Filetype
A filetype or file type is a name given to a particular type of file. Examples of a filetype are Microsoft Word documents or an Adobe Photoshop document. These are filetypes that can only be opened through the original programs. There are also file types that can be opened by multiple applications, an example being a PDF, which can be opened through multiple Web browsers. Other examples that can be opened by multiple programs are MP3 audio files or RTF files.
Filetype types
It is virtually impossible to put all types of file types in this blog. But it is possible to explain some of the popular file types that you may have to deal with. For managing your website, channels and work, you mainly have to deal with these file types:
JPEG - This is the most commonly used file type on the Internet
- Advantages: Light in weight and visible in almost any program
- Cons: Quality loss every time the JPEG is saved
- Best uses: Images of products (when offering over 100 products), social media posts and portfolios
PNG - A PNG preserves the photo's quality, colors and sharpness
- Benefits: Maintain high quality and retain transparent backgrounds
- Cons: Heavy in weight leading to delayed loading time and taking up storage space unnecessarily
- Best use case: Logos, photos on the website and social media channels that require high resolution (profile photos, posts and cover photos)
GIF - The animated image that has taken the Internet by storm. Consists of a bunch of images called pixels
- Advantages: Supports basic animation and transparency
- Cons: Gradient colors are poorly displayed
- Best use case: Ideal for short animations on social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
PDF - This file type is used to open a file on a Web browser. Virtually every program offers the option to make it a PDF file.
- Benefits: Retains the original formatting of the file, so you won't have problems with a file being incomplete or an error message
- Cons: There must be a PDF reader on the device to view the file (this is not on all phones, for example)
- Best use case: Online forms, documents and for using a print service
