What File Format Should You Use for Graphic Export? - Main

What file format should you use for graphic export? - Main

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Resources: What file format should you use for graphic export? Main Page Case Studies Graph Gallery - Greg D'Unger LabTalk Resources Origin 6.1 supports 17 file formats for Graphic Export. (Origin Pro 6.1 supports 18.) Many formats have Documentation Technical Reviews additional options to select from. A natural question arises: "What is the best format for exporting my graph"? There is no single answer to this question since the format and options you choose must ultimately depend on how the exported image will be used. Let's look at three major categories of graphic file use and examine the most suitable choices in each. E-mail this page Site Search I plan to publish my graph as part of a printed Print Publishing document. Site Login/Help I plan to publish my graph as part of a Web Web Publishing document. User ID I need to make some additions to my graph in my Editing Requirements Password own software.

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How Do I Export a Graph or Layout Page? View PDF Color Information

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Resources: Main Page Graphics Export for Print Publishing Case Studies Graph Gallery LabTalk Resources Documentation Publishing companies often have very strict requirements for acceptable file formats and settings within Technical Reviews those formats. If you are working with a publisher, get the details on their specific requirements. If you don't know the requirements, then here are the formats most often used in publishing:

E-mail this page Site Search Extension Format Name Features Note 1

- A Raster format - ColorSpace Options Site Login/Help TIF Tag Image File - Monochrome to True Color User ID - File Compression - A Raster format Password TGA Truevision Targa - 256 Color to True Color - A Vector format Note 2 EPS Encapsulated PostScript - ColorSpace Options - True Color - A Vector format PDF Portable Document Format - ColorSpace Options - True Color

Vector formats are preferable due to their scalability. While it might seem reasonable that scaling a vector image should have infinite precision, the information to describe these images can be huge if the plotted datasets are huge. Origin provides options (under Tools : Options) that will set limits on resolution which can be useful for large datasets. For formats that have ColorSpace options, publishers typically prefer CYMK over RGB.

Notes

1 : See File Formats and Color Information for more details. 2 : The image must be interpreted. For including an EPS file in a document that may not be capable of interpreting PostScript, an optional preview image may be included in the file.

Pages View PDF Choosing a Graphics Export File Format Graphics Export for Print Publishing Graphics Export for Web Publishing Graphics Export for editing in other software

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Resources: Graphics Export for Web Publishing Main Page Case Studies Graph Gallery LabTalk Resources There are two important requirements for Graphics Export for Web Publishing: Documentation Technical Reviews 1. File Size - For maximizing download speed 2. Browser Support - To maximize use by many browsers The two most popular formats supported by web browsers are JPG and GIF. PNG is growing in popularity E-mail this page as a replacement for GIF, particularly in that it does not have a license requirement. (Note 1) Site Search All three are Raster formats that use compression to reduce file size. GIF and PNG use a lossless compression algorithm, while JPG uses an adjustable, 'lossy' compression algorithm which tends to cause Site Login/Help fuzziness in fine detail. At maximum compression, JPG will produce the smallest file sizes, but the loss of

User ID detail would be unacceptable for most graphs. (JPG excels when there are large areas of solid color.) PNG and JPG support TrueColor and gray scale. PNG also supports 256 color. GIF is always a 256 color Password image. Since the default Origin colors (Note 2) are from the Windows System Palette, 256 color images are often all you need. If you need custom or RGB colors, then PNG or JPG would be better choices to maintain color values. In deciding what format to use, you may have to trade off download speed for more color or sharpness. Since web pages are designed to be viewed on a computer screen, all images should be exported at a resolution similar to computer moniters : 72 to 96 dots per inch (dpi).

Notes

1 : Browsers often handle the display of special file types via a plug-in rather than handling an image natively. This can delay display of an image under some circumstances. GIF and JPG are handled by most browsers without plug-ins. GIF images can be created by OriginPro or by special licensing. 2 : Origin provides a default color palette of 24 colors which consist of the same colors found in the Windows System palette plus a few more. While these colors should fulfill most needs, you can also add to this palette or use an Indexed RGB value to provide True Color. Since 256 Color images are smaller and include the Windows System colors (usually), then GIF and 256 Color PNG images are a logical choice.

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Choosing a Graphics Export File Format Graphics Export for Print Publishing Graphics Export for Web Publishing Graphics Export for editing in other software [ Color Information ] [ File Formats ] [ How Do I Export ]

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Resources: Graphics Export for Editing in Other Software Main Page Case Studies Graph Gallery LabTalk Resources If you intend to edit your graphic file in another application, then you should choose that application's Documentation native file format or one of its supported formats. Consult your application's documentation for special Technical Reviews considerations. Here are some examples: Extension Owner Application E-mail this page Site Search AI Adobe Illustrator PCX PC PaintBrush

Site Login/Help PSD Adobe PhotoShop

User ID These formats are typically raster formats. There are fewer vector format editors available and some of Password those programs will 'rasterize' a vector format when it is loaded in the editor. Consult your applications documentation for details.

Pages View PDF Choosing a Graphics Export File Format Graphics Export for Print Publishing Graphics Export for Web Publishing Graphics Export for editing in other software [ Color Information ] [ File Formats ] [ How Do I Export ]

http://www.originlab.com/www/resources/tech_reviews/mar01/page4.asp [4/20/2001 10:29:09 AM] What file format should you use for graphic export? - Color

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Resources: Main Page Export Formats : Color Case Studies Graph Gallery LabTalk Resources Documentation Color information in computer systems is stored in units of bits. The number of bits determines the Technical Reviews number of available colors as shown in the table:

Number of Bits Number of Bytes Number of Colors Reference E-mail this page Site Search 1 1/8 2 Monochrome (2 color)

Site Login/Help 4 1/2 16 16 Color (Windows Palette) 256 Color (Including Windows User ID 8 1 256 Palette) Password 15 2 32768 Hi-Color 16 2 65536 Hi-Color 24+ 3+ 16777216+ True Color

The first three types are called Palette Color Formats, because color information is stored in a single table and image formats store pointers to these table entries. The colors you see on screen will depend on the capabilities of your video card, the settings for your Windows Desktop and the software and specific file format in use. For example, if your video card supports 16 bit Hi-Color and your desktop is set to use that setting, then a 256 color format may be able to select its 256 colors from 65536 possibilities. When a file format supports more color depth (bits) than your system can display, then software may or may not adjust colors (in a process called dithering) before giving color information to your computer's operating system. When a file format supports fewer colors than a program supports, then the software or the export operation needs to reduce the color depth to match the capabilities of the file format. What does Origin use for colors?

Origin has a default palette of 24 simple colors that closely matches the Windows System Palette. This list is editable and found under "Format : Color Palette...". You can add to this list (up to 40 colors) and the added colors can use the full capabilities of your display (up to 24bit - TrueColor). For more colors, plotted datasets can use one of three indexed schemes where Origin looks up color information in additional datasets. If project files are to be shared on different systems, an index scheme that does not rely on the Origin palette should be used (since it will vary from computer to computer).

Pages View PDF Choosing a Graphics Export File Format Graphics Export for Print Publishing Graphics Export for Web Publishing Graphics Export for editing in other software

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Resources: Export Formats Summary Main Page Case Studies Graph Gallery LabTalk Resources These are the formats for image export support by Origin 6.0 and 6.1: Documentation Technical Reviews Raster Formats Vector Formats BMP (Bitmap) AI (Adobe Illustrator) GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) * CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile) JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) DXF (AutoCAD Drawing) E-mail this page PCX (Zsoft PC Paintbrush Bitmap) EMF (Enhanced Metafile) Site Search PNG (Portable Network Graphics) EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) PSD (Photoshop) PCT (Macintosh PICT) Site Login/Help TGA (Truevision TARGA) PDF (Adobe Acrobat) TIF (Tag Image File Format) WMF (Windows Metafile) User ID XPM (X-Windows Pix Map) XWD (X-Windows Dump) Password * Available in OriginPro or by license

Raster Formats define a fixed-size array (rows and columns) of colors. These formats take proportionately larger file space for increased detail and do not scale well, so their initial size should match their final use. Vector Formats contains instructions on how to draw an image and may contain additional information about size and resolution. These formats scale well (within limits), but must be interpreted by a target application - subject to errors in processing. Their file size is proportional to the complexity of the image.

http://www.originlab.com/www/resources/tech_reviews/mar01/summary.asp [4/20/2001 10:29:19 AM] What file format should you use for graphic export? - How To

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Resources: How do I Export a Graph or Layout Page? Main Page Case Studies Graph Gallery LabTalk Resources With a Graph or Layout window active, Documentation 1. Select 'File : Export Page' from the Origin menu Technical Reviews 2. Browse to a folder (Origin defaults to the location stored in "Tools : Options : File Locations" for the "Image" Group) 3. Change the File Name if you wish (Origin defaults to the window's name) E-mail this page 4. Select the appropriate 'Save as type' from the drop-down list Site Search 5. Check the 'Show Export Options' box if you have special settings (Origin remembers the settings for each file type, so uncheck the box once you have established settings appropriate to your needs) Site Login/Help Can I set the default file type for export? User ID You can decide which of the many file formats is selected by default in Origin's Tools : Options : [File Password Locations]. Select the Image Group and click the Modify button and change the Type (or path) as desired. If you are editing the Startup Defaults you won't see the change until you restart Origin. If you are editing the Current Runtime Defaults then the Track between Origin Sessions should be checked if you wish to remember this default the next time Origin starts as well. Can I save the additional options I set? For each type of file, Origin remembers the settings used. By checking the Show Export Options box, you gain access to these settings which will be saved when you export your file. By unchecking the box, you use the previous settings.

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