Do You Know Your File Formats?

Liam, Grace, and Maya are working on a project for their graphic design class. They want to create a poster that will be printed in high-end quality. Which color mode should they use to obtain the truest color?

• Grayscale mode

• CMYK

• RGB

• Bitmap

Answer explanation

To achieve the truest color for high-end printing, CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) is the preferred color mode. It is specifically designed for print media, unlike RGB, which is for screens.

Scenario: I want to send a T-shirt design to a T-shirt printing company. Why? Lossless universal file format, a small file size isn't important. Choose the optimal image format: ​

Answer explanation

JPG is a lossy format, making it unsuitable for high-quality T-shirt designs. Instead, use PNG or TIFF for lossless quality, ensuring the design retains its detail when printed.

Scenario: I took a photo on a professional camera, and I'm sending it to be professionally edited. ​ ​ (a)  

• GIF

• SVG

• PDF

• EPS

• RAW

• PNG

• JPEG

• JPG

Answer explanation

The correct choice is RAW because it refers to unprocessed image files from a professional camera, preserving all data for high-quality editing. Other formats like JPEG or PNG are compressed and not ideal for professional editing.

Scenario: I want to export a photo to be used as a profile picture on Facebook. ​ ​ (a)  

• GIF

• SVG

• PNG

• JPG

• PDF

Answer explanation

JPG is the preferred format for profile pictures on Facebook due to its balance of quality and file size. Unlike GIF and SVG, JPG supports rich colors and is widely accepted for photos.

Scenario: I'm editing a photo in Photoshop, and want to send it to a friend, so they can finish editing it. (I know they DON'T have Photoshop software). Choose the optimal image format: (a)  

• PSD

• TIFF

• GIF

• JPEG

• JPG

• AI

• EPS

• SVG

Answer explanation

The optimal format is PSD because it retains all layers and editing capabilities. Since your friend doesn't have Photoshop, they won't be able to open PSD files, but it's the best choice for further editing if they get access to compatible software.

GIF stands for?

• Gray-scale Interchange file

• Graphics inter file

• Graphics Interchange Format

• Graphics Interchange file

Answer explanation

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, which is a widely used format for image files that supports both static and animated images. The other options are incorrect interpretations of the acronym.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

What does PDF stand for?

Answer explanation

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It is a file format developed by Adobe that allows documents to be presented in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

Which file format is more suitable for photographs on the web?

• BMP

• JPG

• GIF

• PNG

Answer explanation

JPG is more suitable for photographs on the web due to its efficient compression, which reduces file size while maintaining quality. This makes it ideal for faster loading times and better performance on websites compared to BMP, GIF, or PNG.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

Identify the primary colors in the CMYK model.

a

b

c

g

Magenta

Green

Cyan

Blue

Black

Yellow

Red

What is the primary advantage of the JPG file format?

• It supports animation.

• It provides high compression with minimal quality loss.

• It is uncompressed.

• It supports layers.

Answer explanation

The primary advantage of the JPG file format is its ability to provide high compression with minimal quality loss, making it ideal for storing images without taking up excessive space.