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Most raster image formats you can use on the web are compressed formats. WebP and AVIF) aim to achieve smaller image sizes while providing advanced visual features.įor example, at DebugBear, we were able to cut our hero image size from 171 KB to 94 KB and improve our Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score from 2.4 to 1.5 seconds by switching from PNG to WebP format - see the drop in both LCP and total image weight on the screenshot below (however, some other developers had different results when testing next-gen images, as we’ll see later in this post): Other characteristics such as support for different color depths, transparency, animations, etc.Ĭhoosing the best file type for an image is about finding the balance between visual quality and performance (defined by the size of the image file).Compression method (lossy vs lossless compression) - see below in detail.SVG) are made up of geometric shapes, so they scale without any quality loss. PNG, JPG, GIF) are made up of pixels, so they cannot be magnified without losing quality. Raster, also known as bitmap, images (e.g.Using less effective formats for many of your images can increase page load times, make your website less visually attractive, and harm the overall user experience. In this article, we’ll look into the most important image formats for the web and help you decide when to use which image file type.įinding the right format for your digital images is important because each image file type comes with its own feature set, has its advantages and disadvantages, and serves specific use cases.
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These days we have plenty of options to choose from, including file types for raster images, animations, vector graphics, and next-generation images.
#RASTER IMAGE FILE FORMATS SOFTWARE#
Image formats are file types for digital graphics that have evolved over time to make use of new software and hardware technologies and faster networks. Balancing these two concerns is the core of image performance. We want our websites to load fast, but we also want our images to look good. Choosing the right image format is the first and most important step when it comes to image performance.
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