PicSwitcher is capable of opening and saving in the following image formats:
| Extension | Name | Compression | Pros | Cons | PicSwitcher-Specific Notes |
| .BMP | Windows BitMaP | Read:
RLE Write: None |
BMP is supported by Windows itself, and nearly every graphics program written for Windows | BMP files aren't normally compressed, so they can become very large quickly. | 2, 4, 8, and 24-bit supported |
| .JPG, .JPEG, .JPE | JPEG (Joint Picture Experts Group) | Variable from 1 (worst) to 99 (best) | Very high compression. Universal acceptance. | Only works well on photographs. Information is lost each time a JPEG is opened and then saved | Progressive format supported |
| .GIF | CompuServe Graphic Interchange Format | Read: RLE, LZW Write: RLE |
Supports animation, transparency. Good compression on artificial images. | Limited to 256 colors | Animation not supported, transparency supported in input images |
| .WMF, .EMF | Windows MetaFile | N/A | Vector drawings allow scaling without detail loss | Not designed for saving image files. No compression. | When saving as an EMF or WMF, the image is not converted to a vector, but rather an embedded image. EMF/WMF files are always treated as transparent. |
| .ICO | Windows Icon | N/A | Icons are used throughout Windows to represent programs and other data | The .ICO format only supports a few sizes and color depths | Icon sizes up to 96 x 96 and color depths up to 24-bit are supported by PicSwitcher |
| .TIF | Tagged Image File Format | PackBits, CCITT Group 3-1D,2D, Group 4, ZLib | Images are stored without any loss in quality | TIFF files can become large very quickly | Multi-page images are not supported. When saving to CCITT formats images are automatically converted to black and white. |
| .PNG | Portable Network Graphics | Low, Medium, and High | Very high quality images. Designed for use in web browsers | Not widely used | Animation and multi-page files are not supported. Progressive format supported. |
| .PCX, .PCC | PC Paintbrush | N/A | Old format. Not widely used. | Included for compatibility with old images and software | |
| .TGA | Targa | N/A | Old format. Not widely used. | Included for compatibility with old images and software |
Due to software licensing issues, PicSwitcher does not support LZW compression for TIFF files, or writing GIF files using LZW compression.
When your...
| Final Output Destination Is | And You Need | The Best Formats Are |
|---|---|---|
| Printed Material | Best Image Quality | TIFF, BMP, PNG |
| Small Image Files | PNG, TIFF, JPEG | |
| Compatibility with Other Computer Platforms | TIFF, JPEG, PNG | |
| The Internet | Best Image Quality | PNG |
| Small Image Files - Photographs | JPEG | |
| Small Image Files - Images generated on the computer | GIF | |
| Compatibility with Older Browsers | GIF, JPEG | |
| Text on Photographs | PNG | |
| Images with Transparency | PNG, GIF | |
| CD-ROM, Computer Monitor, or Television Screen |
Compatibility with Other Computers | TIFF, JPEG, GIF |
| Best Image Quality | TIFF, PNG | |
| Small Image Files - Photographs | JPEG | |
| Small Image Files - Images generated on the computer | GIF | |
| Compatibility with Windows Application Software | BMP |