Rockstar Icon Designer - Kate McInnes [12]
.BMP
Platform:
Web, Pre Windows Vista OS
Programs:
All Graphics Software
.BMP or Bitmap Image File is a graphics file that stores image data independently of the display device. The .BMP file format can store both monochrome and color formats in various depths with optional data compression, alpha channels, and color profiles. The .BMP image format was used in older Graphical User Interfaces, such as Windows 95, to render Toolbar icons with alpha transparency.
Transparent BMP files are made from 4 channels, Red, Green, Blue, Alpha.
.GIF
Platform:
Web
Programs:
All Graphics Software
.GIF is short for Graphics Interchange Format. .GIF files are bitmap image files that can be compressed but only support up to 256 colors which make them ideal for logos and graphics, but not photographs. The .GIF file format can also be animated, which has made it a popular format for animated banner ads and emoticons.
Unlike PNG and BMP images, GIF transparency is "binary" (off or on) and cannot support partial transparency. Transparent areas in a GIF are made from 100% transparent pixels. To avoid sharp lines around the outside of a Transparent GIF you can set a "matte color", which is a halo of color that blends with the outline of the object and creates the illusion of gradual transparency against a background. In the figure below you will see how the line of the mountains and sun have an outline in the same color as the background image. The matte has been set to white so it creates a pleasing result against white and light colored backgrounds. If the matte was black you would see a dark jagged halo around the outside of the image.
If you're saving a transparent GIF, make sure you chose a suitable "matte" color so the outline will blend into the background you intend it show it against.
.SVG
Platform:
Linux OS, Web, Mobile OS
Programs:
Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an XML based vector graphic format that can be static, animated or interactive. SVG is an open standard, similar to the Adobe Flash format, that has been in development by W3C since 1999. Desktop environments such as GNOME and KDE use .SVG icons as they are scalable, can be viewed and printed at any resolution and contain meta information that makes them searchable. An offshoot of .SVG is SVG formats for mobile phones, such as SVG Tiny (SVGT) and SVG Basic (SVGB), which is a simplified version of the .SVG format. Phones that support the use of SVG icons are the Sony Ericsson K700 series, Nokia S60 series, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Siemens and BenQ. It's possible to make .SVG graphics by writing XML into a text editor, but for precise rendering, it's much easier to use graphics software. Inkscape, Xara Xtreme and Adobe Illustrator all export vector graphics to the .SVG format.
When creating .SVG icons, it's good to note that Inkscape has the most universal support for the format, where Adobe Illustrator may cause some compatibility problems. A known issue with Adobe Illustrator and the .SVG format is the option to embed an.AI file within a .SVG to make it easier to open and edit at a later date; one problem with this is cross compatibility with other vector editors such as Inkscape. Often, an Adobe Illustrator SVG that has been edited in Inkscape will not record the changes properly. This issue is caused by the way that Illustrator handles .SVG files. When an SVG file is exported from Illustrator it will create a file containing both valid SVG code and the .AI source code. The dual file is used for easier editing and rendering by Illustrator and other Adobe Software packages after the file