Choosing the Right Image Format
Image format affects file size, quality, and compatibility. Choosing the wrong format can slow down your website, reduce image quality, or cause display issues. Let's break down when to use each format.
JPEG (JPG)
Best For
- Photographs with many colors
- Product photos with complex backgrounds
- Social media images
- Email marketing
Pros
- Small file sizes - great for web performance
- Universal support - works everywhere
- Adjustable quality - balance size vs quality
Cons
- No transparency - can't have transparent backgrounds
- Lossy compression - quality degrades with each save
- Artifacts - visible around sharp edges at low quality
When to Use JPEG
Use JPEG for product photos with solid backgrounds (like white). Quality setting of 80-85% offers the best balance of size and quality.
PNG
Best For
- Images requiring transparency
- Graphics with text or sharp edges
- Logos and icons
- Screenshots
Pros
- Transparency support - essential for removed backgrounds
- Lossless compression - no quality loss
- Sharp edges - perfect for text and graphics
Cons
- Large file sizes - 2-10x larger than JPEG
- Slower loading - impacts page speed
- Overkill for photos - benefits wasted on complex images
When to Use PNG
Use PNG when you need transparency - like product images with no background that will be placed on colored or patterned backgrounds.
WebP
Best For
- Modern websites prioritizing speed
- Both photos and graphics
- Images requiring transparency with small sizes
Pros
- Smallest file sizes - 25-35% smaller than JPEG
- Transparency support - like PNG but smaller
- Both lossy and lossless - flexibility in compression
Cons
- Limited compatibility - older browsers don't support it
- Not accepted everywhere - some marketplaces reject WebP
- Editing limitations - not all software supports WebP
When to Use WebP
Use WebP for your own website to maximize page speed. Always have JPEG/PNG fallbacks for older browsers.
Format Comparison Table
For a typical 1000x1000 product photo:
- JPEG (80% quality): ~150 KB
- PNG: ~800 KB
- WebP: ~100 KB
Marketplace Requirements
Amazon
Accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF. JPEG recommended for main images.
eBay
Accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF. No WebP support.
Etsy
Accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF. PNG recommended for items with transparency.
Shopify
Accepts all formats including WebP. Automatically converts to WebP for supported browsers.
Optimization Tips
For JPEG
- Use 80-85% quality for web
- Use progressive JPEG for faster perceived loading
- Strip metadata to reduce size
For PNG
- Use PNG-8 for simple graphics (256 colors)
- Use PNG-24 for photos needing transparency
- Compress with tools like TinyPNG
For WebP
- Use quality 75-80 for photos
- Use lossless for graphics with text
- Always provide fallback formats
Recommended Workflow
- Edit in PNG - preserve quality during editing
- Export to JPEG - for marketplace listings
- Convert to WebP - for your own website
- Keep PNG originals - for future edits
Use Pixelift Image Compressor to optimize your images for any format while maintaining quality.