Images
What is PNG?
Short for Portable Network Graphics.
PNG is an image format that uses lossless compression and supports transparency, making it ideal for screenshots, logos and graphics.
How it works
PNG was created in the 1990s as a patent-free replacement for GIF. It stores images losslessly, supports millions of colors and has a full alpha channel, so each pixel can be anywhere from fully transparent to fully opaque.
That combination makes it the natural choice for screenshots, interface graphics, diagrams and logos, where crisp edges and exact colors matter. Photographs often need much more space in PNG than in a lossy photo format.
PNG vs JPEG vs WebP
| Feature | PNG | JPEG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy | Both |
| Transparency | Yes | No | Yes |
| Best for | Graphics, text, cutouts | Photos | Websites |
| Compatibility | Universal | Universal | Browsers, most apps |
A quick rule: if it came from a camera, JPEG; if it came from a screen or a design tool, PNG.
A practical example
A logo exported as PNG can sit over a colored page without a white rectangle around it, as long as the background pixels are transparent.
What to watch out for
Converting a JPEG to PNG won’t restore lost detail or remove its background. Transparency must already exist or be created by editing the image.
Tools you can use
- Image Converter · Change an image from one format to another
- Image Compressor · Cut file size with a visible quality trade-off
- Remove Background · Cut out people, hair and all
- PDF to PNG · Lossless page images, crisp text
Go a little deeper
- How to make an image background transparent
- How to reduce image size without losing visible quality
- How to remove the background from a photo
- How to save a PDF page as a PNG image
Common questions
Is PNG better quality than JPG?
PNG keeps every pixel exactly, so it never adds compression artifacts. For photos, a high-quality JPEG looks the same at a fraction of the size, so PNG is only better for graphics, text and transparency.
Why is my PNG file so big?
PNG stores photographs inefficiently because every slight color variation must be kept. Save photos as JPEG or WebP, or reduce the PNG’s colors if it is a graphic.
Why does my transparent PNG have a black background?
The program displaying or converting it doesn’t support transparency, or it was converted to a format such as JPEG that fills transparent areas with a solid color.