File Format

Initially when you create a new Photoshop project, you are working in .PSD format which stands for Photoshop Data File. This Data file format allows you to work with multiple layers unlike more basic file formats such as Bitmap images which are literally just maps of the individual pixels, all on one layer, which form the image. After finishing all the design work within Photoshop, when it comes to saving it is then that you must choose the file format. There are so many different file formats available, the most widely used ones being .JPEGS (Joint Photographics Experts Group) and .BMP (Bitmap Picture). For use on the web, it is good to set the resolution of your file to 72dpi (dots per inch) because this resolution allows for quick loading upon webpages. However if you're formatted file is intended to be printed, a higher resolution of 300dpi or above is preferred as this is the minimal dpi most printers can print at without the actual dots being visible to the human eye. For my own products one of them was an animated web banner so the file format was .GIF at a resolution of around 72dpi. My other product was a CD front cover so it was saved as a high resolution .JPEG image at a resolution of 350dpi to ensure its quality was high when it came to printing it.