Saving and Exporting Files > About export file formats > About Web formats

 

About Web formats

GIF, JPEG, and PNG graphic file formats are commonly used for the Web because they can be highly compressed for faster transfer across the Internet and because they are supported by most browsers. (Note that the GIF and JPEG formats are more widely supported than the PNG format.)

You choose a Web image file format based on the color and graphic qualities of the original image, as outlined in the table below. When preparing graphics for the Web, remember to preview the compressed images in a browser to ensure that images will appear as intended.

Feature

GIF

JPEG

PNG

Color depth

8-bit maximum

Up to 24-bit

Up to 32-bit

Compression

Lossless; compresses solid areas of color

Lossy; compresses subtle color transitions

Lossless

Transparency support

Yes

No

Yes

Advantages

Lossless compression

Transparency

Ability to control quality loss in compression

Excellent compression of photographic images

Lossless compression

Alpha transparency

High-color support

Disadvantages

Maximum of 256 colors

Does not compress gradient colors well

No transparency

Loss of quality when compressed

Not completely supported by common browsers without using plug-ins

Typical uses

Cartoon images

Logos

Animated banners

Scanned photographs

Images with complex textures

Images with complex radiant colors

Images with high numbers of colors

Complex, live transparency