# Image codecs overview

Canonical URL: https://encode.wiki/codecs/images/
Content version: ca42e61ede0a24f789d7287a0001244ad22f4abf
Status: current
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
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Pick a format by what the image is and where it has to be displayed. This page gives the short answer; each format page covers encoders, settings and pitfalls.

## Which format should I use?

| You have... | Use | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Photos for the web** | [AVIF](/codecs/images/avif/) or [WebP](/codecs/images/webp/), with a [JPEG](/codecs/images/jpeg/) fallback | AVIF compresses best and has wide browser support; WebP encodes faster and is supported everywhere current; JPEG opens on anything |
| **Photos where quality matters most**, or HDR and wide gamut | [JPEG XL](/codecs/images/jxl/) | Excellent at high quality, supports HDR, lossless and progressive decoding. Supported in Safari 17+ and Chrome 155+; Firefox 158 (due 13 October 2026) enables it |
| **Existing JPEGs you want smaller** | [JPEG XL](/codecs/images/jxl/) lossless transcode, or `jpegtran` / MozJPEG | JPEG XL keeps the original JPEG recoverable bit for bit |
| **Screenshots, UI, logos, line art** | [PNG](/codecs/images/png/) (optimised with oxipng), or lossless [WebP](/codecs/images/webp/) | Lossless and sharp; `pngquant` makes a lossy palette version much smaller |
| **Transparency** | PNG, WebP, AVIF or JPEG XL | JPEG and GIF can't do soft alpha |
| **Lossless masters and archives** | PNG or TIFF; [JPEG XL](/codecs/images/jxl/) lossless for smaller files; [JPEG 2000](/codecs/images/jpeg2000/) in institutions that already use it | Keep a lossless master and export delivery files from it |
| **Animation** | A looping muted video, animated [WebP](/codecs/images/webp/) or AVIF; [GIF](/codecs/images/gif/) only where nothing else works | GIF is the largest and has 256 colours; see the [GIF page](/codecs/images/gif/) |
| **Phone and Apple-camera files** | [HEIC](/codecs/images/heic/) | Common camera output, but convert before sharing: licensing and support are patchy |
| **Fast lossless in a game or tool** | [QOI](/codecs/images/qoi/) | Trivial to implement and very fast, but larger files and no browser support |

## At a glance

| Format | Compression | Bit depth | Alpha | Animation | Browser support (October 2026) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [JPEG](/codecs/images/jpeg/) | Lossy | 8 | No | No | Everywhere |
| [PNG](/codecs/images/png/) | Lossless | Up to 16 | Yes | APNG | Everywhere |
| [GIF](/codecs/images/gif/) | Lossless, 256 colours | 8 (palette) | 1-bit | Yes | Everywhere |
| [WebP](/codecs/images/webp/) | Lossy or lossless | 8 | Yes | Yes | All current browsers |
| [AVIF](/codecs/images/avif/) | Lossy or lossless | 8, 10, 12 | Yes | Yes | All current browsers |
| [JPEG XL](/codecs/images/jxl/) | Lossy or lossless | Up to 32 | Yes | Yes | Safari 17+ (stills only), Chrome 155+, Firefox 158+ |
| [HEIC](/codecs/images/heic/) | Lossy or lossless (HEVC) | 8, 10 and up | Yes (auxiliary) | Image sequences | Safari 17+ only |
| [JPEG 2000](/codecs/images/jpeg2000/) | Lossy or lossless | 1–38 in the standard (tools mostly handle ≤16) | Yes (JP2 channels) | MJ2 only | None (Safari dropped it in 18.0) |
| [QOI](/codecs/images/qoi/) | Lossless | 8 | Yes | No | None |

Browser support changes quickly; the [image and audio support guide](/reference/image-audio-support/) is kept up to date, and the [guide to the option tables](/reference/encoder-parameters/) lists every command-line option for the tools on these pages.

## Tips that apply to all of them

- **Always encode from a lossless master.** Re-encoding a lossy file stacks errors.
- **Compare by eye.** For automatic comparison across formats use [SSIMULACRA2](/reference/metrics/ssimulacra2/) or [Butteraugli](/reference/metrics/butteraugli/); PSNR and SSIM reward blur and mislead on perceptually tuned encoders.
- **Check metadata and colour.** Orientation, ICC profiles and HDR signalling are the first things converters drop. Test one image from your pipeline in each target viewer.
- **Quality numbers are per encoder.** `-q 80` in `cjpeg`, `cwebp`, `avifenc` and `cjxl` gives four different quality levels; compare outputs, not settings.