When it comes to image use on your website, within your blog or in your social media posts, the JPG, PNG, and GIF file formats are the most commonly used. However, it is important to remember that each of these come with very different capabilities and are not cross-compatible. Here, we will look at the pros and cons of each, and give you our recommendation on where and when to use each one successfully.
This file format is widely used by professional photographers and is ideally meant for use with photographs. It can be compressed as small as you like, however, keep in mind that some of the data in the file may be lost due to heavy compression. This file type also does not use color palettes when referencing color, rather, it uses 24-bit color definitions.
The Portable Network Graphic (PNG) file format is ideal for digital art (flat images, logos, icons, etc.), and uses 24-bit color as a foundation. The ability to use a transparency channel increases the versatility of this file type.
This image file type is ideal for flat images with well-defined image sections (such as logos). Also, this file type is normally used to create an animation from image files. With the incorporation of lossless quality within compression, these files can be transferred and stored with no quality loss, and have a smaller impact on your image library storage.
When you are considering the use of images for your website or other digital presence, make sure you consider the value and benefits of each file type, based on the image at hand. Here at Unleaded Group, we are in tune with file types and the optimum use of images for your website, along with the file storage of images in your CMS. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment with one of our digital presence consultants, visit us today online, or call us at 720-221-7126.