Image Format Glossary

A next-generation image format based on the AV1 video codec, offering up to 50% better compression than JPEG.

An extra image channel that stores transparency information per pixel.

An uncompressed Windows bitmap format with native support across Windows applications.

The number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel.

A universally supported format for simple animation, limited to 256 colors per frame.

Apple's High Efficiency Image Container, used by iPhones to store photos in about half the space of JPEG.

The universal lossy photographic format, supported everywhere, with adjustable quality.

Compression that reduces file size while reconstructing the original image pixel-for-pixel.

Compression that discards some image detail to achieve much smaller files.

Portable Network Graphics — a lossless format with transparency support, ideal for logos, icons, and graphics.

An image made of a grid of pixels, as opposed to a vector image defined by mathematical paths.

A lossless format used as the print and archival standard, supporting high color depth.

A modern image format by Google offering both lossy and lossless compression, typically 25–35% smaller than JPEG.