If you save a passel of images or computer graphic , you might be wondering which format you should use . One of the most rough-cut selection is PNG , which is why we ’ve break down everything you need to know about this Indian file eccentric .

Read on to learn more about PNGs , admit what they are , how many color they support and how they compare to another popular file format , JPEG .

What is a PNG file?

PNG is a file data formatting used to make unnecessary and share high - quality images . The acronym PNG digest for Portable internet Graphic .

PNGs support a monolithic 16 million colours and can maintain vaporous and semi - transparent backgrounds along with solid ones . They also benefit from lossless contraction , have in mind images do n’t lose any of import data when compressed .

PNG is an open format , which means you could economise and give a PNG file from pretty much any image redaction software without any licensing requirement .

The format arrive as a follow - up to GIFs , which had a number of limitations , including a importantly little colour pallette ( 256 to PNG ’s 16 million ) and patent licensing requirements for redaction programs .

However , unlike GIFs , PNGs do not support animation , so they are n’t much near for sharing those silent reaction video via schoolbook or on Twitter .

you’re able to learnhow to export a file as a PNG in Photoshopfrom our guide .

What is the difference between JPEG and PNG?

PNGs and JPEGs are two data file formats that leave you to save look-alike to your PC or peregrine gimmick and share them on most internet site and societal media platforms .

One of the benefits of saving an image as a PNG is that this data file eccentric is capable of retaining more information due to its lossless densification and wide coloration pallette . This makes them idealistic for share web art , photos and run down text that you need to remain tart .

JPEG files , on the other hand , apply lossy compression . This means that they inevitably lose some information when economize .

PNGs also bear out transparency , so graphics can be preserve with no ground or transparent aspects to them . save up your epitome as a JPEG and it will be filled with a solid background , meaning you ’ll need to practice an editing tool to hack out the background knowledge later on if needed .

However , all of the above mean that PNGs are larger file than JPEGs . This makes JPEGs a better alternative if you ’re short on space or want to save a declamatory number of photos to your equipment . It also means that JPEGs have immobile load fourth dimension on websites .

Furthermore , PNGs do n’t support CMYK colour mode , which can pose a challenge during impression .