Let us learn about different image file formats. Although a lot of different image file formats exist, only two are widely used for Web page images: GIF and JPEG. GIF images: GIF, which stands for Graphics Interchange Format, have the following characteristics: a) GIF images can have a maximum of 256 different colors. b) GIF files are compressed to reduce their size. However, the compression method GIF uses doesn’t reduce the image quality. c) A GIF image can include a transparent color, which, when displayed in a web browser, allows the background of the Web page to show through. d) It supports animation.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) was developed as a successor to the GIF format. PNG (pronounced ping) supports more colors than GIF and all its features . JPEG images: A format designed for photographic-quality images. It has the following characteristics: a) JPEG images can have either 16.7 million or 2 billion colors. Most JPEG images use 16.7 million colors, which provide excellent representation of photographic images. b) To reduce image size, JPEG uses a special compression technique that slightly reduces the quality of the image while greatly reducing its size. c) JPEG doesn’t support transparent background colors as GIF does. d) JPEG doesn’t support animation.

Other image file formats: There are a lot more formats, a few common ones out of them are: