| Full Name | Portable Network Graphics |
| Extension | PNG |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/png |
| Format | Binary |
A PNG file is a two-dimensional image file format often used to store high-quality logos, icons, and other imagery. PNG files first emerged in the early 1990s as an alternative to the GIF format, which was in widespread use at the time. PNG files have garnered support over the years to at least equal or surpass that of the GIF format. You will find all modern image editing or viewing applications will support PNG files.
Part of the success of the PNG format is its use of special compression techniques that allow a high-resolution image to be compressed into a very small file size. The compression used in the PNG format is lossless compression, ensuring no image detail is lost when an image is saved to the PNG format.
Uses
The PNG format is ideally suited for storing images that require no loss of detail or have transparent areas, such as company logos and computer graphics icons. It is not suited for storing general photos as, due to the nature of the compression, it will result in very large file sizes. Other formats, such as JPEG, use a lossy compression method, and this format is better suited to full-color photographic images.
| Full Name | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| Extension | JPEG |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/jpeg |
| Format | Binary |
A JPEG file is a flat, two-dimensional image file format created for the purpose of storing photographic images in a highly efficient digital format. JPEG files are widely used and supported by all image editing applications and can be opened on most devices with no additional image viewing software.
For many years, image file formats consumed large amounts of storage space while not offering 16.7 million full-color capabilities. JPEG aimed to solve this by offering a full-color solution combined with lossy compression techniques to allow high-resolution photographs to be stored using very little storage space and bandwidth.
Uses
The JPEG format is ideally suited to storing full-color photographic images. Due to the lossy compression it employs, it is not suitable for storing high-fidelity items such as logos and any image that contains transparency.
