Comparison of graphics file formats


This is a comparison of image file formats.

General

Ownership of the format and related information.
FormatFull nameOwnerBased FormatFile extensionMIME typeApplicationPatented
AbcAdvanced Bitonal CompressionLEAD Technologies.abcBitonal document and check images.
ADRGARC Digitized Raster Graphics.adrg
AdobeResourceAdobe SystemsTIFF?
ADRIARC Digitized Raster Images.adri
AF DesignAffinity DesignerSerif Europe.afdesignVector graphics document for Affinity Designer. Can also be opened by Affinity Photo.
AF PhotoAffinity PhotoSerif Europe.afphotoRaster graphics document for Affinity Photo. Can also be opened by Affinity Designer.
AIAdobe Illustrator DocumentAdobe Systems.aiapplication/illustrator, application/postscriptAdobe Illustrator files are editable using programs that support the format, such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, CorelDRAW, etc.
Alias Pix image.pix,.matte,.mask,
.alpha,.als		Supported by GIMP
AMI.amiSupported by Amica Paint
ANIANI file formatMicrosoftRIFF.aniUsed by Microsoft Windows
ANIMElectronic Arts and Commodore AmigaIFF.iff,.animvideo/x-anim
APNGAnimated Portable Network GraphicsMozillaPNG.pngimage/png1.9 and Opera
Apple Icon ImageApple Inc..icnsUsed by macOS
APX.apxSupported by Ebuyer Photo Paint
ARTAOL.art
ARTPFS: 1st Publisher clip art.art
ARTBArtboard file formatMapdiva, LLC.artbVector image format; Artboard drawing files are editable using programs that support the format, such as Artboard and Ortelius
ASCII art.txt,.ansi,.texttext/vnd.ascii-artSupported by GIMP
Authorware mapAdobe Systems.aamapplication/x-authorware-map
Authorware segAdobe Systems.aasapplication/x-authorware-seg
Authorware binAdobe Systems.aab,.x32,.u32,
.vox		application/x-authorware-bin
AutoCAD DXFDrawing Interchange FormatAutodesk.dxfimage/vnd.dxf
AWD.awdimage/awdUsed by PhotoPhilia
ARWSony Alpha RAWSonyTIFF.arw
BAYCasio RAWCasio.bay
BigTIFFTIFF.btf,.tiff,.tifimage/tiff
BMPraw-data unencoded or encoded bitmapsimple colour image format, far older than Microsoft; some.bmp encoding formats developed/owned by Microsoft.bmp,.dib,.rle,
.2bp 		image/x-bmpUsed by many 2D applications.
bmp compressorBit Map Compressor.hpc
BLENDresource archive .blendnative data package format of Blender
BPGBetter Portable GraphicsFabrice BellardHEVC.bpgSuggestion to replace JPEG, JavaScript decoder available
BRKBrooktrout Fax.brk
BSAVEBSAVE Image.BSVUsed by IBM PC.
CAMCasio CAMCasioJPEG.cam
CADRGCompressed ARC Digitized Raster Graphics.cadrg
CALCALS raster file format.cal,.cals,.ras,.dcl
Capture One RAWPhase One.cap
CIFFCamera Image File FormatCanon.crw,.ciff
CR2Canon RAW 2CanonTIFF.cr2
CDRCorelDRAW DocumentCorel Corporation.cdr,.ccx,.cdt,.cmxapplication/coreldrawCorelDRAW files are editable using programs that support the format, such as CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, etc.
CGMComputer Graphics Metafile.cgmimage/cgmCGM files are editable using programs that support the format, such as IBM Lotus Freelance Graphics, Inkscape, etc.
CINCineon.cinimage/cineon
Corel Paint Shop Pro Pattern.patSupported by Corel Paint Shop Pro
CPCCartesian Perceptual Compression.cpc,.cpiimage/cpiHighly compressed raster imaging format.
CPKTAPP5-CPKT FormatJPEG.jpg,.jpe,.jpegimage/jpegUsed by PROSERPINE.
CPTCorel Photo-Paint Image.cptVariant of TIFF up to and including version 6.0; proprietary as of 7.0
Crack ArtDetlef Röttger & Jan Borchers.ca1,.ca2,.ca3An application on Atari ST
CUT.cutUsed by DSHELL.
CMYK.cmyk
CMYKA.cmyka
DCSKodak DCS Pro RAWKodak.dcs
DCRDigital Camera RawKodakTIFF.dcr
DDSDirectDraw SurfaceMicrosoft.dds
DegasDesign & Entertainment Graphic Arts SystemIntegral Solutions.pi1,.pi2,.pi3,
.pc1,.pc2,.pc3		An application on Atari ST
DNGDigital NegativeAdobe SystemsCompatible with ISO 12234-2, TIFF/EP.dngA raw image format suitable as an archival format and as the native raw format of digital camerasNo: no known intellectual property encumbrances or license requirements
DIADia DrawingXML.diaUsed by Dia
DICOMDigital Imaging and Communications in MedicineNational Electrical Manufacturers Association.dcm,.dicomapplication/dicomNumerous biomedical imaging applications, some general bitmap graphics applications
DjVuDjVuAT&T Research.djvu,.djvimage/vnd.djvu
Doodle.dooAn application on Atari ST
DPXDigital Picture eXchange file format.dpximage/dpx
DRFKodak Pro Back RAWKodak.drf
Dr. Halo.cut
Encapsulated PostScriptpage description/scripting language Adobe.epi,.eps,.eps2,
.eps3,.epsf,.epsi,
.ept		application/postscriptprinting/publishing industry standard format
ECWEnhanced Compressed WaveletERDAS.ecwWavelet image format used primarily with geo-referenced aerial and satellite imagery
EDGEDGE2 Original FormatTAKABO.edgUsed by EDGE2
EGIExclusive Graphics Format.egi
EMFEnhanced Metafile FormatMicrosoft.emf,.emzMicrosoft Office
EMF+Enhanced Metafile Format Plus ExtensionsMicrosoft.emf,.emz
ERFEPSON RAWEPSONTIFF.erf
ERIEntis Rasterized Image format.eri
ExifExchangeable Image File Format.exif
EVAExtended Vector AnimationSharp Corporation.evaapplication/x-eva
EXROpenEXRILM.exrimage/exrUsed in film effects for 3d rendering and hdr images.
FarbfeldLaslo Hunhold.ffVery simple lossless bitmap format used for image processing.
FIFFractal Image Format.fif
FIGFIG format.figapplication/x-xfigSupported by Xfig
FITSFlexible Image Transport System.fit,.fitsScientific data acquisition
FLAFlash Source File.fla
FLICAutodesk.fli,.flc,.flx,.flh,.fltSupported by GIMP
FLIFFree Lossless Image Format.flif,.flfGeneral-purpose lossless image compression, superior compression.
Kivio Document.flwSupported by Kivio-
FPXFlashPix .fpximage/vnd.fpx
FreeHandAdobe Systems.fh4,.fh5,.fh7,
.fh8,.fhc,.fh		image/x-freehand
FutureSplashAdobe Systems.splapplication/futuresplash
FXT3DFX.fxt
GEGL compositionXML.xmlapplication/xmlUsed by GEGL
Gerber FormatThe Gerber Format SpecificationUcamcoPrintable ASCII.gbrapplication/vnd.gerberPrinted Circuit Board or PCB software
GIFGraphics Interchange FormatCompuServe,
Unisys 		.gif,.gfa,.giffimage/gifSupported by most web browsers. Supports transparency and animation.Expired
GIMP brushThe GIMP Team.gbrSupported by GIMP
GIMP compressed XJT imageThe GIMP TeamJPEG, tar.xjt,
.xjtgz ,
.xjtbz2 		None. Lossy format, not suitable for editingSupported by GIMP
GIHGimp image hoseThe GIMP Team.gihSupported by GIMP
GIMP patternsThe GIMP Team.patSupported by GIMP
GRA.graUsed by QSV and QLD.
G3 Fax.g3Supported by GIMP
Hasselblad 3FR RAWTIFF.3fr
Hasselblad/Imacon FFF.fff
HEIFHigh Efficiency Image FormatMotion Pictures Expert Group .heif,.heicimage/heif, image/heic, image/heic-sequence, image/heif-sequence
HDRiTIFF.tif,.tiffimage/tiff
HGHyper Graphic Press.hgSupported by some old Japanese applications.
ICERNASA Mars Rovers
IIQ RAWIntelligent Image Quality RAWPhase One.iiq
IMA.ima.ima team.imaFormat for photographic images with HDR encoding.
IMG .imgSupported by GEM Paint
IMG ERDAS IMAGINEERDASHierarchical File Architecture .imgImage format used primarily with geo-referenced imagery, thematic grid data, and elevation grid data.
im4Masahide Hirabayashi.im4
Inkscape SVGThe Inkscape TeamSVG.svg,.svgzimage/svg+xmlUsed by Inkscape
ICOICO file formatMicrosoft.ico,.curimage/vnd.Microsoft.icon, image/x-iconUsed by Microsoft Windows and web browsers as favicon
ICSImage Cytometry Standard.ics,.ids
IGESInitial Graphics Exchange Specification.igsimage/igesCAD/CAM interoperability
ILBMInterLeaved BitMapElectronic Arts and Commodore AmigaIFF.iff,.ilbm,.lbmimage/x-ilbmPlanar graphics format designed for Amiga graphics hardware.
IPTC/NAAIPTC/NAATIFF
JBIGJoint Bi-level Image Experts Group.jbig,.bie,.jbg
JBIG2Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group
JNGJPEG Network Graphics.jngimage/x-jng
JPEGJoint Photographic Experts GroupJoint Photographic Experts Group.jpg,.jpeg,.jpe
image/jpegPhotographic images. Supported by most web browsers.Expired
JPEG 2000Joint Photographic Experts Group 2000Joint Photographic Experts Group.jp2,.j2c,.jpc,
.j2k,.jpx		image/jp2Photographic images, eventual replacement for JPEG.Yes
JPEG-LSJoint Photographic Experts Group.jls
JPEG-HDRDolby Laboratories/BrightSide TechnologiesJPEGHDR format based on RGBE floating-point encoding and backward-compatible extensions to JFIF format; included in JPEG XT Part 2.
JPEG XTJoint Photographic Experts GroupBackwards-compatible extension of the JPEG format for high bit depth and floating point HDR encoding of lossy and lossless images
JPEG XR / HD PhotoJPEG XR / HD PhotoMicrosoft.wdp,.hdp,.jxrimage/vnd.ms-photoTIFF-like container format with HDR encoding for photographic imagesYes
J6IRICOHJPEG.j6iUsed by RICOH DC-1/2
KDCKodak DC40/DC50 RAWKodakTIFF.kdc
KOA.koa,
.gg 		Supported by Koala Paint
KIFFKt Interchange File Format.kif,.kiff
KISS CEL.celSupported by GIMP
Kodak TIFF extensionsKodakTIFF.tif
Kodak YCCKodak.pcd
KQPMinoltaJPEG.kqp
K25Kodak DC25 RAWKodakTIFF.k25
Leaf Mosaic RAWTIFF.mos
LightStream Picture.lsp
Logluv TIFFGreg WardTIFFSupported by Libtiff
Mac Paint.pnt,.mac
MDCMinolta RD175 FormatMinolta.mdc
METOS/2 Metafile Format.metSupported by SAS/GRAPH
MNGMultiple-image Network GraphicsPNG.mngvideo/x-mng
MO:DCAMO:DCAIBM.mda,.ica,.mmr,
.afp		imageIBM's Content Manager and Image Plus
MSPMicrosoft PaintMicrosoft.msp
MYDMyd format.myd
MYVMyv vector format.myv
NEFNikon RAWNikonTIFF.nef
MEFMamiya RAWMamiyaTIFF.mef
NeochromeDave Staugas.neoAn application on Atari ST
MAGMAKIchan Graphic loaderWoody-Rinn.magUsed by many old Japanese applications.
MAKIMAKIchan net formatWoody-Rinn.mki
MIFFMagick image file formatImageMagick Studio.miffSupported by ImageMagick
MSAMisachan FileHirohumi Iguchi.msaSupported by old Japanese applications
MSLMagick Scripting LanguageImageMagick Studio.mslSupported by ImageMagick
MVGMagick Vector GraphicsImageMagick Studio.mvgSupported by ImageMagick
MPCMagick Persistent Cache image file formatImageMagick Studio.mpcSupported by ImageMagick
MRWMinolta RAWMinolta.mrw
NSK-TIFFNSK-TIFFNihon Shinbun Kyokai TIFF
OAZOAZ FaxOaz Communications.oazUsed by NetFax Manager
ODGOpenDocument drawing.odg
ORAOpenRasterfreedesktop.orgOpenDocument/XML.oraDrawPile, GIMP, Krita, MyPaint, Nathive, Pinta
ORFOlympus RAWOlympusTIFF.orf
ORTLOrtelius file formatMapdiva, LLC.ortlVector image/map format; used by Ortelius
PAMportable arbitrary map file format.pamimage/x-portable-arbitrarymap
Panasonic RAWPanasonicTIFF.raw,.rw2
PCIFPolyomino Compressed Image Format.pcf
PhaseOne P25/P30/P45 RAWPhase One.tif,.tiff
PictureGear Pocket Image.prc
PBMPortable Bitmap File Format.pbmimage/x-portable-bitmap
PCDKodak ImagePac Photo CDKodak.pcdimage/jpcd
PCFPixel Coordination Format.pcfimage/pcf
PCXZSoft PC Paintbrush FileZSoft Corporation.pcx,.pcc,.dcximage/x-pcxDated rle packed indexed image format, used in some early 3d shooting games like Unreal Tournament as it takes up very little space and is easy to decode.
PDFPortable Document FormatAdobe Systems.pdf,.epdfapplication/pdf
PDNPaint.NET ImagedotPDN LLC.pdnPreferred and supported by Paint.NET
PEFPENTAX RAWPENTAXTIFF.pef
PGFProgressive Graphics Filexeraina GmbH.pgfPhotographic images, eventual replacement for JPEG.
PGMPortable Graymap File Format.pgmimage/x-portable-graymap
PGMLPrecision Graphics Markup LanguageAdobe Systems, IBM, Netscape, Sun Microsystems
Photochrome.pcs
PNMPortable Anymap File Format.pnmimage/x-portable-anymap
PTXPentax RAW Bitmap GraphicPentax.ptx
PiYanagisawa.piUsed by some old Japanese applications.
PICYanagisawa PICYanagisawa.picUsed by many old Japanese applications.
PICDoGA PICProject Team DoGA.picUsed by DoGA CGA System.
PICTMacintosh PICT FormatApple Inc..pict,.pic,.pct,
.pct1,.pct2		image/pictMetafile for Classic Mac OS, not meant for print publishing.Likely expired
PICtorJohn Bridges, Doug Wolfgram.picSupported by PCPaint
PIC2Yanagisawa.p2Supported by some old Japanese applications.
PLDPhotoLine DocumentComputerinsel GmbH.pldapplication/pldNative format of the PhotoLine image editing program.
PMPSonyJPEG.pmpUsed by Sony Cyber-Shot
PNGPortable Network GraphicsWorld Wide Web Consortium.pngimage/pngW3C endorsed replacement for GIF. Supported by most web browsers.
PostScriptpage description/scripting language, levels 1–3Adobe.ps,.ps2,.ps3printing/publishing industry standard format
PPMPortable Pixmap File Format.ppmimage/x-portable-pixmapVery easy to understand. Programs to analyze and write to this format are easily written.
PSDPhotoshop DocumentAdobe Systems.psd,.psb,.pdb,
.pdd		image/vnd.adobe.photoshopUsed mainly for storing image manipulation & editing data.
PSPPaint Shop Pro DocumentCorel Corporation.psp,.tub,
.pspimage		image/x-pspSupported by Paint Shop Pro, GIMP
PSX TIM.tim
PSX TIM2Sony PlayStation Tim2Sony.tm2,.strUsed by PlayStation 2
PXA.pxaUsed by Pixia
QuickTime ImageApple Inc..qtif,.qti,.qif
Q0.q0
Q4XLD4MAJYO.q4
RADGregory Ward Larson.radRadiance
RAFFujifilm RAWFujifilm.raf
RGBimage/colourmap data in RGB format.rgb
RGBAimage/colourmap data in RGB format, with Alpha channel.rgba
RGBEGregory Ward Larson.hdrimage/vnd.radianceRadiance, most HDR imaging software
RHIFRhapsoft Image FormatRomain PiveteauSQLite.rhifLiveQuarz file format
R3DRED REDCODE RAWRed.r3d
SAISYSTEMAX.saiSupported by PaintTool SAI
SCTScitex Continuous Tone Picture.sct
SDASun Microsystems.sdaSupported by StarOffice Draw 3–5
SDDSun Microsystems.sddSupported by StarOffice Draw 3–5
SFWSeattle File Works imageJPEG .sfw,.pwpJPEG-converters sfwjpg and pwpjpg for and
SGBSun Microsystems.sgbSupported by StarOffice Graphics 2
SGISilicon Graphics Image.sgi,.rgb,.rgba,
.bw,.int,.inta,
.icon
Shockwave DirectorAdobe Systems.dir,.dcr,.dxr,.fgdapplication/x-directorUsed by Adobe Shockwave.
SHAPEDia StencilSVG.shapeUsed by Dia.
SK.skSupported by Skencil
SketchUp Format.skp,.skbSupported by SketchUp
SMLKivio stencil.smlSupported by Kivio
SRFSony RAW FileSonyTIFF.srf,.sr2
SUNSun rasterfileSun Microsystems.sun,.ras,.rs,.im1,
.im8,.im24,.im32		Supported by GIMP
STXSBIG CCD camera ST-x.stx,.st4,.st5,
.st6,.st7,.st8,
.st9
SView5 GraphicsAndreas Kleinert.svg/.sgxUsed by SView5-Library/SDK
SVGScalable Vector GraphicsWorld Wide Web ConsortiumXML.svg,
.svgz 		image/svg+xmlScriptable vector image format; supported by major web browsers, occasionally via plug-in.
SWFShockwave FlashAdobe Systems.swfapplication/x-shockwave-flashSupported by many web browsers via plug-in.
SXDOpenOffice.org 1.0 drawing format.sxd
TGATruevision TargaTruevision Inc..tga,.tpicimage/tgaUsed by many 3D rendering applications and 3d games.Yes?
TIFFTagged Image File FormatAdobe Systems.tiff,.tifimage/tiffDocument scanning and imaging format, also functions as a container.
TIFF/EPTag Image File Format / Electronic PhotographyInternational Organization for StandardizationTIFF.tiff,.tif
TIFF-FXTag Image File Format Fax eXtendedTIFF.tiff,.tifimage/tiff-fx
Tiny StuffDavid Mumper.tny,.tn1,.tn2,.tn3,
.tn4,.tn5, tn6		An application on Atari ST
TLG5.tlgUsed by KiriKiri
TLG6.tlgUsed by KiriKiri
UFOUlead File for Objects.ufo
VMLVector Markup LanguageMicrosoftXML.htm,.htmlapplication/vnd. openxmlformats-officedocument. vmlDrawingInternet Explorer, Microsoft Office
WBMPWireless Application Protocol Bitmap FormatOpen Mobile Alliance .wbmp,.wbm,.wbpimage/vnd.wap.wbmpUsed in WAP-pages
WebPWebP image formatGoogle.webpimage/webpProvides an alternative to JPEG, PNG and GIF with superior compressionYes
WinFaxSymantec.wfx, fxs, fxo
WMFWindows Metafile FormatMicrosoft.wmf,.wmz
WordPerfect Graphics File.wpg
XAMLExtensible Application Markup LanguageMicrosoftXML.xamlapplication/xaml+xmlUsed by Windows Presentation Foundation and Microsoft Silverlight.
XARXarXaraXar .xarapplication/vnd.xaraUsed by Xara Photo & Graphic Designer
XBMX BitMap, colour variant of original black-and-white bitmap format.xbm,.bm,
.icon,.bitmap		image/x-xbitmapUsed by many legacy Unix applications.
XCFXCF, name derived from eXperimental Computing FacilityThe GIMP Team.xcf,
.xcfbz2 ,
.xcfgz 		application/x-gimp-imageUsed by GIMP
XPMX-Pixmap.xpm,.pmimage/x-xpmUsed by many legacy Unix applications.
X3FSIGMA RAWSIGMA.x3f
XWDxwud X11 window dumper/undumper screenshot image.xwd,.x11Used by X Window System
XYZRPG Maker image fileASCII.xyzRPG Maker
YCbCr.ycbcr
YCbCrA.ycbcra
YUV.yuv
ZDT.zdtUsed by TECH Win
FormatFull nameOwnerBased FormatFile extensionMIME typeApplicationPatented

Technical details

FormatCompression
algorithm		Raster/
vector		Color depthIndexed colorTransparencyMetadataInterlacingMulti-pageAnimationLayersColor managementExtend­ableHDR format
AILossy and lossless1, 8, 24, and 32
BMPNone, RLE, JPEG, and PNG1, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 64
BPGHEVC, Lossy and lossless8 to 14 bits per channel
CDRLossy and lossless1, 8, 24,and 32
CPCCPC1, via embedded dictionary
EPSNone, LZW, DEFLATE, RLE, DCTDevice specific
EXRNone, RLE, ZIP, Piz, PXR24, and B44, B44A, DWAA, DWAB16–128
Farbfeld-64
FLIFLossless, MANIAC entropy coding1 to 16 bits per channel, Adam∞, via chunks, with suitable color profile
GIFLZWIndexed and grayscale ; 1bpp plane-only mask using color index
HD Photo / JPEG XRLossy and lossless bi-orthogonal transform1, 2, 8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, and 128
ILBMOptional run-length encoding1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 64 EHB, 128, 256, 4,096, 4,096 pure 12-bit, 262, 144, and 24-bit,
Palette-shifting
IMALossy and lossless original mutiresolution analysis transformation8-bit, 16-bit integer, 32-bit floating-point
JPEGLossy, DCT, RLE, and Huffman predictive nearest neighbor8-bit, 12-bit, and 24-bit
JPEG 2000Lossy and lossless 8 and 16 with possibly color up to 48-bit
KRA-grayscale, RGB, XYZ, CMYK, L*a*b* and YCbCr
ORALossless1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 48, and 64
PAM-Up to 16
PCXNone, RLE1, 2, 4, 8, 24 and 32
PGFLossy and lossless grayscale: 1, 8, 16, 31; RGB: 12, 16, 24, 32, and 48
PICTNone, RLE, and QuickTime1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32?
PLDOptional ZIP, JPEG1, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 48, and 64
PNGLossless and DEFLATEbitmap, indexed, grayscale and RGB ; indexed, grayscale and RGB, Adam7 algorithm , via chunks, see discussion
PPM-Up to 16
PSD and PSBNone and RLEbitmap, duotone, indexed, grayscale, RGB, CMYK, Lab and multichannel ; indexed, grayscale, RGB, CMYK and Lab?
PSP-1, 2, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 48; 8b and 16b per-pixel alpha channel
SVGNone and lossless gzipRGB , XML based
TGANone, RLE, and other1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32
TIFFNone, LZW, RLE, ZIP, and other1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32 , for JPEG compression, via tags, TIFF float
WebPLossy and losslessYUV420P, YUVA420P and RGB
XAML-32 and 64
XCFNone and lossless indexed, grayscale and RGB
FormatCompression algorithmRaster/
vector		Color depthIndexed colorTransparencyMetadataInterlacingMulti-pageAnimationLayersColor managementExtend­ableHDR format