JPG vs. PNG

Photos are commonly saved as JPG or JPEG. It is good to save your photograph as JPG for altered colors, gradients, and textures. JPG loses a bit of clarity each time it is copied, due to compression, but is usually not noticeable.

Graphics and screenshots should be saved as PNG if the image contains pointed lines, clearly unconnected areas of flat colors and text. File compression for a PNG is lossless. Lossless compression retains all of the data contained in the file, within the file, during the process. This is important when you have images that are still in the editing process. PNGs are often used if size is not a concern and the picture is complicated because a PNG file holds more information than a JPG. Bottom line, JPG for Photos, PNG for Graphics.


Incidentally, JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which created the standard. PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics.

JPG vs. PNG

It is best to save photographs as JPG or JPEG - for altered colors, gradients and textures. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group that created the standard. JPG loses a bit of clarity each time it is copied, due to compression.

Graphics and screenshots are best saved as PNG. PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics, which is a bitmap image format that uses lossless data compression. If it has pointed lines, clearly unconnected areas of flat colors and text, PNG is best. File compression for a PNG is lossless, which keeps all of the data contained in the file, within the file, during the process. Lossless compression is necessary when you have images that are still in the editing process. PNGs are often used if size is not a concern and the picture is complicated because a PNG file holds additional information than a JPG.
Basic Rule: JPG for Photos, PNG for Graphics.

JPG vs. HEIF

Have you noticed some pictures on i devices and in Windows 10 now have an extension of HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format), instead of JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)?

It is a new designation for pictures and supports bonus features, such as it can accommodate live photos, bursts of photos, 3D scene data useful for special effects, audio, and more. As a container, HEIF can actually accommodate multiple compression technologies. When used with HEVC video compression, the resulting files are called HEIC images.

It compresses the file size to roughly half the size of JPG files to save space. The quality is reported to be identical.

Apple is using is also using it as a new standard, so you will be seeing more of these picture file types. Incidentally, it is usually pronounced heef.