Still Images
Common file formats are jpg and png. PNG has the advantage of supporting transparency, but has larger file sizes. Both these formats are great for drafts and revisions but when you request your final images you should ask for EXR or another HDRI format. This format has much more information stored in it and can produce much better results when printed, although generally you cannot see the difference on a computer monitor. Requesting the PSD (Adobe Photoshop) file in addition to the final image file can be useful since the layers, effects, and backgrounds can be separated out for easier manipulation.
Animations
Video formats can get a lot more complicated. At its most basic form, a video is just a set of images played quickly enough that you cannot see the transition between frames. The rate at which they are shown is called the frame rate: the higher the frame rate, the smoother the video will be during fast movements. Standard frame rates are 24p, 25p, and 30p. However they are many variations. Click here for Wikipedia’s excellent article on frame rates.
Raw or uncompressed video files are very large. A minute of footage can take up several gigabytes. This is the best quality, but is difficult to transfer or play. If you are going to have the footage edited, you should ask for raw video, but plan for plenty of time to transfer it.
Finished videos are usually compressed using a codec (a COmpression DECcompression standard). Picking a codec is a matter of balancing compatibility, file size, and quality. We offer editing services and generally provide our clients with wmv files for Windows and mov files for Mac. If a client is going post the video online, we provide an h.264 mp4 file. All these can still be edited but generally you will experience a small decrease in video quality. It is good practice to request the raw footage just in case.
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