Supported graphic formats

Various formats are available for exporting graphics. The following list explains the special features of the individual formats.

Raster formats

Here the image is stored in the form of pixels. The color of each pixel is stored in a large internal matrix.

Apart from various compressions, the size of the generated graphic file results exclusively from the width × height (= number of pixels), not from the content of the image (in contrast to vector formats). Even largely uniform fillings can lead to large files.

A raster graphic can only be output cleanly up to a certain size. If it is printed larger, blurred and "pixelated" images will appear, i.e. the pixels will be recognizable as small boxes.

Good compression makes the generated files quite small. Supported by all formats best semi-transparent image areas (it contains an "alpha channel", which in addition to color also stores the transparency of a pixel).

This format is for almost all purposes the most suitable raster format, especially for further use in web pages.

Suitable for files to be used in publications, for example, and for further processing in print shops.

The georeferenced Tiff is a standardized coding to store geographic information in the exported graphic. Regarding the image encoding it is a "normal" Tiff image.

The additionally stored geographical data allow geoinformation systems to fit this image correctly in a map view. If the GeoTIFF is not based on the same coordinate system as the application in which it is to be fitted, it may cause slight rotations or distortions.

Suitable for using the map as an image in other geoinformation systems.

This format is characterized by a high compression rate, i.e. the resulting files are quite small.

The format is mainly suitable for photos, less for graphics. The compression is also more optimized for photos, which leads to partly "blurred" lines etc. in graphics.

The oldest and simplest built raster format. The advantage is that it is accepted by practically all other applications for inserting graphics. Since this format is not compressed or only slightly compressed, Windows bitmaps are significantly larger than other graphic formats and are rarely used for the web.

Vector formats

In these formats, the pixels are not saved, but the displayed objects are saved in geometric form. They are therefore very suitable for graphics, but completely unsuitable for photos or the like.

The size of the generated graphic file depends mainly on the content of the graphic. The output size (height, width) is irrelevant, so you can also select large values here.

The graphic can usually be printed larger later without significant loss of quality. Text output still remains sharp. Nevertheless it is recommended to export vector graphics (especially *.emf) in the required size.

With all the advantages of the vector formats, the disadvantages are that the currently only format "Metafile" is only supported under Windows, can practically not be used in the web area, and that some special graphic requirements are not or only insufficiently supported.

The latest format within the Windows Metafile format family. It supports most special graphical requirements, but there are problems with special fillings (with transparency, gradients, hatching, etc.).

Windows metafiles are not completely resolution-independent despite their storage in the form of vectors, since they use an internal raster to store the dots. Therefore, you should not output these graphics many times larger than specified during the export later. It is better to export the graphics directly in a suitable size, as this has no negative effect on the file size anyway.

This is the most suitable format for further use in Office applications (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or if a later graphics processing is intended, e.g. in products such as Adobe Illustrator. The format "Metafile" can practically not be used in the web area.

Further comment on Metafiles

Due to their structure, the metafiles created depend heavily on the system on which they were created. Even if you export the same metafile twice under otherwise identical conditions, but on different computers, the result can be different. There are several influences that determine the size and resolution of the created metafile:

  • The graphic card and the monitor of the computer
  • The desktop settings (resolution, etc.)
  • The System Type: Physical Machine or Virtual Machine
  • The access to the desktop (locally or via remote desktop; in the latter case the created metafile even depends on the settings of the remote access)

The older format within the Windows Metafile format family. It supports fewer special graphical requirements.

Use this format in situations where you would also use Windows EMF Plus, but the new format is not yet supported by the application.

Portable vector-based document format for displaying results independent of EasyMap.

Vector-based document format developed by Microsoft for displaying results independently of EasyMap.