PNG vs JPG: which one is better for your site development

Anytime you need to develop a website, you need to consider what kind of pictures you would be using on your site. If you choose the wrong image type, you can end up having a website that loads slowly. Likewise, you can eventually own a website that consumes visitors' data. When this happens, many people will resolve to get a better alternative to your site. Ultimately, it can lead you to own a website with a high bounce rate and even lower conversion rate.

If you’re actually experiencing this nature of situation now, then learning about the distinction between PNG and JPG files will be of great necessity to you. It helps you understand which image format is appropriate for your website.

So, let’s kick start this tutorial by first explaining what each term means.

So, what’s the meaning of PNG?

PNG is a word that represents Portable Network Graphics. This image format is an uncompressed raster image type.PNG has no copyright issues. It was more designed for transferring images on the web.

And what’s JPG?

The JPG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. Unlike the PNG file format, the JPG image can be compressed. It’s worthy to note that it doesn’t contain color palettes as far as color is concerned.

Explicit details about PNG and JPG are well documented here.

As you might have wondered, the clear differences between PNG and JPG files are sizes and quality. When we talk about sizes, we’re much referring to what each image worth in Kilobyte or megabyte. In the actual sense, JPG files are usually heavier than PNG files. A JPG file of 20MB can actually be 2MB in PNG format. Looking at such a gap, you will realize that PNG files are lighter than JPG files. Meanwhile, the quality of each image format can be expressed in terms of resolution. JPG files have a higher level of resolution than PNG files. This is actually one great reason why JPG files eat up much space on your storage device.

It’s not enough to compare both image formats without considering their PROS and CONS. Doing so affords us the opportunity to understand the various conditions at which we can use each image file format on our website.

So, for more clarity, let’s start by treating the PROS and CONS of each image file format.

What are the Pros and cons of PNG and JPG file format?

The biggest merits of adopting the JPG file format for your website development lie in its ability to capture complex images. Don’t forget. JPG files have a great resolution. It implies that you can always see every detail in an image. So, if there is a section on your site that requires a detailed image, think of using JPG files.

Remember: the compression of JPG files makes an image lose its quality.

If your JPG file is heavy, compressing it would make the file lose some amount of quality.

A huge drawback of the JPG file is its failure to support transparency. If you’ve got plenty of images that require a transparent background, JPG is not an option for you.

You will need to edit the image using relevant software and transform it to PNG to enjoy the transfer option.

Another huge disadvantage of JPG files lies in their various levels of compression. Anytime you compress the file, you’re likely going to lose a certain amount of details. In the end, you may end up getting a blurry result. And that won’t be good for your product or services display.

So, generally, JPG files are cool for a site that requires hero images. They are also amazing for web pages with lots of images ranging from image galleries and albums to e-commerce catalogs.

We’ve been discussing the Pros and Cons of JPG files for a while now.

Let’s examine the merits and demerits of PNG files also so balance the evaluation.

Please note that PNG file type is great for something – its compression is lossless. The reason for such a condition is simply because the file type holds more data than the JPG files. That distinct feature makes it easier to resize PNG files. It means that you can reduce the picture size to any amount of your choice. When you do so, there won’t be any need to worry about loss of quality. The details will be exactly as it is when enlarged.

It’s also important to mention that this file format support over 16 million colors. It also provides a transparency channel. It implies that anyone who needs an image without a background can resolve to use this image type. Most artworks are made in this file format. So, anytime you need a logo or icons for your website, you can always think about using PNG files.

That’s brilliant right?

Honestly, it’s a great one.

But we can’t end this evaluation without talking about the downside of this file format. This file type also takes a huge amount of space on storage devices, if not compressed. When you export the bulk of elements on an AI as a PNG file, you’re likely going to end up getting a huge file size. So, anytime you’re working on a PNG file, always endeavor to compress it. Since compression doesn’t have a significant effect on your file, you’re sure of getting all details on the file.

Also, note that PNG files are not great for dimensional images. This means that you can’t get photographic elements on PNG files. They are more suited for artwork. You can take a look at some examples of PNG files on this link.

VERDICTS: Both JPG and PNG files are useful for web development. However, they work best in different areas of your website. You can always consider JPG images for showcasing an event regarding your product or services. Also, you can incorporate a JPG file into the header section of your site. However, if you need icons, avatar, and logo for your site, think of using PNG files.