How to Choose the Best Image File Format for Your Website

Choosing the best image file format for your website is a large deal .Many website owners don’t know what image file format to choose or how to use it.

We perceive pictures faster than words, so images are scanned first.

Websites need good images if they want to inform .

It’s not the best format available or optimized for the web.

Each file is intended for a specific use , performance and scalability.

What are the different image file formats?

The raster files and vector files are divided into two main categories.

Vector graphics use lines, points and polygons.

Vectors can be infinitely scaled without losing quality.Vectors are not the best file format to save photos.

Most images online are in raster format.Unlike vectors, these file types are resolution-dependent and based on their size.

Image Resolution and Dimensions

Image resolution is described in PPI (pixels per inch ) for display resolution .

Higher resolutions result in more pixel information and creating a high-quality, crisp image.

The resolution and pixel dimensions affect the memory size: how much space an image file takes up on .

Optimize your images with consistent pixel dimensions .Send your images at a similar size to the one you’d like to display.

Lossy and Lossless

All raster files are lossy or lossless .

Lossy image formats are compressed to smaller sizes.This can result in a lowered image quality , but is ideal to use online , where file size and download speed are essential .

Nothing is lost and therefore the resolution is not decreased .

When to use each type of file.

Choosing the best image file format depends on the type of picture .Photos should use a JPG file format whereas logos and simple illustrations should use PNG or SVG files.

Keep in mind, JPG and PNGs can also have the lesser-known format, WebP.

Common image formats used on the web: JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG and GIF

Not all image formats have wide browser support, like TIFF or BMP files.

JPEG – Joint Experts Group photographic .

A JPG file is a raster-based image intended for web and print use.JPG format is the standard file format of digital cameras and is the most common image format used on the web.

Pros:

Universal browser support .

Small file attachment size, fast loading

Supports with millions of colors displays.

sharp , good quality photo images Sharp ).

Cons:

Does not support transparent backgrounds in any way.

Lossy image compression leads to low quality readability.

PNG – Portable Network Graphic

A standard file for web usage is a png file.

However, a PNG file supports transparent backgrounds and retain overall higher quality images than JPGs for graphics (not photographs ) .

It’s much better to use PNGs for graphics with fewer colors and rapid transitions between colors .

Use PNGs on your website and social media because they create sharper images on digital and mobile displays.

PNG-24 exports a crisper image than PNG-8 because it saves an image with more colors.

Pros:

Universal browser support

Supports transparency

Best used for graphical elements

Lossless compression

Small file size with limited colors

Cons:

Large file size with millions of colors

Not ideal for printing–optimized for the screen

WebP

WebP provides better lossless and lossy compression for web images.

According to piio, WebP reduces file size by almost 35% compared to JPEG and 50 % to PPG.

Pros:

Smaller file size for the same image quality

Uses both lossy and lossless compression

Supports transparency

Cons:

Not supported by all browsers, specifically Safari .

SVG – Scalable Vector Graphic

SVG is an extensible markup language (XML) vector-based image for describing two-dimensional graphics.

An SVG file is the ideal format for logos, icons and simple illustrations.

Pros:

Universal browser support

Small file size

Loss-free scaling for basic shapes and text

Supported by illustration software

Cons:

Not an ideal format for images or complex drawings

Not supported by some default image editors

GIF – Graphics Interchange Format

GIF is the only animated image format supported in all major browsers.GIFs support transparency and animation.

GIF is lossless raster format that’s best used for animated graphics.GIF only supports 256 colors .

Pros:

Animation support

Universal browser support

Small file size

Cons:

Loss of quality of photographs

Limited colors due to 8-bit (PNG and JPG supports 24-bit)