As mentioned previously, file format associations control how Paint Shop Pro Photo interacts with many different types of file formats--the structure of a file that defines how it is stored. For example, Paint Shop Pro Photos native file format is PSPimage, which retains all your editing information so that it can be accessed again if necessary. A JPEG image, however, flattens the file completely and you lose the ability to edit further. You can have certain file formats open automatically in Paint Shop Pro when you double-click files with those formats from anywhere on your computer.
During installation, Paint Shop Pro automatically selects five file formats to associate for you:
- JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group, supports 24-bit (or 16,777,216) color but no transparency.
- BMP - Bitmapped, is an image composed of pixels which are arranged in columns and rows. Each pixel is assigned a specific color and location.
- GIF - Graphics Interchange Format, supports transparency but only in (8-bit) 256 colors.
- PNG - Portable Network Graphics, is designed for web graphics and supports both transparency and 24-bit color.
- TIFF - Tagged Image File Format is commonly used to exchange images between different user platforms.
Related Reading: Which Graphics File Format Is Best To Use When?