GIF and JPEG are two of the most popular formats for graphics files on the Internet. It is advisable to use JPEG for photos, GIF for animations, and PNG for other images needed for online use.
Comparison chart
 | GIF | JPEG |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/gif | image/jpeg |
| Color management | No | Yes |
| File extensions | .gif, .gfa | .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe |
| Support for animation | Yes | No |
| Stands for | Graphics Interchange Format | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| Raster/vector | Raster | Raster |
| Support for transparency | Yes | No |
| Support for multi-page | Yes | No |
| Indexed color | Yes | No |
| Type of format | Raster graphics image format | Raster graphics image format |
| Support for metadata | Yes | Yes |
| Interlacing support | Yes | Yes |
| Support for layers | Yes | No |
| Extendable | Yes (GIF89a) | No |
| Compression algorithm | Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) | DCT-based lossy compression |
| Applications compatible | Most web browsers and productivity suites | Most web browsers and productivity suites |
| Patented | No | No, but parts of the technology, including its compression methods, have been the subject of multiple patent lawsuits. |
| Uniform Type Identifier | com.compuserve.gif | public.jpeg |
| Magic Number | GIF87a/GIF89a | ff d8 |
| Color depth | Only 256 colors supported | 8-bit (grayscale), 12-bit, 24-bit |
Applications
JPEG files are best for photographs. GIF files are appropriate for images that are animations. A limitation of GIF files is that they only support 256 colors.
File size
JPEG is a "lossy" format and you can control the file size by tweaking the Quality parameter in most image editing software. This parameter controls the aggressiveness of lossy compression used in the file. Generally, files saved at 85-90% quality using tools like ImageOptim result in significantly reduced file sizes, at the cost of minor color and detail loss that is usually indistinguishable to the naked eye.
GIF files offer pretty good compression (better than JPEG) but they only support 256 colors. Experts recommend using PNG files instead of GIF for all non-animation applications.
GIF vs PNG
See the full GIF vs PNG comparison for more details.
The PNG format has several advantages over GIF:
- Better compression, resulting in reduced file size (typically 5 - 25% better)
- PNG supports variable transparency (alpha channels).
- PNG offers control of image brightness (via cross-platform gamma correction) and color correction.
- PNG supports two-dimensional interlacing (a method of progressive display) while GIF does not.
Market Share
References
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