Which is the best image format to use?
March 8, 2024Choosing the correct image format output will depend on a number of factors.
Theres no such thing as the best image format however each format can have a specific intended use or a preferred ideal platform. For web use, WebP is increasingly recommended due to its efficiency. For general image storage, PNG is preferred when quality is a priority and file size is not an issue, while JPEG is a good compromise between file size and quality for photographs. SVG is recommended for vector-based images.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
Best for photographs and images with gradients. It offers good quality with relatively small file sizes but uses lossy compression, which can degrade quality with high compression levels.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
Suitable for simple animations. It supports transparency but is limited to 256 colours, making it unsuitable for high-quality images.
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
Best for icons, logos, and illustrations. SVG is a vector format, meaning it can be scaled to any size without losing quality, which is ideal for responsive web design.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
Ideal for images requiring transparency or images with text, sharp edges, and logos. PNG uses lossless compression, meaning there’s no quality loss, but this can result in larger file sizes compared to JPEG.
WebP
A modern format designed to provide superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web. It can provide smaller file sizes at comparable quality to JPEG and PNG, making it a good choice for web use.
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