Format guides
Clear, practical guides to every major image format: how they compress, transparency and animation support, browser support and when to use each.
- JPGJoint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
What is JPG?
JPEG (JPG) is the most widely used image format for photographs. Its lossy compression makes photos small enough for the web, email and cameras while looking almost identical to the original.
Read guide - JFIFJPEG File Interchange Format
What is JFIF?
JFIF (JPEG File Interchange Format) is the standard way of packaging JPEG-compressed images in a file. A .jfif file is an ordinary JPEG image with a different file extension.
Read guide - PNGPortable Network Graphics
What is PNG?
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless image format with full transparency support. It is the standard choice for graphics, logos, screenshots and images containing text.
Read guide - WEBPWebP
What is WEBP?
WebP is a modern image format developed by Google. It supports lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation, and is typically 25–35% smaller than JPEG at similar quality.
Read guide - AVIFAV1 Image File Format
What is AVIF?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the most efficient widely supported image format. Based on the royalty-free AV1 video codec, it is often 30–50% smaller than JPEG at similar quality and supports transparency, HDR and animation.
Read guide - GIFGraphics Interchange Format
What is GIF?
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a 1987 image format best known for short, looping animations. Each frame is limited to a palette of 256 colours.
Read guide - BMPBitmap Image File
What is BMP?
BMP (bitmap) is a simple, usually uncompressed image format from Microsoft Windows. It is lossless but produces very large files.
Read guide - TIFFTagged Image File Format
What is TIFF?
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a flexible, high-quality format used in printing, scanning, photography and archiving.
Read guide - ICOWindows Icon
What is ICO?
ICO is the Windows icon format. A single .ico file holds the same icon at several sizes, which is why it is still used for website favicons.
Read guide - SVGScalable Vector Graphics
What is SVG?
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) describes images with shapes, paths and text in XML, so they stay perfectly sharp at any size.
Read guide - HEICHigh Efficiency Image Container (HEIF)
What is HEIC?
HEIC is the High Efficiency Image format used by iPhones and iPads since iOS 11. It stores photos in up to half the space of JPEG, but many devices and websites cannot open it.
Read guide
Image format comparison
The short version. Each guide goes deeper.
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Animation | Browser support | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Lossy | No | No | Universal | Photos, universal sharing |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | Yes | Universal | Graphics, screenshots, transparency |
| WEBP | Lossy & lossless | Yes | Yes | All modern browsers | Web images of all kinds |
| AVIF | Lossy & lossless | Yes | Yes | All modern browsers | Smallest modern web images |
| GIF | Lossless | 1-bit only | Yes | Universal | Simple short animations |
| JFIF | Lossy | No | No | Universal | Same as JPG (legacy extension) |
| HEIC | Lossy | Yes | Yes | Limited | iPhone photos |
| TIFF | Lossy & lossless | Yes | No | Limited | Print, scanning, archiving |
| BMP | Lossless | Yes | No | Universal | Legacy Windows software |
| ICO | Lossless | Yes | No | Universal | Favicons and Windows icons |
| SVG | Vector | Yes | Yes | Universal | Logos, icons, illustrations |