Picking the wrong image format can triple your page weight for zero visual gain. Here is the practical breakdown.
JPEG — photos
Lossy compression designed for photographs. Great size-to-quality ratio for complex images with gradients. Bad for text, logos, and anything needing transparency.
PNG — graphics with transparency
Lossless, supports transparency. Perfect for logos, screenshots, and UI elements. Files are much larger than JPEG for photos — never use PNG for photography.
WebP — the modern default
Google's format: ~30% smaller than JPEG at the same quality, supports transparency and animation. Supported by all modern browsers. When in doubt, ship WebP.
SVG — logos and icons
Vector, infinitely scalable, tiny for simple graphics. Ideal for logos and icons. Useless for photos.
The 10-second decision tree
Photo → WebP (or JPEG). Needs transparency → WebP or PNG. Logo/icon → SVG. Screenshot with text → PNG.
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