Formats
Image formats compared: JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF and HEIC, measured on the same files. Which is smallest, which opens everywhere, and when to convert one.
Formats, newest first
- FormatsWebP, Chrome, Windows 11What is a WebP file? Why your images save as WebPWhat is a WebP file? An image file format Google released in 2010 that stores photos and graphics in fewer bytes than JPG and PNG. Websites send WebP because it is light, so a picture you save can arrive as .webp even when its address ends in .jpg. Here is what the file holds, why it lands on your disk, and how to open or change it.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsHEIC, HEIF, iPhoneWhat is an HEIC file, and how to open one anywhereWhat is an HEIC file? It is a photo saved in HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format, with the picture compressed by HEVC, the H.265 video codec. iPhones have saved photos this way since iOS 11 in 2017. Apple devices and Safari open a HEIC directly; Windows, Android and other browsers need an extension, an app or a converted copy. Here is each route, and what a real iPhone HEIC holds inside, measured in four other formats.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsAVIF, AV1, Windows 11What is an AVIF file? Open it, convert it, or keep itWhat is an AVIF file? An image compressed with the AV1 video codec and stored in a HEIF container. Websites send AVIF because it is small, so a picture you save can arrive as .avif, and an older app may refuse it. Here is what the file holds, how to open it anywhere, and when to convert it.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsAVIF, WebP, JPGAVIF vs WebP vs JPG: which is better for a website, measuredFor a website, serve AVIF first with a WebP or JPG fallback. We ran our reference photo, a screenshot of our pricing page and a piece of flat art through one engine and kept the bytes. AVIF made the smallest file for the photo and the screenshot, 55% under the JPG on the photo. On the flat art, a lossless WebP was smaller still.Sahadat Husain
- FormatsPNG, JPG, ScreenshotsPNG vs JPG: which is better for photos, screenshots and logosPNG vs JPG comes down to one rule: PNG for anything drawn, JPG for anything photographed. The bytes from real files show why it holds, what each mistake costs, and where WebP and AVIF take over.Sahadat Husain
Formats