ABSTRACT
The list in this section is derived from my experience of the formats commonly used. Some of these formats need special plug-ins to open or save the file formats, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have a particular option on your version of Photoshop (Figure 12.1).
PSD Of course, the first option on the list of supported file formats is Photoshop’s native format, PSD or Photoshop Document. You are probably saving your working file as a PSD. Photoshop’s native format is the best lossless format to use while working because you are assured that it can support every program option, whether it is a channel, transparency, vector mask layer, a layer effect, or an annotation, and store all the structure and information that makes Photoshop so valuable. In addition, the PSD format is generally more efficient at applying lossless compression to the file than any other format. Now, with the more widespread acceptance of PSDs, you can often drag and drop them into other applications with full support for at least layers and some other features. If you are in an Adobe workflow, you can keep the image in the native Photoshop PSD format because there is a tight integration between Adobe products.
