PNG vs. JPG -Advantages and Disadvantages You Must Know

When you are looking online for an image to illustrate a school project, a newsletter, or a blog post, you will notice that these pictures are often in the format of a PNG or a JPG. If you have two identical images and there’s one of each type, which format should you choose? The first thing to point out is that there are major differences between a PNG and a JPG. Even though they are both examples of image formatting, each one has advantages and disadvantages depending on how you are going to use the file. For example, when you need an image for a website, a PNG can supply a good range of color, but if you are printing a photo, a JPG file is a more appropriate format and will give you a better result. In this blog post, we’ll explore the differences and similarities between the two formats, so you can make the best choice for your needs.

The History of PNG Files

Before PNG files were invented, the most popular graphic format was GIF (Graphics Interchange Format). GIFs are still used today because they are not just still images — they can also be used to create moving animations. You can embed multiple pictures within a GIF and they can be played in a sequence so it looks like a movie clip. People use them in apps like Twitter and Messenger to communicate humour, emotions, and ideas. The disadvantage with GIFs is their limited color palette of 256 colors, which is not as vibrant as other image files and it looks amateurish on high-resolution computer screens. And because of their small file size, GIF images can look pixelated. To overcome these limitations, in 1994 an Internet working group (headed by Thomas Boutell) began creating the PNG format. Their intention was to provide an image format with a better color rendition.

The PNG working group wanted an improved color range, but it wasn’t attempting to manufacture professional-quality print graphics, so they only focused on the RGB color space. It was not necessary to support CMYK and by removing this option it helped keep the PNG files at a reasonable size. Another important goal was to produce a format that didn’t require a patent license. One of the people within the working group (Oliver Fromme, author of the JPEG viewer QPEG) suggested calling their new file format ‘PING’ and this was accepted for a while, but it was eventually shortened to PNG. Their new graphics format provided 24-bit color support addressed ongoing technical problems in gamma and color correction, and soon became established as the next step beyond the GIF format.

Advantages of PNG Files

The main advantage of the PNG is its ability to handle and display a huge array of colors. It is capable of storing 16.8 million colors, which gives it highly detailed images;

PNG files incorporate scalable transparency (opacity) ranging from opaque to completely transparent. Being able to handle a transparent background makes this an extremely versatile format because any background can be overlaid with the content of another image. Designers prefer the PNG format because they can creatively layer corporate and sporting logos onto different backgrounds quickly and easily;

This file type supports image interlacing, which is a quick download of the whole image (but at low quality) followed by successive passes which gather more details until the complete image is viewable at its highest resolution. It speeds up the loading of the image onto a computer screen, giving the user a rapid preview of the full image;

A PNG incorporates gamma correction which allows tuning of the image’s color brightness;

PNG files won’t lose any of their data when they are compressed so they don’t lose quality each time they are opened and saved again. This is a big advantage over JPG files, where some information is removed in the compression process;

With their lossless compression, the PNG format is better for detailed graphics and charts on websites because none of the vital information becomes lost. A PNG uses special compression algorithms that reproduce exactly the same image as the original when it is decompressed;

PNG images containing text, line art, or graphics with large areas of solid color are better suited to online use than a JPG file;

Disadvantages of PNG Files

Because the PNG was designed for the display of images on the web and on computer screens, it only uses the RGB color model. The higher standards of the CMYK color model, which is most often used for high quality printing, is not an option when saving images in PNG format, so using these images in glossy magazines or brochures will give inferior results to CMYK options;

Being a lossless compression file, PNGs retain all their original data, which makes it a bigger file size than a JPEG, so it’ll take up more room on your computer’s hard-drive;

Because PNGs are full of detailed image data, their large file size can slow down the loading of a web page.

The History of JPG Files

JPEG is an acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which is the team that developed the format in 1992. Its development is directly responsible for the spread of digital images across the Internet and social media. JPG is now the most widely used lossy compression digital image format in the world. Sometimes the full name JPEG is used as a file extension but there is no difference between the two formats. The only reason the two versions are being used is that some of Window’s early operating systems needed a three-letter extension (JPG) instead of the four-letter extension: JPEG. This situation has been overcome, but out of habit people still tend to save images as JPG.

Advantages of JPG Files

Through its compression ratio, a high-quality JPG can produce a smaller file size than a PNG and it has negligible loss of quality. It achieves this by determining which pixels in the image are similar to the ones around it, and it uses algorithms to merge the pixels that have the same value, which compresses the image but with a minimal visible difference from the original. It’s a system that works well in most situations, but the drawback is that it removes data that can’t be put back;

A JPGs compression level can be adjusted, allowing a balance between storage size and image quality. A JPG image normally has 10:1 compression with only a small loss of image quality. In other words, if you start with a 10MB image and export it as a JPG, you will end up with a 1MB image. And if you are only editing and saving an image a few times, the data loss won’t be enough for viewers to notice;

Its compression algorithm works well on photographs and detailed paintings containing smooth variations of light and color. On a web page, images remain natural and lifelike, and the reduced file size helps the website stay responsive;

JPG images can use both RGB and CMYK color spaces in 8-bit;

The JPG format is widely supported online, with its small file size making it extremely compact and efficient.

Disadvantages of JPG Files

The lossy compression of a JPG produces generation loss, where repeatedly editing and resaving an image causes a loss of information. For this reason, we don’t suggest using JPG as an archival image format because you will eventually have reduced quality;

JPG images do not support transparency. If you create a layer over a transparent background in Adobe Photoshop and save the image as a JPG, the background will become white, which negates the original intention of a transparent layer;

JPGs are also not well suited for line drawings, textual, and iconic graphics. In an image where there is a sharp contrast between adjacent pixels, compression artifacts can appear;

With their lossy compression format, a JPG has a reduction of image fidelity, so it is not appropriate for use in scientific, technical, and medical imaging applications where absolute precision is required.

Which is better, PNG or JPG?

To compare PNG Vs JPEG you need to take into account how you are going to use a particular image file. If, for example, you sell items through a website, it’s best to upload the photographs of your products as JPGs because they have the smallest file size, which means your web page will load more quickly for your customers. But for the image of your logo or other high-contrast web graphics, a PNG will allow you to have transparency around the logo instead of a white box, so you can place the logo (by itself) on top of color backgrounds or over the top of an existing image on the page. Images in PNG format will have good color and detail as a result of their huge color palette and lossless compression, making PNG the best choice for logos, illustrations, and charts.

Most people use the JPG format when they want to place a photo on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, but they choose PNGs for files with full or partially transparent backgrounds, and when detail and vibrant colors are important. Both JPGs and PNGs are great formats for photos and illustrations, it’s just a matter of which one is better suited for your needs at any particular point in time.

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