PBM

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern image format based on the AV1 video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media. It delivers superior compression efficiency compared to JPEG and PNG, often reducing file sizes by 50% or more while maintaining excellent visual quality. AVIF supports HDR, wide color gamut, and transparency, making it an ideal choice for the modern web.

BMP (Bitmap) is one of the oldest raster image formats, developed by Microsoft for the Windows operating system. It stores pixel data in an uncompressed or minimally compressed form, resulting in large file sizes but perfect lossless quality. BMP is widely supported across Windows applications and is commonly used as an intermediate format in image processing workflows.

CUR is the Windows cursor file format used to store static mouse cursor images for the operating system. It shares the same internal structure as the ICO format and supports multiple sizes and color depths within a single file. CUR files define the appearance of mouse pointers in Windows applications and throughout the OS shell.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is one of the most recognized image formats on the internet, developed by CompuServe in 1987. It supports up to 256 colors per frame and lossless LZW compression, and is famous for its animation capability, making it ideal for simple looping clips and reaction images. GIF remains enormously popular for sharing short animations and memes across social media and messaging platforms.

ICO is the Windows icon file format used to display icons for applications, files, folders, and shortcuts in the operating system. It can contain multiple image sizes and color depths within a single file, ensuring icons look sharp at different display scales and DPI settings. ICO files are also used as website favicons — the small icon displayed in browser tabs, bookmarks, and address bars.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the most widely used lossy image compression format in the world, designed for compressing natural photographic images. It achieves high compression ratios by discarding visual detail that the human eye is less sensitive to, typically reducing file sizes by 10× or more. JPEG is universally supported across every device and application, and remains the standard format for digital photography and web images.

JPG is the most common file extension for the JPEG image format, which uses lossy compression to significantly reduce file sizes while maintaining visually acceptable quality. Every digital camera, smartphone, and web browser supports JPG natively, making it the dominant format for sharing photographs worldwide. Its excellent balance between file size and image quality has kept it the most-used image format for decades.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a widely-used lossless raster image format created as an open, patent-free alternative to GIF. It supports 24-bit color, full 8-bit alpha channel transparency, and highly efficient lossless compression. PNG is the preferred format for images with sharp edges, text overlays, logos, and any content where pixel-perfect lossless quality is essential, and it is universally supported in every browser and application.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML-based vector image format maintained by the W3C as an open web standard. Unlike raster formats, SVG images are mathematically defined and scale infinitely without any quality loss, and can be styled and animated with CSS and JavaScript directly in browsers. SVG is the definitive format for logos, icons, illustrations, and data visualizations that must look crisp across every screen size and resolution.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a flexible, high-quality raster image format widely used in professional photography, desktop publishing, scanning, and archival imaging. It supports lossless compression, multiple color spaces (RGB, CMYK, LAB), multi-page documents, and can embed multiple images within a single file. TIFF is the standard format for scanned documents, medical imaging, and any workflow that demands the highest possible image fidelity.

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web. It typically produces files 25-34% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality, and up to 26% smaller than PNG for lossless images. WebP also supports animation and alpha transparency, making it a versatile single replacement for JPEG, PNG, and GIF in modern web applications.