Which image format is suitable for which occasion?
Description:
Which image format is suitable and when?
In our day-to-day digital work, we often come up against the question: Which image file format is the right one for my application? The answer depends heavily on what you want to achieve with the file. This article provides an overview of the most common file formats and their ideal areas of application.
The most important file formats at a glance
JPEG (JPG)
Perfect for:
- Photos and images with lots of colours and details
- Applications where the file size needs to be minimised (websites, social media)
Advantages:
- High compression, small file size
- Suitable for detailed images
Disadvantages:
- No transparency possible
- Compression artefacts, especially with fonts or flat elements
JPEGs are a good choice for photos, but not ideal for images with text or logos, as the artefacts can impair legibility.
JPEG files are automatically optimised by TYRIOS and even delivered as WEBP format if possible.
PNG
Perfect for:
- Images with fonts, logos or icons
- Content that requires transparency
Advantages:
- Lossless quality
- Supports transparency
- Excellent for fonts, as there are no compression artefacts
Disadvantages:
- Larger file size compared to JPEG
If your image contains fonts or flat colour areas, PNG is the best choice. The lossless compression ensures that fonts remain sharp.
PNG files are automatically optimised by TYRIOS and even delivered as WEBP format if possible.
GIF
Perfect for:
- Simple animations
- Graphic highlights
Advantages:
- Supports animations
- Smaller file sizes for simple animations
Disadvantages:
- Limited colour palette (256 colours)
- Not suitable for complex images
GIF is still a useful format for animations with simple graphics, but it can fall behind more modern alternatives such as WEBP.
WEBP
Perfect for:
- Web applications with a focus on loading speed
- Animations and images with transparency
Advantages:
- Better compression than JPEG and PNG
- Supports transparency and animations
Disadvantages:
- Not fully supported everywhere
WEBP is a modern choice if you need files with the smallest possible size and high quality.
WEBP is fully supported in TYRIOS and, where possible, automatically delivered to the site visitor. We automatically check whether the visitor also supports the format.
SVG
Perfect for:
- Vector graphics such as icons, logos and diagrams
- Content that needs to be scalable without loss of quality
Advantages:
- Perfect scalability
- Very small file sizes for pure vector graphics
Disadvantages:
- Not suitable for photos or raster graphics
- Not supported in many email clients
SVGs are ideal for flexible, high-resolution vector graphics. However, SVG files must be converted into a supported format such as PNG for use in emails.
Due to the complex data structure, automatic optimisation of SVGs is not possible.
Note on SVG use
SVGs are ideal for vector graphics, but are not compatible in newsletters and emails. TYRIOS solves this problem by automatically converting SVGs into PNG files when they are embedded in emails. This ensures that they are displayed correctly without you having to intervene manually.