Graphics Formats - PNG

There is a new format which is threatening the supremacy of GIF and JPEG. That format is called PNG (Portable Network Graphics).  

PNG, like GIF, supports lossless compression. This means that unlike JPEG, bits of the image are not lost or thrown away when the image is decompressed. This compression scheme is public domain and improved over the algorithm used by GIF.

Images in the PNG format may be made partially transparent. This is necessary for displaying good looking graphics on a web page.

Finally, PNG supports color depth of 24 bits or greater. This makes it a much better format than GIF for images which must have lots of colors.

An important thing to remember about the PNG format is that the color pallet is contained within the image. Thus, it's important that the pallet be made as small as possible, containing only the colors that are necessary to display the image. Most graphics programs should handle this detail for you when the file is saved.

Note that JPG is still superior for large images because it's compression scheme is better suited for that purpose.

In addition, the PNG design does not include support for animation. Thus, GIFs must still be used for that purpose.

Most of the modern graphics editors support output in the PNG format. These editors include Paint Shop Pro, which is my personal favorite.

Personally, I think it's a little early to go and replace all of your graphics with PNG graphics. Support within the different browsers is still very new, and you would be depriving many of your visitors of your graphics by including PNG images. However, in a few years I expect to see this format more and more.

Additional Information

• Graphics Formats - Animated GIFs Use animated GIFs to create moving images on your web site. Just remember not to overdo it.
• Graphics Formats - GIF The GIF format is an excellent format for many types of graphics.
• Graphics Optimization Here are some utilities which allow you to optimize your graphics formats