#Best image format for web site iso#

One additional feature of PNG is transparency for 24 bit RGB images. And since PNG was more modern, it offers other options too (RGB color modes, 16 bits, etc).

PNG was invented more recently than the others, designed to bypass possible LZW compression patent issues with GIF (which never actually became an issue). PNG offers an 8-bit mode to replace indexed 256 color GIF files, or a 24-bit mode for a possible 16.78 million colors for photos. PNG can replace GIF today (web browsers show both), and PNG also offers many options of TIF too (indexed or RGB, 1 to 48-bits, etc).Indexed Color is described at Color Palettes (second page of GIF link below). For graphics of only a few colors, GIF can be much smaller than JPG, with more clear pure colors than JPG). But GIF is still very good for web graphics (i.e., with a limited number of colors). PNG and TIF files can also optionally handle the same indexed color mode that GIF uses, but they are more versatile with other choices too (can be RGB or 16 bits, etc). GIF does offer transparency and animation. Repeating, don't use GIF with indexed color for color photos today, the color is too limited. GIF is rather limited colors for color photos, but is generally great for graphics. GIF can have a palette of 24-bit colors, but only a maximum of 256 of them (which colors depend on your image colors). GIF always uses lossless LZW compression, but it is always an indexed color file (1 to 8-bits per pixel). GIF discards all Exif data, which because GIF was designed for video screen purposes, GIF does Not retain printing resolution values. GIF was designed by CompuServe in the early days of computer 8-bit video, before 24 bits or JPG was used, for video display at dial up modem speeds.One case is that some camera Raw files are actually TIF format, but with unique proprietary data tags for their special purpose, which then is no longer compatible with TIF viewers. Designers can be assigned special data tags to declare other data and compression types. CCITT data for standard text document storage, which supports multiple pages in one file. There are many TIFF formats for all kinds of data and compressions. Most of the 'special' file types (for example, camera RAW files, fax files, or multipage documents) are based on TIF format, but with unique proprietary data tags - making these incompatible unless expected by their special software. For other purposes however, TIF does most of anything you might want, from 1-bit to 48-bit color, RGB, CMYK, LAB, or Indexed color. And TIF is the most versatile, except that web pages don't show TIF files. TIF simply has no JPG artifacts, no additional losses or JPG artifacts to degrade and detract from the original. The TIF format is not necessarily any 'higher quality' per se (the same RGB image pixels, they are what they are), and most formats other than JPG are lossless too. TIF is lossless (including LZW compression option), which is considered the highest quality format for commercial work.pixels become colors they ought not to be - lossy). But if you are concerned with maximum quality for archiving your important images, then you do need to know two things: 1) JPG should always choose higher Quality and a larger file, and 2) do NOT keep editing and saving your JPG images repeatedly, because more quality is lost every time you save it as JPG (in the form of added JPG artifacts. Perhaps good enough for some uses even if we do overdo it (web pages, etc). But a High Quality setting to create JPG is good enough in most cases, if we don't overdo the compression.

The meaning of Lossy is discussed Below.įrankly, JPG is used when small file size (for transfer or storage, web pages, email, memory cards, etc) is more important than maximum image quality. In general today, JPG is rather unique in this regard, of using lossy compression allowing very small files of lower quality, whereas almost all other file types use lossless compression (with larger files). Your digital camera offers that choice too, the menu usually called Image Quality (you do want to select best quality in the camera). Small file size and high image quality are opposites. However, this compression degree is optionally selectable (with an option setting named JPG Quality in your editor), to be lower quality smaller files, or to be higher quality larger files. A smaller file, yes, there is nothing like JPG for small, but this is at the cost of image quality. JPG uses lossy compression to accomplish this feat, which has a strong downside. Digital cameras and web pages use JPG files, because JPG heroically compresses the data to be very much smaller in the file.

#Best image format for web site iso#

JPG is the file extension for JPEG files (Joint Photographic Experts Group, a committee of ISO and ITU). JPG is the most used image file format.