Image Formats (Guide)

Compare raster and vector image formats by compression, transparency, animation, compatibility and typical use. The best format depends on whether you need photographic quality, lossless graphics, transparency, very small web files or editable vectors.

Quick Choice

Choose a format quickly

Photos & broad compatibility JPG

Screenshots, UI & lossless graphics PNG

Modern web images WebP / AVIF

Transparency PNG / WebP / AVIF

Simple animation GIF / WebP

Logos & scalable graphics SVG

Scanning / print archive TIFF

Conversion is not always neutral Converting a lossy image such as JPG to another lossy format can introduce another generation of compression. Converting to PNG does not restore detail already lost in the source. Keep the original file whenever long-term quality matters.

Format Guide

Compare the main formats

JPG / JPEG

.jpg • .jpeg

Universal

Lossy raster format optimized for photographs and continuous-tone images. It offers excellent compatibility and usually small files, but it does not preserve transparency.

Compression: Lossy
Transparency: No
Animation: No
Best strength: Photos + compatibility

Best for Photos, email, social sharing and broadly compatible web images

Repeated JPG re-encoding can progressively reduce quality.

Convert to / from JPG

PNG

.png

Lossless

Lossless raster format that preserves sharp edges and alpha transparency. It is excellent for interface graphics and screenshots, but photographic files can be much larger than JPG, WebP or AVIF.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: Yes
Animation: APNG variant
Best strength: Exact pixels + alpha

Best for Screenshots, logos, diagrams, UI assets and transparent graphics

Convert to / from PNG

WebP

.webp

Modern web

Modern raster format supporting lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation. It is a strong general-purpose choice for websites.

Compression: Lossy / Lossless
Transparency: Yes
Animation: Yes
Best strength: Balanced web efficiency

Best for Websites, product images, thumbnails and mixed photo/graphic workloads

Convert to / from WebP

AVIF

.avif

High efficiency

AV1-based image format designed for very efficient compression with support for transparency and advanced color. Encoding can be slower and browser-side encoding support is not identical everywhere.

Compression: Lossy / Lossless
Transparency: Yes
File size: Often very small
Trade-off: Slower encoding

Best for High-quality web delivery when file size matters strongly

Convert AVIF when supported

GIF

.gif

Animation

Legacy indexed-color format with broad compatibility and simple frame animation. Its 256-color palette makes it inefficient for photographs and rich gradients.

Compression: Lossless indexed
Colors: Up to 256 / frame
Transparency: 1-bit
Animation: Yes

Best for Simple looping animations and compatibility-focused animated graphics

FileMorning does not yet expose GIF conversion in Convert Image; a dedicated Image to GIF tool is planned.

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SVG

.svg

Vector

XML-based vector format built from paths, shapes and text instead of a fixed pixel grid. It can scale without becoming pixelated when the content is genuinely vector.

Type: Vector
Transparency: Yes
Scalable: Resolution-independent
Best strength: Logos + diagrams

Best for Logos, icons, diagrams, illustrations and interface assets

Photographs are normally better stored as raster images rather than embedded inside SVG.

Convert SVG to raster

HEIC / HEIF

.heic • .heif

Mobile photo

Efficient container family widely used for smartphone photography, especially in Apple ecosystems. It can store high-quality imagery and metadata efficiently, but decoding support is less universal than JPG.

Compression: High efficiency
Quality: High
File size: Small
Compatibility: Less universal

Best for Phone photo storage and modern capture workflows

HEIC/HEIF is not yet accepted by the current browser-side Convert Image engine.

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TIFF

.tif • .tiff

Professional

Flexible raster container widely used in scanning, publishing, prepress and archival workflows. TIFF can preserve very high quality but often produces large files and is not a normal web delivery format.

Compression: Lossless / optional
Quality: Excellent
File size: Large
Web use: Poor

Best for Scanning, print production, masters and professional archives

TIFF is not yet accepted by the current browser-side Convert Image engine.

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BMP

.bmp

Legacy bitmap

Simple bitmap format associated with Windows. It is easy to decode but usually much larger than compressed modern formats.

Compression: None / limited
Transparency: Limited
File size: Very large
Modern use: Limited

Best for Legacy applications and simple interchange where BMP is explicitly required

Convert BMP

ICO

.ico

Icon container

Specialized container that can hold multiple raster icon sizes and bit depths in one file. It is primarily used by desktop applications and website favicons.

Type: Icon container
Transparency: Yes
Multiple sizes: Yes
Typical use: Favicons / app icons

Best for Windows application icons and compatibility-focused favicons

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