Image Formats Explained: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG and More

JPG (or JPEG)

JPG is from 1992 and it's still everywhere. It uses lossy compression designed for photographs — it reduces file size by discarding colour detail that's hard to see in natural images.

The key facts: JPG compresses photos well, doesn't support transparency, loses quality slightly each time you re-save it, and is supported everywhere. It's the sensible default for photos going on the web, in emails, or anywhere that needs broad compatibility.

Where JPG fails: text in images, logos, screenshots, anything with sharp edges between flat colours. The compression artefacts around sharp edges are ugly.

PNG

PNG is lossless, which means no quality is sacrificed when saving. What you put in is exactly what you get out. This makes it ideal for screenshots, UI elements, logos, and anything where sharpness and accuracy matter more than file size.

PNG supports full alpha transparency — including semi-transparent pixels. This is why logos and icons are usually PNG: they can sit over any background without white boxes around them.

The downside is file size. Photos saved as PNG are significantly larger than the same photo saved as JPG or WebP. PNG is not the right choice for photography on websites unless there's a specific reason to need lossless quality.

WebP

WebP is Google's format from 2010. All modern browsers support it. It does what JPG does, but 25-35% smaller. It does what PNG does (transparency, lossless mode), but smaller. It even does animation, like GIF, but much smaller.

For most web use cases, WebP is the best format. The only real reason not to use it is if you need compatibility with software that doesn't support it — some older tools, print workflows, and legacy systems.

If you're building a website in 2025, default to WebP.

GIF

GIF is from 1987. It supports animation, which is why it's still around. But it's technically limited: only 256 colours, no partial transparency (just fully transparent or fully opaque pixels), and animation file sizes are enormous compared to video or animated WebP.

For simple animated icons and loading spinners, GIF is fine. For anything more complex, animated WebP or a short video file (MP4) will be smaller and look better.

The meme/reaction GIF world has its own logic. Use GIF for memes because the internet expects GIF for memes. For everything else, consider better alternatives.

SVG

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is not a raster format like JPG or PNG. Instead of storing pixel data, SVG stores geometric shapes — lines, curves, paths, fills. This means SVG files scale to any size without any quality loss. A logo in SVG looks identical at 16px and 1600px.

SVG is the right format for logos, icons, and simple illustrations. File sizes are tiny for simple graphics. The limitation: SVG doesn't work for photographs. You can't store a photo in SVG format (not meaningfully, anyway).

SVG is also text-based and editable — you can open an SVG in a text editor and see the shape descriptions. This makes them very useful for developers who need to modify graphics programmatically.

AVIF

AVIF is the newest major format. It compresses even better than WebP — often 50% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality. Browser support is catching up: Chrome, Firefox and Safari all support it now.

The downside is encoding speed. Creating AVIF files takes much longer than creating WebP or JPG, which makes it annoying for on-the-fly conversion. For pre-processed static assets on websites, AVIF is excellent.

This tool doesn't support AVIF yet. For most use cases in 2025, WebP is the practical choice.

TIFF

TIFF is a high-quality format designed for print and archiving. It supports lossless compression, multiple colour modes (RGB, CMYK), and very high bit depths. It's what professional photographers use to archive originals and what print shops expect for print-ready files.

TIFF files are large. A high-resolution TIFF can be hundreds of megabytes. They're not for web use — browsers don't reliably display TIFF files. They're for workflows where quality preservation matters more than file size.

HEIC

HEIC is Apple's default photo format since iOS 11. It's based on the HEIF container using H.265 compression. Apple uses it because the files are smaller than JPG at similar quality.

The problem: HEIC isn't universally supported. Windows doesn't open HEIC natively without a codec. Android doesn't support it. Many websites won't accept it. If you need to share iPhone photos more broadly, convert them to JPG or WebP first.

Convert between formats

JPG to WebP, PNG to JPG, WebP to PNG. All in your browser. Nothing uploaded.

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