Image Formats

JPG / JPEG

• JPEG is an initialism/acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group.
• Every time you save a JPG, it gets compressed.
  • ℹ️ Compression is a way of removing data so that the resulting file size is smaller.
  • ⚙️ In Photoshop, we can actually control the amount of compression that the export process uses.
• JPGs are great for most photos; however, they will always be rendered as a rectangle.
• They also do not support transparency or animation.

PNG

• Portable Network Graphics (PNGs) have less compression than JPGs.
  • 💾 This means that they can be higher quality, but also larger file sizes.
• PNGs can also have transparency. This comes in handy for things like icons, avatars, or something that you might want to render as an ellipse.

GIF

• The Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) is one of the most ubiquitous formats on the web.
• This file format supports multiple frames — that is to say, it supports animation.
  • 🔁 Animated GIFs can be played once, or on a loop.
• However, it only supports 8-bit images (i.e. a palette of 256 or fewer colours).
• It also allows for one transparent colour. This is great for things like logos, text, or simple cartoons.

Which to pick?

💡 Generally: we want the best looking image at the smallest size.