What is JPEG?
JPEG is the same format as JPG — the two extensions are interchangeable. It is a lossy format that compresses photos by removing fine detail, with a 0–100 quality control.
Best for: Photos and camera images where a small file size is the priority. Trade-offs: No transparency and cumulative quality loss on repeated saves.
What is PNG (Portable Network Graphics)?
PNG is a lossless raster image format that supports up to 16.7 million colours plus a full 8-bit alpha channel for transparency. It uses DEFLATE compression, so re-saving a PNG never degrades quality.
Best for: Logos, icons, screenshots, line art, and any image that needs sharp edges or a transparent background. Trade-offs: Files are much larger than JPG or WebP for photographs, and PNG cannot store animation.
| Property | JPEG | PNG |
|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Typical use | Photos and camera images where a small file size is the priority. | Logos |