Image Formats Explained: PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF & ICO
There are a lot of image formats, and the differences aren’t always obvious. This guide walks through the seven you’re most likely to meet, what each is good at, and when to convert from one to another.
PNG — the lossless workhorse
PNG keeps every pixel perfect and supports transparency, which makes it the go-to for logos, icons, and screenshots. The trade-off is size: photos saved as PNG get large. When that happens, convert them with PNG to JPG or PNG to WebP.
JPG — the photo standard
JPG uses lossy compression to make photographs small, which is why it dominates the web and your camera roll. It can’t store transparency, and it struggles with sharp text. Need a JPG with crisp edges or transparency? Move it to PNG with JPG to PNG.
WebP — the modern all-rounder
WebP is Google’s format that compresses smaller than both JPG and PNG while still supporting transparency. It’s the best default for website images today. Convert with JPG to WebP or back again with WebP to PNG when an older tool needs it.
GIF — animation, and not much else
GIF is limited to 256 colours per frame, so for still images it’s both larger and lower quality than PNG. Its one enduring use is simple animations. For a single still frame, convert it out with GIF to PNG.
BMP — uncompressed and bulky
BMP stores raw, uncompressed pixels. Files are huge, and the format only survives for compatibility with old Windows software. If you’ve got BMPs taking up space, shrink them with BMP to PNG or BMP to JPG.
AVIF — the new size champion
AVIF, based on the AV1 video codec, produces the smallest files of any common format at a given quality, with transparency and HDR support. Browser support is now broad. If a program can’t open an AVIF yet, convert it with AVIF to JPG or AVIF to PNG.
ICO — icons and favicons
ICO is the Windows icon container, used for app icons and website favicons. To make one from a logo, use PNG to ICO or JPG to ICO.
Quick reference
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | Logos, screenshots |
| JPG | Lossy | No | Photographs |
| WebP | Both | Yes | Website images |
| GIF | Lossless | Yes | Simple animation |
| BMP | None | No | Legacy Windows |
| AVIF | Lossy | Yes | Cutting-edge web |
| ICO | Lossless | Yes | Favicons, icons |
Choosing in one sentence
Use JPG or WebP for photos, PNG for graphics, WebP or AVIF when size matters most, and ICO for favicons — and when you’ve got the wrong one, every conversion above runs free and private right in your browser. Browse them all on the converters page.