What’s the difference between GIF, PNG, JPG, and TIFF?

GIFUse for...Simple web graphics with limited colors and share-edged lines.

● Banners● Charts● Buttons● Animation

Why?GIF files are the smallest size of the four because they are reduced to 256 colors, making for fast-loading visuals.

GIFDon’t use for...● Photographs● Detailed imagery

Why?GIFs don’t support a wide range of colors which leads to loss of detail in files.

GIF vs JPGLimited colors can lead to grainy photographs The sunset is a good illustration of why JPGs are the prefered file format for photographs.

GIF JPG

JPGUse for...● Photographs online

Why?JPGs support a full spectrum of colors while maintaining a relatively low file size. This makes them the prefered way to display photos online while keeping lower page load times.

JPGDon’t use for...● Editing photographs● Print

Why?JPGs lose quality in compression. This is even more evident when edited, resized, and saved.

JPG vs Transparent PNGJPGs don’t support transparencyWhen placing a graphic over an image, use a transparent background.

JPG PNG

PNGUse for...● Transparency● A small image that maintains its original quality

Why?PNGs maintain their original quality when compressed. When you need to make a PNG smaller, it will look as sharp as the original file.

PNGDon’t use for...● Sharing high resolution photographs on the web

Why?PNGs are larger file sizes than JPGs and GIFs. The larger the file size, the longer it is to load on the web.

TIFFUse for...● Editing photos● Print● Storage

Why?TIFFs don’t compress to make smaller files, because they are meant to preserve quality. This makes them the best option for images you intend to edit or print.

TIFFDon’t use for...● Web

Why?TIFFs are large files. They offer options for tags, layers, and transparency. This prevents them for being a file format for web use.

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