The two rules that settle most image-format questions: keep your master in the biggest, highest-quality form that’s practical (RAW or DNG from the camera; 16-bit TIFF or PSD for edited masters), and make derivatives in whatever small, compatible format the destination needs (JPEG for almost everything; AVIF or WebP for websites; HEIC mostly stays on the phone). You can always shrink a big file; you can never truly restore detail that was thrown away.
This guide is for photographers specifically — shooting, editing, archiving, sharing, publishing — not the graphic-design formats (EPS, Targa, SVG for logos) that are another world. Here’s the cheat sheet, then each format in more detail, then which to use for common jobs.
Image file formats compared
| Format | Compression | Bit depth | Keeps metadata? | Transparency | Best for | Avoid for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAW (NEF, CR3, ARW, RAF…) | None/lossless (camera-specific) | 12–14-bit | Yes (+ XMP sidecar for edits) | — | The camera original; maximum editing latitude | Sharing or publishing without processing |
| DNG | Lossless (or lossy option) | Up to 16-bit | Yes, embedded | — | Archival RAW, universal RAW container, phone RAW | Nothing in particular; some prefer native RAW |
| TIFF | None, or lossless ZIP/LZW | 8- or 16-bit | Yes | Yes | Edited masters, print labs, layers | Email, web — files are huge |
| JPEG | Lossy | 8-bit | Yes | No | Sharing, email, most web use, camera JPEGs | Repeated re-saving; masters |
| HEIC/HEIF | Lossy (HEVC), smaller than JPEG | 10-bit capable | Yes | Yes | Phone capture and storage | Sending outside the Apple/Android ecosystem; print labs |
| PNG | Lossless | 8- or 24-bit | Limited | Yes | Screenshots, graphics, anything with transparency | Photos — big files, no quality gain over a high-quality JPEG |
| WebP | Lossy or lossless | 8-bit | Yes | Yes | Website images (smaller than JPEG) | Masters; some older software |
| AVIF | Lossy or lossless, best compression | Up to 12-bit | Yes | Yes | Website images, HDR on the web | Masters; editing; any tool that can’t open it yet |
What is the best quality image format?
It depends on which job you mean. For a master — the version you keep and edit from — the best quality is the camera RAW (or DNG), and after editing a 16-bit TIFF or PSD: no lossy compression, full bit depth, all the data. For a delivered photo, “best” means best quality at a sensible size: a JPEG at a high quality setting (I use 85–92) is still the universal answer, and for websites AVIF (then WebP) gives the same visual quality at a fraction of the size. (AVIF has its own explainer: what an AVIF file is.) PNG is a common wrong answer here — it’s lossless, but for a photograph that buys you a much bigger file, not a visibly better one; PNG’s strength is graphics and transparency, not photos.
Common image file formats
JPG / JPEG
This has become the most common digital image file format that you run into. It’s universally compatible, and it offers decent compression to keep filesizes low while retaining image quality. They’re good for photos, general-use graphics, and they have provision for text metadata, so you can embed information such as location, copyright, camera details, and so on.
Best uses: General everyday image format / photos / websites / sharing images online or by email.
HEIC / HEIF
This is no longer just an Apple experiment; it is the default capture format for modern iPhones and many newer smartphones. You can think of it as a newer, better JPG. It uses a highly efficient compression algorithm (HEVC) that creates significantly smaller files than JPGs while retaining equivalent — or better — image quality. It natively supports greater bit depth than standard JPGs and handles features like Apple’s “Live Photos” (motion graphics) seamlessly. While Apple and Windows now natively support viewing them, they can still present compatibility hurdles when emailing to older devices or uploading to print labs. (I’ve put together some guides on how to convert HEIC to JPG and also how to disable HEIC on iPhone.)
If you want your iPhone to shoot JPEG instead, here’s how to turn off HEIC on iPhone — and what HEIC actually is.
Best uses: Maximizing local storage space on your smartphone. HEIC is best converted to JPG when sharing outside of your immediate device ecosystem.
TIFF / TIF
TIFF files are typically much larger in filesize than JPGs. They’re a good format for master copies that will stay on your computer. But they’re not suitable for everyday sharing or posting on a website — they’re just too big for that.
There are variations for lossless compression (ZIP and LZW) that help with the file size, but they still won’t get anywhere close to the file size reduction that JPGs can. There’s provision for metadata as well as layers, making them a good option for image editing. In photographic terms, there are 8-bit and 16-bit TIFF files commonly in use; 16-bit TIFF files offer vastly more colors available and therefore offer the maximum image quality for master copies of photos, but the file sizes are extremely large (even with ZIP compression — never use LZW compression with 16-bit TIF files).
PNG
PNG took over from GIF as a web-friendly format for graphics and illustrations with fairly simple tonal values. They’re lightweight (i.e., small file size), so they’re especially good for things like company logos on websites.1
One of the key features of PNG is that there’s provision for alpha transparency, meaning that you can keep a transparent background. There’s no native provision for adding standard EXIF metadata in the same robust way as JPG. Unlike GIF, standard PNGs aren’t compatible with animation. You will commonly see 8-bit and 24-bit PNGs; 24-bit PNGs share many of the same features as 8-bit PNGs but have vastly more colors available.
But while 24-bit PNGs can technically be used for detailed photos, minimally compressed JPGs (or modern formats like WebP and AVIF) are nearly always a much better option for continuous-tone imagery.
Best uses: Website graphics, screenshots, and illustrations requiring transparent backgrounds.
RAW
RAW files are created by digital capture devices such as cameras and scanners. They’re designed to preserve all of the raw luminosity data captured by the sensor before the camera’s internal processor bakes in things like white balance, contrast, or sharpening.
That leads to two key things: the files are generally much larger than JPGs, and RAW files aren’t suitable for sharing without processing them first in specialized RAW rendering apps (like Lightroom or Capture One). You can think of a RAW file like an undeveloped film negative — you need to process it before you can show it to someone.
Of all the file formats here, RAW is the least standardized. Camera manufacturers adopt their own proprietary versions, often locking off part of the data into encrypted segments. Nikon uses NEF. Canon uses CR2 or CR3. Sony uses ARW. Panasonic uses RW2. Fujifilm uses RAF. GoPro uses GPR. And so on.
Adobe developed their own RAW format known as DNG (Digital Negative). It’s designed as a versatile common RAW standard. Some cameras shoot to it directly, including the latest generations of Apple iPhones. With proprietary formats, it’s possible to convert them to DNG for archival purposes. It’s a valid debate whether DNG is truly an open standard when it’s still ultimately controlled by a large for-profit company, but it’s the closest thing we currently have to a broadly compatible and future-proof RAW format.
RAW formats vary widely on whether or not they use lossy compression, lossless compression, or no compression. Some might be 12-bit; others 14-bit. Most medium- and high-end cameras these days offer you choices on whether to use compression when saving the file and how much bit depth is captured.
Best uses: Capturing photos with maximum dynamic range and editing flexibility.
Other common formats
Here are some other formats that you might come across in day-to-day use.
| SVG | A vector file format best used for graphics and logos on a website. It scales infinitely without pixelating. |
| WebP | A highly compressed format developed by Google specifically for displaying images on the web. It natively supports transparency and creates smaller files than JPEG or PNG. It is now universally supported by web browsers. |
| AVIF | The current gold standard for next-generation web delivery. AVIF is significantly more efficient than WebP and uniquely supports 10-bit color, HDR, and Wide Color Gamut display natively. |
| JPEG2000 | It has actually been around for quite some time, but it never gained traction on the consumer web. Today, it is almost exclusively used in medical imaging and digital cinema packages (DCP) for theatrical projection. |
| GIF | An old standard for graphics before PNG came along. Not well suited to photographs. Retains relevancy for its unique support for lightweight animations on the web, but is slowly being supplanted by animated WebP and AVIF. |
| PSD | A proprietary format used by Adobe Photoshop. Best used for archiving working edits because it retains adjustment layers, smart objects, and masks. |
| Designed for sharing documents, and never really intended to share standalone images, but commonly used to package multiple photos, tear sheets, or client proofs into a single multi-page file. | |
| DOC | A format created by Microsoft for MS Word. It is not an image file format. But I still find it amazing (and it’s a pet peeve of mine) how often people use it to share images by embedding them into a Word document. The good news is that a modern .docx file is basically a zip container, and it’s possible to extract the original images from it. |
Which image file formats are best for . . . ?
Emailing photos to friends & family
Best: JPG
JPG (or JPEG). If they’re just looking at the photo on a screen like a phone or a computer, you can usually get away with quite a bit of compression. That will keep the file size smaller while still looking good. Start with a quality setting of around 60. Pixel dimensions of around 2000 pixels on the longest side should be plenty sharp enough for most uses, including iPads and laptops.
Other options: If you shoot on an iPhone, it likely defaults to HEIC. While HEIC is excellent for your phone’s storage, when emailing family members who might be on older PCs or Android devices, it is safest to ensure those files are converted to JPG first so they don’t encounter an unreadable attachment.
Sending photos to a print lab
Good: JPG (most compatible and most common)
Better: TIFF (not all photo labs accept them)
JPG. Send the largest pixel dimensions you have. The lab will reduce it to fit if it’s too large, but sending a file that’s too small risks losing detail and sharpness. And use minimal compression (i.e., a very high-quality setting of at least 80 to 100).
Other options: While many online consumer labs only accept JPGs, high-end professional labs often let you upload uncompressed TIF files. If that option is available, it maximizes quality. But you’ll be working with much larger files that will take longer to upload, and you must verify their exact requirements first (e.g., they may only accept 8-bit TIFFs in the sRGB color space, rejecting 16-bit ProPhoto files).
Taking photos with a camera
Good: JPG (most convenient)
Better: RAW (highest image quality)
In general, the choice between RAW and JPG comes down to quality vs. convenience.
- RAW files capture maximum dynamic range and allow for extreme shadow recovery and white balance adjustments, but they require processing in an image editing app before they can be shared.
- JPG files are far more convenient because the camera processes the color and contrast for you instantly, resulting in universally compatible, manageable file sizes ready for immediate sharing.
Using photos & images on a website
Good: JPG (most compatible fallback)
Better: WebP / AVIF (faster speeds / required for optimal performance)
Web standards have shifted dramatically in recent years. While it used to be standard practice to upload high-quality JPGs to your portfolio, modern web optimization demands next-generation formats to satisfy page speed metrics like Google’s Core Web Vitals.
For modern websites, WebP and AVIF are the gold standards. AVIF is the superior of the two, offering 10-bit color support and incredibly tight compression algorithms based on video tech.
However, because you must still accommodate visitors on older hardware, web developers rely on HTML elements (like the <picture> tag) to serve the AVIF or WebP file to modern browsers, while seamlessly falling back to a standard JPG if the visitor’s device is outdated. It is no longer a case of JPG or WebP, but a case of AVIF/WebP backed up by JPG.
Archiving family photos
Good: JPG (Highest Quality Setting)
Better: TIF
When archiving photos that have value — whether that value is monetary or emotional — you generally want to save the highest, least-compressed quality possible. If you’re scanning old family slides, a high-resolution scan can easily spit out 16-bit uncompressed TIF files that weigh hundreds of megabytes each. But for most consumer purposes, that’s excessive and creates massive storage bottlenecks. Strike a balance.
In general, when archiving scans or other family photos, follow these rules of thumb:
- Archive the original version. Keep the original scan or out-of-camera file untouched. Never archive a version you’ve downsized for email.
- Adopt a long-term format view. You want to be able to open the photos in 30 years. You don’t want your photos stuck in a dead format. Standard TIF, DNG, and JPG have a proven record of sticking around for the long haul.
- Utilize the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy. The long-term archiving of digital media is a massive challenge. Hard drives fail — it’s not a matter of if, but when. Ensure you have 3 total copies of your data, on 2 different types of media, with 1 copy stored securely offsite (like a dedicated cloud backup).
Common questions
What is the most common image format?
JPEG, by a wide margin. It has been the default for cameras, phones, websites, and print labs for around three decades, and everything can open it. That universal compatibility is exactly why it persists even though newer formats like HEIC and AVIF compress more efficiently.
Which image format has the smallest file size?
For photos, AVIF produces the smallest files at a given visual quality, with WebP close behind. Among the formats that everything can open, a JPEG at a moderate quality setting is still the practical answer. PNG is the trap here — for photographs it produces much larger files without looking visibly better.
What image format is best for website photos?
AVIF first, WebP as the next-best, with JPEG as the universal fallback. In practice, you rarely have to choose: modern websites (and WordPress plugins and CDNs) serve AVIF or WebP automatically to browsers that support them and fall back to JPEG for the rest. So upload a high-quality JPEG and let the site do the conversion.
What’s the best file format for printing photos?
A JPEG at a very high quality setting, in the sRGB color space, at the largest pixel dimensions you have — that’s what nearly every print lab wants, and it prints beautifully. Some professional labs also accept TIFF, which squeezes out the last bit of quality, but check their exact requirements first. Don’t send HEIC or AVIF to a lab; convert to JPEG first.
Common image file formats (master list)
Here are the raw extensions you might run into in the wild.
| Format Name | File Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3FR | .3fr | RAW image file format used by Hasselblad cameras. |
| ARW | .arw | RAW image file format used by Sony cameras. |
| AVIF / AV1 | .avif | A mature, next-generation image format that uses highly efficient video coding algorithms for smaller file sizes. Widely adopted by Apple, Microsoft, and Google as the modern web standard. More » |
| BRAW | .braw | RAW video/image format used by Blackmagic Design cameras. |
| CAP | .cap | RAW image file format used by Phase One cameras. |
| CR2 | .cr2 | RAW image file format used by Canon cameras. |
| CR3 | .cr3 | RAW image file format used by Canon cameras. |
| CRW | .crw | RAW image file format used by older Canon cameras. |
| DCR | .dcr | RAW image file format used by Kodak cameras. |
| DCS | .dcs | RAW image file format used by Kodak cameras. |
| DNG | .dng | A RAW image file format developed by Adobe and designed as an open standard. |
| EIP | .eip | RAW image file format used by Phase One cameras. |
| EPS | .eps, .epsf, epsi | A postscript graphics file format that is most commonly used for printing and graphic design. |
| ERF | .erf | RAW image file format used by Epson capture devices. |
| GIF | .gif | An early bitmap image format widely adopted in web use. Has a color palette limited to 256 colors. |
| GPR | .gpr | GoPro’s custom RAW format built on the foundation of DNG. |
| IIQ | .iiq | RAW image file format used by Phase One |
Notes & References:
- In recent years, vector format SVG is often preferred as a lightweight, scalable option for logos on websites. And WebP offers even more compression benefits. [↩︎]
