You’ve probably seen the word JPEG or PNG pop up in a few places on Instagram. But what are they, and why do you care? It turns out that there’s a lot more to it than just which file extension looks best.
Most people upload photos in the JPG format because it is a lossy format that supports RGB color.
The most common image format is JPEG, and that’s a good thing. You’re probably familiar with this format because it’s what your camera takes pictures in. It also supports RGB color, which is the color model used by all digital cameras.
The PNG file format has been around since 1995 and has been adopted by many photographers as the new standard for high-quality images online. The few downsides of this lossless compression method are its larger file size and lack of support for CMYK (cyan/magenta/yellow/black) colors (as opposed to RGB).
JPEG files are compressed based on the amount of detail in an image so they can be much smaller than uncompressed RAW images taken on digital cameras like Canon or Nikon DSLRs..
A PNG file will always produce a larger file size than an equivalent JPEG image due to its lossless compression method, but it also gives you more flexibility when editing photos because there is no quality reduction during post production like with JPEGs (which have already had some data discarded).
The PNG format only supports RGB color and therefore, any photos with other colors will not look as great.
PNG files can support transparency, but JPG does not. The PNG format is a lossless format which means that it will never lose any information. It’s also good for photos with a lot of colors and designs because it doesn’t compress the file as much as JPEG does.
The problem with the PNG format is that it doesn’t do a very good job compressing images so your photos may end up being larger than what you would get if you saved them as JPEGs. This might not be an issue if you have unlimited storage space on your phone or computer and don’t mind uploading larger files to Instagram, however, if either of these are concerns for you then I would recommend sticking with JPG instead!
The main difference between JPG and PNG is that PNG files can support transparency whereas JPG does not.
The main difference between JPG and PNG is that PNG files can support transparency whereas JPG does not.
JPG files are smaller than PNGs, which makes them more efficient for use on websites or in emails. However, JPGs tend to lose image quality when you compress them too much—and the smaller the file size, the more compression is needed. If you want higher-quality images for print or large-scale projects like presentations and blog posts, use a PNG format instead of JPEG.
JPEGs work best on solid colored backgrounds without gradients or transparency because they don’t have an alpha channel (which controls transparency). They also perform better when working with photos that have already been compressed to begin with (like those taken from your phone). If you need something that isn’t so dependent on a certain color palette or style though—or if your image isn’t exactly a photo—then go ahead and upload it as a PNG instead!
Both formats work fine for Instagram; use PNG if you have to have a transparent background or higher quality images.
Both JPEG and PNG are lossless formats, meaning that the image quality will be the same in both cases.
JPEG is the better option for photos with solid colors or gradients, as it uses a compression algorithm that typically gives you smaller files while preserving detail. However, if your photo contains transparency (for example, an image with a transparent background) then you’ll need to use PNG instead.
PNG is a more advanced format than JPEG and can support more effects like transparency, but also has a larger file size than JPEGs. Because of this, we recommend using PNG when you need to keep your images looking crisp and clear—like on Instagram!
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, both JPG and PNG are great file formats. The main difference is that PNG supports transparency while JPG doesn’t. As long as you have an image with colors other than RGB (like CMYK or Lab), you should use PNG instead of JPG because it will look better on Instagram with a transparent background. If not, then just upload your photos as JPG files! Check here compress jpeg to 200kb jpg.