Summary:
- WebP is currently has the best combination of being modern and accepted format for web newer web browsers.
- JPEG is the most widely compatible format, but is also the oldest and lacks benefits of the other newer formats.
- PNG is also an older format but has lossless and transparency capabilities.
- HEIC is the advanced format Apple uses on iPhones and in Apple Photos and isn’t always compatible with other software.
- JPEG XL is relatively new in terms of adoption, but offers the best quality to size ratio.
- TIFF is lossless and used often for archiving or as an intermediary format for work/collaboration before final export to an end format like one of the above. TIFF, while always lossless, can be uncompress, compressed with ZIP or compressed with LZW by clicking on the TIFF selection in the preset bar.
Technical comparisons:
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Color Depth | File Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Lossy | No | 8-bit | Small |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | Up to 48-bit | Large |
| WebP | Lossy & Lossless | Yes | 8–24-bit | Very Small |
| HEIC | Lossy | Yes | Up to 10-bit | Very Small |
| JPEG XL | Lossy & Lossless | Yes | Up to 32-bit | Smaller than JPEG |
| TIFF | Lossless or None | Yes | Up to 64-bit | Huge |
Use case and support:
| Format | Best Use Cases | Browser Support |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Photos, email, social media | Universal |
| PNG | Logos, UI, screenshots, transparency | Universal |
| WebP | Web images, mobile apps | Modern browsers |
| HEIC | iPhone photos, Live Photos | Safari, iOS, Android |
| JPEG XL | Next-gen web, archival, HDR | Limited (growing) |
| TIFF | Archival, print, publishing | Not for web |
Format Highlights:
- JPEG: Oldest and most compatible; lossy compression with visible artifacts at low quality.
- PNG: Perfect for pixel-precise graphics and transparency; not ideal for photos due to large size.
- WebP: Google’s format for web optimization; balances quality and size, supports animation and transparency.
- HEIC: Apple’s default since iOS 11; efficient for mobile photos, supports depth and Live Photos.
- JPEG XL: Designed to replace JPEG; better compression, HDR support, and backward compatibility.
- TIFF: Professional-grade format for high-fidelity output; massive files, not suitable for web.
Performance Notes:
- WebP vs JPEG: WebP is ~30% smaller at similar quality.
- HEIC vs JPEG: HEIC is ~50% smaller with better color depth.
- JPEG XL: Outperforms JPEG and WebP in both quality and compression, but lacks full browser support.
- PNG: Ideal for transparency and sharp edges, but slow to load on web.
- TIFF: Best for print and archival, not optimized for speed or web delivery.