BMP files are supposed to be an ancient file format. JPG files are what we need to use for online galleries, etc. So they can't be so evil. JPGs are our final destination. I usually render and save as "psd" (PhotoShop native format). Then I do whatever is necessary to prepare the image, and then I "save to web" at the highest image quality. I always keep the original file. I always name my images: "image, image2, image3," etc. One thing to remember when recommending file formats: some of them consume ungodly amounts of hard drive space. If someone has limited free space, they could be surprised very quickly when there is suddenly no more space for saving files. I strongly recommend a backup strategy where you save your treasured art onto CDs. If I have an intricate render, I'll save it as a pz3 file, then render. I save the pz3 files. You can zip the files to save space. Once your art is finished, you may not need to keep it on the hard drive. Just back it up to CD's and remove from the hard drive. Ron