Quick Reference
- Website photos: WebP (JPEG fallback)
- Logos & icons: SVG or WebP
- Screenshots with text: PNG
- Transparent backgrounds: WebP or PNG
- Print (300 DPI): TIFF or high-quality JPEG
- Email attachments: JPEG (smallest size)
JPEG
The workhorse since 1992. Lossy compression, perfect for photos. At quality 80–85%, most people can't tell it apart from the original.
PNG
Lossless. Larger files but perfect reproduction. Essential for transparency. Overkill for photos — use JPEG or WebP instead.
WebP
Google's modern format. Supports lossy, lossless, and transparency. 25–35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality. Universal browser support in 2026. Default for all new web projects.
GIF
Only 256 colours — terrible for quality. For animations, use short MP4/WebM instead.