Each of these file formats is designed with a specific purpose in mind, so it's important to understand the differences when we use them on our websites. The biggest advantage of photos is their ability to connect what users see on the website with a real world of physical things and living people. Photos have been part of human reality for many decades, long before the arrival of the Internet, so these types of images are somewhat native, close and clear to us. In addition, with all those devices that allow any of us to capture something in a second, photography is truly a part of many people's daily lives, so when used on a website, it establishes strong connections and associations.
In addition, photography is also a type of art. With them, you can establish the balance between realism and aesthetics in your web user interface. You can keep the necessary style attractive to your target audience and create the necessary emotional background. This is one of the reasons for choosing photos to support articles on blogs and media websites.
Without a doubt, photos are the main tool for visual product presentation on e-commerce websites, where the “you get what you see” principle is a vital part of success. One of the most popular design trends in recent years is the use of photos as a background image. This approach makes screens visually and emotionally appealing. In addition, it supports the sense of integrity of all design elements.
On the other hand, it requires a great deal of attention to the contrast and readability of all the elements, which can be more difficult to achieve than in the case of a monochrome background. Below are two example images that I will use to show how and when to use each image format. You may already be familiar with these methods, but if you haven't really studied them, it's worth reviewing them. When it comes to digital design, there are only a few file formats we need to worry about.
The three main types of files used for digital use are. PNG,. JPG and. There are some pretty big differences in what type of file would be appropriate for your current project, and choosing the right one can make a big difference.
Knowing what format to use can save you a lot of time and avoid having to make changes after sending or uploading the file. The. The PNG file format is what we would use most frequently in digital design projects. PNG, or Portable Network Graphic, usually has a larger file size than the other two formats, but it also retains rigid borders and can support a large number of colors, while keeping the load time fast enough for online use.
Another interesting feature is that it can be saved in a transparent way. This means that we can use the important elements of an image without having to change things like the background color if we set it to transparency. This is one of the main reasons why most major sites create their logo as. PNG, so you don't need to change every time your site is updated.
The best uses for. PNG files include images that contain text, graphics with hard edges, and elements that require transparent backgrounds, such as logos. The GIF file format is essentially the fastest-loading cousin of. PNG with a single tap, the image must have exactly 256 colors.
This limits designers much more than you might think. You should only use this file format for low-resolution images. Therefore, elements such as photographs or graphics that use gradients would be immediately discarded for the. GIF format.
However, elements such as plain colored buttons or banners are ideal, since they (normally) load faster than those. PNG version, maintaining all the interesting functions, such as transparencies and the preservation of hard edges. Another impressive feature that only. GIFs can use their animation.
Therefore, you can create a graphic that uses a short-loop or single-play animation, which doesn't require any add-ons, since it's just an image file. We've compiled some background on the ins and outs of the three main image formats for web design to help you do your job faster and easier. In fact, there are so many acronyms that keeping track of them can be complicated. It doesn't matter to figure out what is the best image format to use on your website.
The value of super-small files for images seems to be diminishing as broadband expands across the Internet, but speed will always be a useful feature of the site, and understanding these image formats is the first step in optimizing your own images on the web. There is no one type of image that is “best” for web design, each one can be used, often simultaneously in the same project, to achieve the desired results. You can use more abstract images, which are clarified by the context created by other images and other types of content on your site. One way to find indexed images when you're not sure exactly how you want to convey an idea is to use keyword searches on photo-sharing sites, such as Flickr or stock photo sites (make sure you use properly licensed images (opens in a new tab) if you're actually using them in your design, instead of simply using the search as inspiration).
This booking service website uses 3D graphics as a large thematic image that occupies the left part of the page and immediately catches the user's attention. The 3D rendered model of a house allows users to see the photorealistic image of the service offered and even manipulate it to see the view in day and night mode. Ideally, you should choose formats that allow you to display high-quality images without significantly slowing down your site. More specifically, JPEG files can allow you to get a little more out of the performance of your web pages, due to their high compression ratio, but only if you use them for images with a lot of color, like all photographs, basically.
Depending on the objectives of the website design, creative and marketing teams choose between different types of images. If you want your site to load as fast as possible and don't mind sacrificing image quality a little, JPEG is the best image format for your needs. .
