Images are the most important part of any web design product. Majority of the population first look at the pictures and then read the content. So, it is very essential for the web developers to have clear and bright images. The quality of the images depends on the file format, they are saved in. PNG or Portable Network Graphics is a file format for images on the web. This is not a new format and is in use since a decade now. It was developed as a replacement to GIF image file format. PNG is technologically superior to traditional image formats. As the pre-existing browsers didn’t had proper support functions so all the features of PNG could not be used.

IE or Microsoft explorer served as the biggest obstacle in PNG’s working as it gave poor file format support. But with the invention of the new version of IE that is IE 7 and many JavaScript hacks, PNG has now come up as a popular and widely used image file format.

You know why PNGs are considered the best image file format? There are 3 main reasons behind it:

They are clear or See-Through! Have Alpha Transparency :-  In comparison with other existing formats like LZW and GIF, PNG provides less fundamental form of transparency. In the GIF format all colors are completely transparent or opaque, no in-between. Whereas PNG file format can support semi-transparent pixels. So, using it an image can be used as a watermark on any kind of background. A PNG can easily be floated over an image and it makes the task quicker and at the same time dynamic.

Offers Lossless Compression :-  Whenever a JPEG is saved or compressed, some of the file’s original data is lost. Also, the quality of the image degrades. GIF format offers lossless compression but can support only limited palette of colors. But the PNG is the best and has overcome all the shortcomings of the previous image file formats. It exhibits all color images and has a slightly larger size. The quality of the pictures is highly superior and the clarity is perfect and brighter.

Self Optimizing and have Gamma Correction :-  When an image is displayed on the monitor, it needs various adjustments related to contrast and brightness. This causes a lot of problem to the web designers. This occurs due to different gamma settings of the monitors. Whether it’s a JPEG or GIF format, none of them could rectify it. But PNG has a complete solution to it. The image in this format is saved with in-built gamma correction feature that helps in automatic adjusting of the contrast and the brightness.

Probably after reading these points, you must be clear about why PNG is a better option than other file formats. This format has served as a boon for the Web developers as it has reduced their effort. Now they simply have to resize or color-correct the images rest everything is carried on by PNG.