Images

Files that hold pictures: grids of pixels, shapes drawn at any size, the raw data from a camera sensor, the layered work files of image editors, high dynamic range and scientific images, icons and the formats of the classic paint programs.

Groups

Raster

Images stored as a grid of pixels.

11 formats

Vector

Images stored as shapes, lines and text, drawn sharp at any size.

2 formats

Camera raw

The sensor data straight from a digital camera, before processing.

2 formats

Layered projects

Image editors’ own files, keeping layers, masks and effects.

2 formats

HDR & scientific

Images with a wide range of brightness, and measurements stored as images.

2 formats

Icons

Small images in several sizes, for programs, files and folders.

2 formats

Retro

The formats of the paint programs of the 1980s and early 1990s.

2 formats

All image formats

Format	Name	About
Raster
`.BMP`	OS/2 bitmap array (BA)	Several OS/2 bitmaps, icons or pointers for different screens, chained in one file.
`.BMP`	Windows bitmap (BM)	Windows bitmaps: a header, an optional palette and rows of pixels.
`.GIF`	Graphics Interchange Format	Palette images of up to 256 colours, LZW compressed, often animated.
`.ICO`	OS/2 colour icon (CI)	A colour OS/2 icon: a 1-bit mask bitmap followed by a colour image.
`.ICO`	OS/2 icon (IC)	A black and white OS/2 icon: AND and XOR masks in one 1-bit bitmap.
`.JPG`	JPEG image	Lossy compressed photographs, in marker segments with JFIF or Exif metadata.
`.PNG`	Portable Network Graphics	Lossless raster images with transparency, stored in CRC-checked chunks.
`.PTR`	OS/2 colour pointer (CP)	A colour OS/2 mouse pointer: masks, a colour image and a hotspot.
`.PTR`	OS/2 pointer (PT)	A black and white OS/2 mouse pointer, with its hotspot in the header.
`.TIFF`	Tagged Image File Format	Flexible tagged images for print, scanning and archives, often multi-page.
`.WEBP`	WebP image	Google’s web image format: lossy, lossless or animated, in RIFF chunks.
Vector
`.EPS`	Encapsulated PostScript	A single PostScript drawing for placing in other documents, with an optional preview.
`.SVG`	Scalable Vector Graphics	The web’s vector format: shapes, text and gradients written as XML.
Camera raw
`.CR2`	Canon Raw version 2	Canon’s TIFF-based raw photo format, used until 2018.
`.DNG`	Adobe Digital Negative	Adobe’s open raw photo format, built on TIFF.
Layered projects
`.PSD`	Adobe Photoshop Document	Photoshop’s working file, with layers, masks and a flattened composite.
`.XCF`	GIMP image	GIMP’s working file, with layers, channels and paths in tiles.
HDR & scientific
`.EXR`	OpenEXR image	Floating point HDR images with many channels, for film and rendering.
`.FITS`	Flexible Image Transport System	Astronomy’s images and tables, with plain text headers in 2880-byte blocks.
Icons
`.ICNS`	Apple Icon Image	macOS application icons, one picture in many sizes, mostly as PNG.
`.ICO`	Windows icon	Windows icons and cursors: one picture in several sizes, as bitmaps or PNGs.
Retro
`.IFF`	Interleaved Bitmap (IFF ILBM)	Amiga and Deluxe Paint pictures, stored as interleaved bitplanes.
`.PCX`	PC Paintbrush image	ZSoft’s MS-DOS paint format: a 128-byte header and run-length encoded lines.