Formats
Image formats compared: JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF and HEIC, measured on the same files. Which is smallest, which opens everywhere, and when to convert one.
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- FormatsImage formats, JPG, PNGBest image format: JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC and GIF explainedThe best image format depends on what the picture is and where it goes. For a photo on your own website, use AVIF with WebP or JPG as the fallback. For a photo you send, use JPG. For a screenshot, a logo or anything see-through, use PNG. For animation, use WebP. We saved one photo, one card of text and one flat graphic in every format to show why.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsCMYK, RGB, ICC profileCMYK to RGB: how to convert a print file for screensTo convert CMYK to RGB, run the file's numbers through its ICC profile, not a formula. We took one photo to print CMYK and back 7 ways, and measured how far each one drifts on 2,457,600 pixels.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsGIF, Image formats, AnimationWhat does GIF stand for? Meaning, origin and file sizeGIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, the image format CompuServe released in 1987. A GIF holds up to 256 colours and can loop short animations. We saved one 2.4-second loop 5 ways. The GIF weighed 1,539.3 KB, and the AV1 video 33.0 KB.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsPNG, Lossless, TransparencyWhat is a PNG file, and when it beats JPGA PNG file is an image saved without loss, so every pixel comes back exactly as it was stored. A PNG can also be see-through. So PNG beats JPG on logos and flat graphics, and JPG stays smaller for photos.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsJPG, JPEG, JFIFIs JPG and JPEG the same? Yes, and here is why both existIs JPG and JPEG the same? Yes. They are two names for one image format, and the file inside is identical: we saved one photo as .jpg and .jpeg and both have the same SHA-256 fingerprint. JPEG is the committee and its standard; .jpg is the three-letter form old PCs needed. Here is where each name comes from, why cameras write .JPG in capitals, and which one to use.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsWebP, Chrome, Windows 11What is a WebP file? Why your images save as WebPWhat is a WebP file? An image format Google released in 2010 that stores photos and graphics in fewer bytes than JPG and PNG. Websites send WebP because it is light, so a picture you save can arrive as .webp even when its address ends in .jpg. Here is what the file holds, why it lands on your disk, and how to open or change it.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsHEIC, HEIF, iPhoneWhat is an HEIC file, and how to open one anywhereWhat is an HEIC file? It is a photo saved in HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format, with the picture compressed by HEVC, the H.265 video codec. iPhones have saved photos this way since iOS 11 in 2017. Apple devices and Safari open a HEIC directly; Windows, Android and other browsers need an extension, an app or a converted copy. Here is each route, and what a real iPhone HEIC holds inside, measured in four other formats.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsAVIF, AV1, Windows 11What is an AVIF file? Open it, convert it, or keep itWhat is an AVIF file? An image compressed with the AV1 video codec and stored in a HEIF container. Websites send AVIF because it is small, so a picture you save can arrive as .avif, and an older app may refuse it. Here is what the file holds, how to open it anywhere, and when to convert it.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsAVIF, WebP, JPGAVIF vs WebP vs JPG: which is better for a website, measuredFor a website, serve AVIF first with a WebP or JPG fallback. We ran our reference photo, a screenshot of our pricing page and a piece of flat art through one engine and kept the bytes. AVIF made the smallest file on all three, 55% under the JPG on the photo, and WebP came second each time.Sahadat Husain
Formats