Since time immemorial (okay, since the early 1990s), the two most used image formats for the web were GIF and JPEG. A newer kid on the block (1996) is PNG (Portable Network Graphics). It has a number of compelling features, such as full alpha transparency, small file size, and the ability to compress both line art and photographs well. But it hasn't found widespread acceptance. Philip Hoyt has an evolt.org article focused on the decision To PNG or not to PNG. Hoyt tests PNG in a number of graphics apps and browsers. The result? It turns out the software isn't doing a good job handling PNGs. Some browsers (I'm looking at you, IE6) don't handle the transparency features well, and Photoshop isn't that efficient at PNG compression. Bummer.
Posted by Karl
May 20, 2003 12:56 PM