Image Format Guide: PNG vs JPG vs WebP — When to Use Each

The Big Three: PNG, JPG, and WebP

Choosing the right image format can dramatically affect your file size, quality, and loading speed. Here's a quick comparison:

| Feature | PNG | JPG | WebP | |---------|-----|-----|------| | Compression | Lossless | Lossy | Both | | Transparency | Yes | No | Yes | | Animation | No (use APNG) | No | Yes | | Best for | Screenshots, logos | Photos | Web performance | | File size | Large | Medium | Small |

When to Use PNG

PNG is your go-to format when you need:

• Transparency — logos, icons, overlays
• Lossless quality — screenshots, diagrams, text-heavy images
• Sharp edges — pixel art, UI elements

When to Use JPG

JPG (JPEG) excels at:

• Photographs — natural scenes, portraits, product photos
• Social media — most platforms prefer JPG
• Email attachments — smaller files mean faster sending

The key trade-off: JPG uses lossy compression, meaning some quality is lost each time you save. For most photos, quality settings of 80–90% produce visually identical results at much smaller file sizes.

When to Use WebP

WebP is the modern choice for web:

• 30% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality
• Supports transparency like PNG
• Supports animation like GIF (but much smaller)
• Widely supported — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge all support it

Quick Conversion Guide

Need to convert between formats? Here are the tools:

What About HEIC?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's format, used by iPhones. It offers excellent compression but has limited support outside the Apple ecosystem.

If you receive HEIC files and need to share them widely, convert to JPG or PNG first:

Pro Tips

1. For web: Use WebP with JPG fallback
2. For print: Use PNG or high-quality JPG (300 DPI)
3. For logos: Always use PNG (or SVG if possible)
4. For social media: JPG at 80–90% quality
5. Batch convert: Use Free2Box's image converter to process multiple files at once