in this - makes it my goto file for storing images.

 

jpg - will do in a pinch - but png is lossless while jpg is lossy even at the highest compression settings.   Don't use it for commercial work.  It's more for personal work and files sizes will be smaller than png - but its chucking data - so a low compression setting gives a shitty looking image thats very tiny. while higher compression is almost indistinguishable from the original.  but make note you are still chucking info - dont use if you can help it.

 

tiff - tiff is ping without compression.  they are huge files and an older obsolete format.  Don't ever choose tiff when png is far superior in file size, compression use and is also 100% lossless .

 

OpenExrMultilayerThen there is the compositor's choice - EXR - when outputting EXR from a 3d program its a layered format - meaning it has many channels of data in it all in one file.   LIke png that has the extra channel of the 8 bit alpha - EXR can save ambient occlusion, spec, diffuse, reflectance, shadow, alpha and a host of others.   Compositors request this file format so that they have a host of channels to use to isolate these channels. - It's useful to be able to have just the shadow pass - or just the spec pass - with either you can do color corrections, fade them in or out, or with the spec pass add a glow only on the spec hits which makes for a much more desirable glow look in say space shots.

Exr is used for final composite assemblies and not to be used for textures - use png for textures always.