PNG - Portable Graphics Format - is a type of raster image file widely used across the internet. They are widely compatible with plenty of software applications. Unlike JPG files, PNG files have lossless data compression, which means they can be reduced in size without losing data and overall image quality. They also have the ability to read transparent backgrounds, making them great for logos and other icons that tend to be displayed over pictures. You’ll find that most online applications support PNGs, and they are commonly used for digital photographs as well as graphics.
A GIF - or graphics interchange format - is a bitmap file widely used around the internet. GIFs contain up to 256 colors, so they’re not often used for photos, but as they have lossless compression, they work well for navigation buttons and logos on websites. A huge difference between a GIF and another bitmap image file, like a JPG, is that they can be saved as animated GIFs, which cycle between images to create a short, looping animation. These are primarily designed for - and used across - websites on the internet. You’ve definitely come across them before, particularly on social media and image sharing apps.
What do PNG files and GIF files have in common? They both support transparent backgrounds for a start. The advantage of GIFs is that the file sizes tend to much smaller because the colors are more compressed. You might think of GIFs as being just animated, but static GIFs are useful image file types too. If you have a PNG and want to retain the background transparency, try converting the PNG to a GIF. It won’t be an animated GIF, but you’ll end up with a compressed image perfect for uploading and sharing on the web.
WinZip is more than just a PNG to GIF converter. We built WinZip to convert multiple file formats, including the formats below.
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