Best format for public domain distribution

R
Posted By
rvs053063
May 21, 2007
Views
330
Replies
3
Status
Closed
What is the best format to use if my intent is to disseminate the pictures to the public while keeping them as high quality as possible? Also, what would be the minimum resolution to use to keep the file size as small as possible while retaining the ability to get a good quality print? Thanks. Rick

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JO
Jim_Oblak
May 21, 2007
Resolution depends on expected physical size dimensions and printing technique. Without specifying this, no answer can be given.

Some common formats are:

JPG is a compressed, lossy image format. ‘Lossy’ means image quality is diminished. You can control how badly the image degrades.

TIFF LZW or TIFF ZIP is a compressed, lossless image format. ‘Lossless’ means there is no harm to image quality. These files may not be as widely read as JPG files.
R
rvs053063
May 21, 2007
It comes down to my wife selling her images on her website where the buyer can download the file and print it out however they would like. So how they print it out and on what medium is going to vary user to user. Sounds like TIFF is the way to go to not diminish the quality. I checked to see if MSFT Paint can open a TIFF, and it can, so couldn’t pretty much all others software programs? I’ve always throught as Paint as the lowest common denominator when it comes to manipulating graphic images. Thanks.
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 21, 2007
TIFF is a very common format. However, using ZIP or LZW compression to make those TIF files optimized for web transfer is not common in all apps.

If you expect your customers to instantly print the photos without editing, you may also try PDF with lossless compression. With the free Reader, there is little worry over compatibility with various image readers.

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

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