FormatSproutJPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, or AVIF?
The best format depends on what the image contains and where it will be used. Here is the practical version.
JPG: best for compatible photographs
JPG makes photos compact and widely compatible. It does not support transparency.
PNG: best for graphics and transparency
PNG preserves sharp edges and transparent pixels without lossy compression. It is ideal for logos, screenshots, and editing.
WebP: a broadly supported web format
WebP offers strong compression for photos and graphics and can preserve transparency.
HEIC: efficient iPhone photography
HEIC stores high-quality photos efficiently but is not accepted by every app or upload form. FormatSprout accepts HEIC and HEIF as input formats.
AVIF: compact next-generation images
AVIF can produce very small photo and graphic files while preserving transparency. Encoding may take longer than JPG or WebP, especially on mobile devices.
A simple rule
- Use JPG for universally compatible photographs.
- Use PNG for lossless graphics and editing.
- Use WebP for a balance of web compression and compatibility.
- Use HEIC for efficient capture in compatible Apple workflows.
- Use AVIF when maximum web compression is worth slower encoding.