Often, on our website or in our companies we use different image formats. But, do you know exactly the difference between each of them, or the type of format you should use in each case? Although there are others PNG, JPG, TIFF and GIF are the most popular formats, and about which we want to talk today to make their characteristics clear, to which we will add a newcomer such as WEBP. We’ll tell you then.
Differences between PNG, JPG, TIFF, GIF and WEBP formats
You have heard many times about PNG, JPG, TIFF and GIF but you don’t know or for your social platforms. Yes, we are referring to the different image formats that you can find, and that you should be clear about in order to avoid using them erroneously. Let’s review them in detail
1.JPG
Perhaps the best known and most widespread image format among users is JPG. What is a JPG? an image format with loss of quality; namely, every time you manipulate or reduce its size, the image in question will lose quality.
It is a format designed for the compression of digital and photographic images, and it is capable of saving color information as well as grayscale information. It is the standard format used by digital cameras, although in cases where we are talking about professional photography it is advisable to use other formats.
It is also widely used in web pages and social networks, both for its compatibility with different platforms and programs, as for the fact that it is a type of image that it doesn’t weigh too much. Although for this you must first reduce its weight through (in this case the software itself has an option to save for websitehighly recommended in these cases).
When we talk about professional design work, such as creating a poster, a logo, etc., it is not advisable to use the JPG as an extension, precisely because of the loss of quality that we talked about before.
2.PNG
On the opposite side of the JPG is the PNG, which is a lossless compression format. Furthermore, it is a format that allows you to use transparencies, while the JPG will always be seen with a white background. On the other hand, its size is also larger, so if it is used in photographs, it must be taken into account that the final file will be considerably heavy.
When to use it? Like the JPG, the PNG is usually used for web and online platforms when you want to maintain a high quality of the final image, or in those cases where the image does not have a background. It is also used when it comes to vector drawings or logos, that will look better and with higher color quality in this format than in JPG. Nevertheless, not a useful extension for jobs intended for digital printingsince this format does not support colors in CMYK.
3.Gifs
So fashionable lately, the GIF is an image format that allows you to create without the need to install specific software (hence its recent fame, which has led to the appearance of specialized portals such as ).
Supports animations, transparencies and 256-color palettes (unlike PNGs, which support millions of colors).
In addition to animations, the GIF is often used for save simple logos or simple illustrations with flat colors and light weight. It is not very suitable in the case of photography: photographic images lose too much quality in these GIF formats.
4.TIFF
Finally, we review another image format that is also widely used, especially in cases of images with very high resolution and quality, and in a more professional way. TIFF allows you to handle images and data in a single file, without loss of color and with a lot of definition. Thus, its use is not suitable for web or digital platforms.
5. WEBP, the newcomer
Lastly, we mention WEBP, a new image compression format that has become one of its main recommendations when developing websites. Developed since 2010 by Google, it is an open source initiative, which has a great advantage: both in static images and animations it achieves weight reductions above 30%. Its big drawback: it is not very widespread and not all versions of all browsers support it: only Chrome and Opera manage it without problems.
In short: how to choose the best image format
If you are looking for an image format that is suitable for everything, both for the photographs of (say, for example) your online store, and for its logo, the most recommended format is PNG. The JPG for photography; its low quality will make your task much easier and will improve the final loading times of your website. And the GIF for animations, and files with little color and information. In the case of TIFFs, their use is more professional and not geared towards the digital world.
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