File extensions

A next-generation image format built on the AV1 codec. Smaller files than WebP with support for transparency, HDR, and animation.

The uncompressed bitmap format that originated on Windows. Simple to parse and fast to render, but produces huge files.

A vector image in PostScript. Still common in print shops and older design pipelines for delivering logos and illustrations.

A lossless raster format with a 256-colour palette and limited animation support. Still ubiquitous on social feeds and chat reactions.

The default image format on iPhone cameras. Roughly half the size of JPEG at similar quality, but can be awkward to open outside of Apple platforms.

The native Windows icon format. A single file can hold multiple resolutions and colour depths — still the default for desktop icons and legacy web favicons.

A lossy compression format optimised for photographs — the default on smartphone cameras and web galleries. `.jpg` and `.jpeg` are identical; the three-letter form is a DOS-era holdover.

The JPEG committee's 2022 next-generation image format. Losslessly transcodes existing JPEGs and supports HDR, wide gamut, and animation. Browser support is still uneven.

A lossless raster image format with transparency (alpha channel). The default for logos, screenshots, and UI assets on the web.

Adobe Photoshop's native format. Preserves layers, masks, smart objects, and adjustment layers for ongoing edits.

A camera RAW file containing untouched sensor data. Each vendor ships its own flavour — Canon .cr3, Nikon .nef, Sony .arw, etc.

An XML-based vector image format. Logos, icons, and charts stay crisp at any size and can be styled with CSS or manipulated with JavaScript.

The workhorse of print and scanning. Supports uncompressed, LZW, and JPEG-compressed payloads and can hold multiple pages per file.

A modern web image format developed by Google. Produces smaller files than JPEG or PNG at equivalent quality, supports both lossy and lossless modes, and carries an alpha channel.