Image Formats Explained: PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, and SVG

Choosing the right image format is one of the easiest ways to make a page faster and sharper. Pick wrong and you get a blurry logo or a photo that weighs five times what it should. Here's what each common format is good at, so you can match the format to the image.

The two families

First, a distinction that explains everything else. Raster formats (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP) store a grid of pixels, so they blur or pixelate when scaled up. Vector formats (SVG) store shapes as math, so they stay razor-sharp at any size. Photos are always raster; logos and icons are best as vector.

The formats

JPG / JPEG

Lossy compression built for photographs. Excellent size for photographic content, supported everywhere, but no transparency and visible artifacts if over-compressed. The default for photos when WebP isn't an option.

PNG

Lossless, with transparency. Perfect for logos, icons, screenshots, and anything with sharp edges, text, or flat color. Because it's lossless, photographs saved as PNG come out large.

GIF

An old format limited to 256 colors, now used almost exclusively for simple animations. For static images it's outclassed by PNG; for animation, modern formats (animated WebP or video) are smaller and higher quality.

WebP

A modern format that does it all: lossy or lossless, with transparency and animation. It typically produces files 25–35% smaller than JPG or PNG at the same visual quality, and every current browser supports it. For most web images today, WebP is the best default.

SVG

Vector graphics defined as XML. Ideal for logos, icons, and illustrations — infinitely scalable, tiny for simple shapes, and styleable with CSS. Not suitable for photographs.

Quick decision guide

• Photograph → WebP (or JPG for maximum compatibility)
• Logo or icon → SVG (or PNG if you need a raster copy)
• Screenshot or graphic with text → PNG (or WebP)
• Needs transparency → PNG, WebP, or SVG
• Simple animation → animated WebP

Once you've picked a format, our image compression guide covers getting the size down. Convert between formats with the SVG converter and image resizer, and shrink files with the image compressor — all in your browser.