- Format. You can choose from six file formats. Some formats like TIFF and JPEG offer additional settings for controlling compression and bit depth.
Luminar Neo can export the following types of files.
- JPEG (.jpg). The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format is the most commonly used file format to display continuous-tone images (such as photos) on the internet. Most digital cameras use JPEG because it provides excellent compression; the maximum quality setting provides comparable image quality to larger file formats like TIFF. The print industry (especially newspapers) will occasionally use JPEGs. JPEG offers lossy compression, however, which means that some data is discarded during compression. JPEGs should not be used as an archival or production file format. You should generally only save JPEG files once, as re-saving, a JPEG continues to discard data and lower the image quality.
- PNG (.png). The Portable Network Graphics format provides lossless compression. It is increasingly common on the internet, as most web browsers support it. The PNG format was created to be a patent-free alternative to GIF. Its major advantage is the PNG-24 file, which allows for 24-bit images (8 bits per channel) and embedded transparency. It is technically superior to GIF.
- TIFF (.tif). The Tagged Image File Format is one of the most common and flexible formats. It’s widely used to exchange files between applications and computer platforms and has a long legacy of compatibility. Additionally, TIFF works with a depth of 8 bits or 16 bits per channel.
- JPEG 2000 (.jp2). The JPEG 2000 format is an update released in 2000 by the Joint Photographic Experts Group committee. It is intended to replace the original JPEG format. It uses a newer and more efficient wavelet-based image compression method.
- Photoshop (.psd). Photoshop is a common file format used in the computer graphics industry. Luminar Neo cannot write a layered file, but it can export a file that can be opened by Adobe Photoshop and other software packages that support the PSD format.
- PDF (.pdf). The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format invented by Adobe that was intended to be an extension of PostScript. A PDF can be viewed on virtually every operating system, portable media player, or phone. PDF is an open standard, which means anyone can create applications that can read or write PDFs without paying Adobe. This openness led to the quick adoption of PDF, which is used extensively online.