Forum: Poser - OFFICIAL


Subject: Sorta OT, but pertaining to Poser: jpegs vs. png's vs. tiff

jartz opened this issue on Nov 24, 2010 · 71 posts


FightingWolf posted Wed, 24 November 2010 at 5:33 PM

Quote - ah hello.

 

can someone point me to the calm and reasoned discussion on the pro's and con's of file formats for the storage of graphics?

 

I thought this was it, but obivously it's not.

The pros and con's of file formats for the storage of graphics.

.jpg good but will not have a transparent background. Smaller file size than .png and is commonly used on the Internet. Benefit is that it doesn't take up space and the image can still look high quality.

.png good file that is great for working in layers because it can give you a transparent background. It's larger than a .jpg of the same size. Meaning if you save your render in .png and then convert it into a .jpg then the .jpg will be smaller file size than the original .png file.  This file format is often used for production pieces like clipart, tubes, and post working in Photoshop or Paintshop Pro.  Use this file if you want to move separately renderd objects around in the scene during the postwork phase.

.psd files gives you the same benefits as a .png file with the exception that is a Photoshop file format that is HUGE. It is the largest out of the .jpg, .png, .psd. file formats.

The pros and cons of the files depend on what you are trying to do.  If you want a transparent background image to use as clip art or to add on a 2D background then you'll need to use a .png file. In this case the .jpg file format is not the best to use.

If you want to put your an image on the Internet for people to view then use the .jpg file because you will get a quality image without the massive file size. If you have a decent monitor then the image will look great.  If you don't have a decent monitor then even a high quality image would look bad.

The file that you save the image as all depends on what you are planning to use the image for.  If you are going to use it for printing posters then some printers are going to ask you for a .png file but not a .jpg file. If you are going to use it print on paper then either one will do.

Here is my guide line for saving Poser Renders.

  1. Save as a .png always because it gives me the best of two worlds. Transparency at a lower file size than .psd.

  2. If I need to covert the file later then it's easy to do but I always keep a .png version because it gives me the most flexibility at a smaller file size.