Image bestand layout
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An Image File is a single file that contains the complete CD content ordered in the same way as it appears on CD or DVD.
A CD or DVD contains blocks and so does an Image File.
If you want to understand the CD / DVD layout better, read this : CD / DVD Layout.
Once a CD / DVD layout is understood there isn't much more to say about Image Files other that despite the simpleness of a CD / DVD layout there are lots of different Image Files out there.
The most simple ones are the *.iso or *.bin files which are really block per block files. The differences here are the block-size and the amount of leading blocks (sort of header).
The more difficult ones are those thought of by the different Write Application Vendors (*.cif, *.nrg, ...).
Again they come in many different formats but they are also not necessary identical to the CD content. Some of them omit data between tracks or add data in between the (supposing) contiguous data blocks which makes it hard to seek and find the correct data. They contain headers and footers describing the image files layout so that many different formats can exist. Unfortunately there are no Image File specifications. IsoBuster's Image File support is completely done via backwards engineering.
More on converting from one type image file format to another format.