You should base your choice of file format upon the design and use of your graphic. A graphic's appearance can vary from one format to another, especially when different types of compression are used. In addition, only certain graphic file types are accepted by most web browsers. Still other file types are ideal for print publishing or use in multimedia applications.

The following file types are available:

GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, is a popular web graphic format. GIFs contain a maximum of 256 colors. GIFs can also contain a transparent area and multiple frames for animation. Images with areas of solid color compress best when exported as GIFs. A GIF is usually ideal for cartoons, logos, graphics with transparent areas, and animations.

JPEG was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group specifically for photographic or high-color images. JPEG supports millions of colors (24-bit). The JPEG format is best for scanned photographs, images using textures, images with gradient color transitions, and any images that require more than 256 colors.

PNG, or Portable Network Graphic, is a versatile web graphic format. However, not all web browsers can view PNG graphics. A PNG can support up to 32-bit color, can contain transparency or an alpha channel, and can be progressive. PNG is the native file format for Fireworks. However, Fireworks PNG files contain additional application-specific information that is not stored in an exported PNG file or in files created in other applications.

WBMP, or Wireless Bitmap, is a graphic format created for mobile computing devices such as cell phones and PDAs. This format is used on Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) pages. WBMP is a 1-bit format, so only two colors are visible: black and white.

TIFF, or Tagged Image File Format, is a graphic format used for storing bitmap images. TIFFs are most commonly used in print publishing. Many multimedia applications also accept imported TIFF graphics.

BMP, the Microsoft Windows graphic file format, is a common file format used to display bitmap images. BMPs are used primarily on the Windows operating system. Many applications can import BMP images.

PICT, developed by Apple Computer, is a graphic file format commonly used on Macintosh operating systems. Most Mac applications are capable of importing PICT images.