Hi guys:
I’m still having trouble figuring out how to save a render/blendfile as an image!! 
I understand about selecting file format and stuff on the format panel in the render context, but I don’t see the link between that and the output contex…if there is any…
How do I get a render to a jpeg or something!?
Thanks, LC
The ‘output’ tab is used by the ANIM button. If you press ANIM, you’ll get “automatic” image files written governed by the Sta: End: values. (If you don’t animate anything you’ll get 250 (default) images of the same thing ! 
).
If you press the RENDER button, no image file is written, it just renders one frame, which you can save using F3 or File/Save Image. The output tab has no effect.
Mike
Thanks! I must say though, that is certainly a bizarre way of doing things and maybe that should also be looked at as a candidate for being reworked in future releases.
Well having played with Max, XSI, Houdini, Maya and Animation master, they all have rather obscure user interfaces to produce output, Max’s is probably the simplest.
I don’t think Blender’s necessarily needs to be changed, I would love to see context sensiitve help though, a simple way might be to just increase the amount of information shown in the “tooltips”.
And the information is on the wiki which btw, I just updated to explain the not so obvious behavior of the output textbox.
Mike
It makes perfect sense. Well, perfect Blender sense, anyway. Don’t consider it “saving a render” consider it “saving the render buffer”
Pick whatever Format (and setttings like compression, if applicable) you like, and make that a .B default… then after you render something particularily nice, pop an F3 and type a name. It’ll use the appropriate lib and convert/save your image. badda-bing badda-boom.
LOL !
If it weren’t for the tooltips, I think Blender would drive me (even more) insane 
Mike