File Format Guides

JPG

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

JPG (or JPEG) is a lossy raster image format built for photographs. It compresses images by discarding image data that's hard for the human eye to notice, producing small files at the cost of some quality on repeated saves.

PNG

Portable Network Graphics

PNG is a lossless raster format designed for the web. It preserves every pixel exactly and supports full alpha-channel transparency, making it the standard choice for graphics, logos, and screenshots.

WebP

WebP

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and animation — typically producing smaller files than JPG or PNG at comparable quality.

GIF

Graphics Interchange Format

GIF is a raster format limited to a 256-color palette. It's lossless within that palette and is best known for supporting simple frame-by-frame animation.

BMP

Bitmap Image File

BMP is an uncompressed (or minimally compressed) raster format originally built for Windows. Every pixel is stored directly, so files are lossless but often very large.

PDF

Portable Document Format

PDF is a document format that preserves layout, fonts, and images exactly as designed, regardless of the device, operating system, or software used to view it — which is why it's the standard for sharing finished documents.

MP3

MPEG-1 Audio Layer III

MP3 is a lossy audio format that compresses sound by removing frequencies the human ear barely notices. It remains the most universally compatible audio format for music and voice.

MP4

MPEG-4 Part 14

MP4 is the most widely supported video container format, typically pairing H.264 video with AAC audio. It's the default format for video recorded on phones and shared online.

WebM

WebM

WebM is an open, royalty-free video container developed for the web, typically pairing VP8/VP9 video with Vorbis or Opus audio. It's built into every modern browser and favored for its smaller file sizes.