Image file formats
27 formats in this category.
Image formats store still pictures, either as a grid of pixels (raster) or as shapes and paths (vector). The right format depends on whether you need small file size, transparency, lossless quality or wide editing support.
Raster vs vector: the first thing to know
Image formats split into two families. Raster formats (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, BMP, TIFF) store a fixed grid of pixels, so they look sharp at their native size but blur or block up when enlarged. Vector formats (SVG) store shapes, points and curves as maths, so they scale to any size without losing quality, which is why logos and icons are usually vectors.
If you need a photograph, you want a raster format. If you need a logo, an icon or line art that must stay crisp on any screen, you want a vector. Many workflows keep a vector master and export raster copies at the sizes they need.
Lossy, lossless and transparency
JPEG is lossy: it throws away detail the eye barely notices to make small files, so it is ideal for photos but poor for text and hard edges, which develop halos. PNG is lossless and supports full transparency, making it the right choice for screenshots, UI assets and anything with sharp edges. WebP and AVIF are modern formats that do both lossy and lossless with better compression than JPEG or PNG, and both support transparency and animation.
For photos from a modern phone you will meet HEIC, Apple's efficient container. It saves space but is less universally supported, so many people convert HEIC to JPG for sharing.