JPEG vs PNG vs WebP: Picking the Right Image Format Every Time
Lossy vs lossless, transparency, and the 30% savings of WebP — a practical decision chart plus browser conversion tips.
KPM Editorial · Tips & Tricks · 2025-10-03 · 6 min read
The Three-Way Tradeoff
Every image format balances quality, size, and features. Pick wrong and you get a 4 MB "photo" that should be 200 KB, or a logo with ugly white boxes. The decision is simpler than it looks.
JPEG: Photographs Only
JPEG's lossy compression discards detail human eyes barely notice, shrinking photos 10–20×. But every re-save degrades quality, and there is no transparency. Rule: camera photos and scans → JPEG at 75–85% quality. Never screenshots of text — the artifacts blur letters.
PNG: Graphics, Text, Transparency
PNG is lossless with full alpha transparency — perfect for logos, UI screenshots, and diagrams. The price: file sizes 3–5× larger than JPEG for photographic content. Use it where pixel-exactness matters, not for photos.
WebP: The Modern Default
WebP gives ~30% smaller files than JPEG at equal quality, plus transparency and animation. All modern browsers support it. The catch: some government upload portals and old software still reject .webp — convert back to JPEG for submissions.
Quick Decision Chart
- Photo for web/portfolio → WebP (fallback JPEG)
- Photo for portal upload → JPEG ~80%
- Logo / screenshot / transparency → PNG
- Under a KB limit → resize dimensions first, then lower quality
Convert and Compress Locally
KPM's Image Compressor and Converter resizes, recompresses, and converts between formats with Canvas 2D — entirely offline-capable, so even citizenship scans stay on your device.
