GIF Versus PNG in Graphic Design

Are You baffled by the different formats for saving, storing and transfering images, documents and files? Hopefully this will shed some light!

GIF

GIF is one of the most popular formats for transfering images on the internet and is short for Graphics Interchange Format. It was developed by Compuserve in 1987. It uses a lossless compression technique to transfer image and colour compared to the JPEG but can only support 256 colours. A feature of GIF is that it allows the designer to make the background layer transparent, so allowing the colour of the underlying web page show through. This is particularly useful for logos for web use. GIF does support animated images. GIFs are not suitable to transfering photographic images.

Compuserve applied patents to the principle of GIF formats so making it necessary for designers to pay a licence fee. These patents have now expired in most countries.

PNG

Portable Network Graphics or PNGs were developed along the same principle as GIF, in order to avoid the patents applying to the use of GIF images. In general PNGs provide greater depth of colour and up to 25% more image compression as well as supporting millions of colours instead of the standard 256 that GIF images support. This format does not support animated images.

WORTH A READ - What is a JPEG