File Types

File Types

1. Audio

   • .AAC/.M4A
     • Standard file format for Apple Computers, higher quality sound than .MP3, standard file format used by mobile devices
   • .MIDI
     • Musical Instrument Digital Interface, standard file format used by digital instruments (keyboards, guitars, etc.)
   • .MP3
     • Most popular audio file format, standard for downloading and storing music, commonly used for streaming over the Internet
   • .WAV
     • Standard file format for PCs, native sound format for Windows environment
   • .WMA
     • Uses Windows Media Player for audio playback, Microsoft format used for streaming audio files

2. Web

   • HTML
     • Hypertext Markup Language, a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on World Wide Web pages.
   • CSS
     • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a document written in a markup language.
   • FLASH
     • allows Web developers to incorporate animations and interactive content into their websites.
   • PhP
     • a script language and interpreter that is freely available and used primarily on Linux Web servers
   • Javascript
     • an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers.

3. Video

   • .AVI
     • Standard video format for Microsoft PCs
   • .MOV
     • Uses the Quicktime player for video playback, standard video format for Apple computers
   • .MPEG-2
     • Format used for DVDs
   • .MPEG-4
     • Format used for Blu-Ray Discs (better quality than MPEG-2), standard for streaming videos over the Internet
   • .WMV
     • Uses the Windows Media Player for video playback, Microsoft file format used for streaming on the Internet

4. Graphic

   • .AI
     • Native file type used by Adobe Illustrator, allow for future editing
   • .GIF
     • Indexed color format (256 colors) which supports simple transparency layer
   • .JPEG
     • Most common graphic file format, full color graphic format (16.7 Million Colors) with a relatively small file size
   • .PNG
     • Supports advanced transparency with a relatively average file size, can be interlaced, optimizing for internet use
   • .PSD
     • Native file type used by Adobe Photoshop, does not compress layers of a design, allowing for future editing
   • .SVG
     • An XML-based vector image format for two-dimensional graphics with support for interactivity and animation
   • .TIFF
     • Versatile graphic file type that can use color formats, works best for desktop publishing or print work

5. Animation

   • .FLV
     • Video format that uses the Adobe Flash Player code for playback, common format for embedded video on the internet
   • .FLA
     • Native project file used by Adobe Flash which preserves the project’s layers, scenes, and library for future editing
   • .SWC
     • Contain the project Adobe Animate components, including a compiled movie clip, ActionScript code, and any assets that the component requires
   • .SWF
     • Formerly standard animation format for use on the Internet, can support frame-based or vector animation, supports ActionScript coding, allowing for user interactivity