Most internet users won’t realize it, but behind every image they view online there is a war waging between different file formats.
In one corner there is the all-conquering JPG, a format that is arguably the best known of the bunch, and in the other is the PNG, a marginally more obscure type of image file which is nevertheless popular thanks to its key features.
So which of these titans deserves to come out on top, and which should you be using for your website and digital content?
PNG perks
The biggest upside of PNG, otherwise known as Portable Network Graphics, is that it offers lossless compression. In practice this means that when you save an image as a PNG, all of its elements will be preserved in their entirety, irrespective of the compression which is applied.
Another positive asset of PNG files is that they can include transparent elements, which is why they are often used for company logos and other images that need this layering effect.
The quality and flexibility offered by PNGs makes them appealing not only for web design purposes, but also for things like document creation, hence why they are often found in PDF documents. And since you can use a service like PDF Simpli to convert this file format to Word, PNGs also pop up in other places.
JPG advantages
The ubiquity of JPG files on the web is down to two main factors; the ‘lossy’ compression used means that file sizes are notably smaller, which is good for improving site performance, and while the quality does degrade with each save, this format does a better job of dealing with things like color grading than PNG.
These selling points go hand in hand to make JPG the standard for digital photos found on most websites and social media platforms.
Conversely, the limitations of this format mean that it is less suited to sharing images which are predominantly made up of text and iconography. So for graphic design purposes, such as creating a logo or distributing an infographic, a PNG is usually the primary choice.
Deciding between the two
By now you may have realized that you do not need to necessarily go all-in with one image format or the other, and in fact a more balanced approach is sensible.
If you are uploading a lot of photos to your website and you want it to be snappy, responsive and not overburdened by larger files, then JPG images will come to your aid. If you also want to include things like logos, diagrams and graphical elements, then PNGs will be your first port of call.
It is also worth remembering that there are other file types to put in the mix, such as SVGs which use vectors to improve the scalability of graphical elements.
Ultimately through careful consideration and experimentation, you should be able to find the right combination of file formats for your website.