File Types for Rendered Images and Animations
You can save rendered images as a variety of different file types, each with different properties.
Commonly-Used File Types
The following commonly-used file types are available when saving renders and animations:|
BMP |
A popular format within the Microsoft operating system. It retains image quality. |
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EXR |
A High Dynamic Range format which has a high compression ratio and is also open source. |
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FLX |
A variation on the FLIC format used for animation frames. |
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HDR |
A variation on the TIFF format that includes a luminance channel. Useful for editing tone mapping, black and white levels, and other luminance controls. |
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JPEG |
A universal format with one of the best compression algorithms for its file size. This is a popular format for creating portable images, for example to send via email. |
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PNG |
A popular format that provides both image quality and the smallest possible file size. PNG is one of the few file formats that is lossless, 8-bit, and contains an alpha channel. Use PNGs when you want the background of your render or animation to be transparent in post-process compositing. |
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PNG 16-bit |
A variation of the PNG format with the addition of luminance information, giving you greater control over exposure. |
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PSD |
Adobe Photoshop Format. It includes luminance information. Also includes layers if saved as LayeredPSD. |
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TGA |
Has good compression for higher bit formats, and includes an alpha channel. |
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TIFF |
A popular lossless format for photography when image quality is of absolute importance. Also contains layers and an alpha channel. |
| Format | Lossless | Lossy | Compressed | Alpha | Bit | Layers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows BMP (*.bmp) | Optional | 8-24 | ||||
| OpenEXR (*.exr) | Optional | 16-32 | ||||
| Flexible Precision Image Format (*.flx) | 30 | |||||
| Radiance High Dynamic Range (*.hdr) | 32 | |||||
| JPEG (*.jpg) | Optional | 8-16 | ||||
| JPEG 2000 (*.jp2) | 8 | |||||
| JPEG 2000 16-Bit (*.jp2) | 16 | |||||
| JPEG 2000 16-Bit Lossless (*.jp2) | 16 | |||||
| LayeredPSD (*.psd) | 8-32 | |||||
| PSD (*.psd) | 8-32 | |||||
| Portable Network Graphics PNG (*.png) | 8 | |||||
| Portable Network Graphics PNG 16-bit (*.png) | 16 | |||||
| Targa (*.tga) | Optional | 8-32 | ||||
| Tagged Image File Format (*.tif) | Optional | 16-32 |
Definition of Terms
|
Compressed |
Compresses the image through an algorithm, reducing file size. |
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Lossless |
Retains image quality during compression. |
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Lossy |
Degrades image quality during compression. |
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Alpha Channel |
Carries an extra channel for the background layer. |