a PNG, GIF,JPG,EPS,VECTOR?

and do you I need special software to use them especially for editing? I am buying a logo and need to be able rescale and use it for web and stationary and am being offered it in PNG which I've never come across. Have been caught before by a vector which i can't use as non of my software works with it and I never got to the bottom of what WOULD work with it.

lol your help will be

ZN wrote:

a PNG, GIF,JPG,EPS,VECTOR?

and do you I need special software to use them especially for editing? I am buying a logo and need to be able rescale and use it for web and stationary and am being offered it in PNG which I've never come across. Have been caught before by a vector which i can't use as non of my software works with it and I never got to the bottom of what WOULD work with it.

lol your help will be:toast:

ok, as I'm sure you're aware these are different file formats for images

PNG, GIF and JPEG/JPG are known as raster images - each pixel is defined as having a colour and position in the image. An uncompressed raster image is a bitmap (BMP)

GIF and JPEG are two different compression algorithms
GIFs are limited to 512 colours and can include transparancies
JPEGs are not limited by colour depth - requiring just the colours that make up the image, but do not include transparencies
[on most systems today, there are 16million colours available)
PNG is a raster image, is not 'lossy' and can store layers. The file size will be large and along with PSDs are considered 'editable graphics'
(PNGs from macromedia, PSDs from photshop)

raster images do not scale up or down very well as there is a loss of information

I've neverheard of EPS

Vector graphics are different from raster images as they are defined by lines, equations, colour blocks etc.
vector graphics can be scaled up or down with no loss whatsoever.

for example:
Photos use raster images
technical diagrams use vectors

Logos for printed media should be a vector (because it makes industrial printing easier)
Logos for the web should be GIF, JPG or PNG

to edit a raster image you'll need something like photoshop, paintshop pro or fireworks
to edit vector images you'll need something like adobe illustrator or freehand.

Most of all you'll want to buy the full rights to the image, the editable graphic and possibly with any source images, and the rights to use those as well

Bitmaps - Bitmaps are images in which each pixel (dot) in a picture is set to a specific color.  All the pixels together make up the image.  Because of this, bitmaps do not change sizes easily.  To change the size of a bitmap you should use a graphics program like Photoshop ( or open source Gimp if you're on a budget ) even then if you are increasing the size, you'll never get more fine detail than was in the original.  Web browsers can resize images if the html sets the width and height differently, but they don't do it well; I don't recommend relying on that.  JPGs, GIFs, and PNGs are different forms of compressed bitmaps.

JPG - JPGs are a form of 'lossy' compressed image.  This means that the greater the compression you set, the more fine detail is lost.  Despite this lossyness, JPGs are usually the best for compressing the file size of photographic images.  They don't do as well for graphic images (cartoons, charts, logos) as this is where their lossyness sticks out.

GIF - This is a lossless compression.  It is based on the concept of if you have 20 pixels in a row the same color, it takes less space to identify the color once and set a number of times to repeat it instead of identifying the color 20 times.  This format allows for transparancy so that you can see the background behind the transparent pixes. The shortfalls of GIF is the 256 color pallet, and that the standard is copyrighted by Compuserve so can't be modified or improved by anyone else.  GIFS are best for graphic images.  Because of their 256 color limitation, they don't do well at photographic images, and this form of compression doesn't match the file sizes that JPGs can produce.

PNG - This is an Open Source designed lossless compression similar to GIF, which allows color resolution up to 16 million collors instead of being limited to 256 colors.  PNGs allow for not only transparent pixels, but also semi-transparent pixels (Though Internet Explorer 6 and below have trouble with PNG transparency).  PNGs can be used for photographic images, but like GIFs will not compress as well as JPGs.

Vector - Vector graphics is a class of images including Encapsulated Post Script (EPS).  These images are based on lines (or vectors).  The file contains start, mid and endpoints as well as curve information instead of individual pixel information.  Because of this, Vector images scale much better than bitmaps.  Vector graphic lines at any angle look as sharp when enlarged as they did when small.  These are ONLY good for graphic images.  Web browsers don't normally display them so you will need to set the size you want and convert them for best effect.

EPS - The Encapsulated Post Script format is often used by advertising agencies and newspapers for ads.  This format can be used for it's flexibility to store logos that you may want to display in different sizes in different places.

Photoshop of course can be used for any of these formats.  the open source program GiMP can do most, but may require an add on or external application to handle EPS files.

I am genuinely stunned at the in-depth replies from you both....this is the first time I feel as though I have the full and complete story on this issue. A major to you both!

Naw... they just like hearing themselves talk.

...no ....sorry Mr S, I can't have that, I've siffered at the hands of real wafflers and had no useful info at the end of it but I have had a great big BILL!!!They are hero's of the ether:applause:

MrStitch wrote:

Naw... they just like hearing themselves talk.

Hey, somebody's gotta listen to me, occasionally its somebody else besides me

PNG - This is an Open Source designed lossless compression similar to GIF

Pretty Near GIF

he he he - computer joke

Don't forget you can go into paint and easily change the file type should you need it to be something else.

beatledave wrote:

Don't forget you can go into paint and easily change the file type should you need it to be something else.

hope that was a joke......

Northie wrote:

beatledave wrote:

Don't forget you can go into paint and easily change the file type should you need it to be something else.

hope that was a joke......

I second that.... perhaps for a gif and jpeg - simply because they both come out looking equally as sh###y as each other after paint ... although, it could be cool if you want a really nintendo look for your new banner EPS = printing, you can use it with photoshop - corel and illustrator, i prefer .ai files and then a nice big pdf for printing.  but if its a logo you will "not" be changing, stick with eps and you can hand it to your printers whenever you want it on something.

If you dont want the printers to laugh at you - dont put it in paint and save over your original.

B-D....  you rock bud - i cant wait to tell an unsuspecting victim to try that   its awesome... he ehe

Play nicely you guys:surrender:

ZN wrote:

Play nicely you guys:surrender:

LOL, we are playing nice seriously, i didn't mean any offense, i really honestly do find that hilarious and i say that with no  harsh flavor on my tongue.