Category: Lossy Use JPEG for:Ī newer file format than GIF and JPEG, the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is like a marriage between both the GIF and JPEG format thanks to its two variants. This is why professional photographers generally shoot in lossless RAW format.Īlso note that, unlike the GIF and PNG, JPEG can not preserve transparency. Exporting a JPEG results in a loss of quality, and these losses get worse with each successive export – like a photocopy of a photocopy. While JPEG is well suited to compressing and rendering photography, it is a lossy compression type which means it’s less useful for ongoing editing of an image. Generally, a 60%-75% compression setting will shrink your file considerably while keeping your image looking decent on most screens. The JPEG format also allows you the flexibility to choose the how much you compress your image – from 0% (heavy compression) to 100% (no compression). This is partly why it is a standard format when it comes to most digital cameras on the market. Unlike GIF, JPEG is a 16-bit format, which means that it can blend red, blue and green light to display millions of color. lots of flat color like logos and flags)ĭepending on your preference, you may refer to this format as either ‘JPEG’ or ‘JPG’ – both are accepted variations of the same acronym – Joint Photographic Experts Group. Graphics with low pixel-to-pixel variation (i.e.For many years, GIF provided the web’s only transparency option – though PNG and SVG now offer this too. While GIF is generally a poor choice for images with wide color variation, that 256 color limit can help keep file sizes small which is ideal for even the slowest of internet speeds. This color range is lost during the GIF conversion process and this is the key reason not to use GIF for color photos. While 256 might sound like a lot of crayons to work with, complex photographs typically have many thousands of tones. Essentially each GIF image contains a preset ‘box of crayons’ and there is no way to truly mix those colors to make new colors. The GIF format is a type of bitmap, but unlike JPEG or PNG, GIF files are limited to a maximum palette of 256 colors. Unless you just stepped out of a faintly smoking DeLorean straight from 1985, you’re very likely already familiar with the web’s goofiest image format – the GIF (Graphics Interchange Format).

Animated gif icons printer