Image Formats

In digital media and asset management, choosing the right image format plays a crucial role. Different formats are suited for different use cases depending on their compression method, color depth, and transparency support.

JPEG / JPG

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is one of the most widely used formats for photographs and complex images. It uses lossy compression, which reduces file sizes significantly at the cost of some image quality.

  • Use cases: Photographs, web images, product images

  • Pros: Small file size, widely supported

  • Cons: Lossy compression (quality loss with each save), no transparency support

PNG

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) supports lossless compression and transparency, making it ideal for graphics, logos, and images with transparent backgrounds.

  • Use cases: Logos, icons, graphics with transparency, screenshots

  • Pros: Lossless compression, transparency support (alpha channel)

  • Cons: Larger file sizes than JPEG for photographs

TIFF

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a high-quality format commonly used in professional photography and print production. It supports lossless compression and multiple layers.

  • Use cases: Print production, archiving, professional photography

  • Pros: Lossless quality, supports layers and metadata

  • Cons: Very large file sizes

WebP

WebP is a modern image format developed by Google that provides both lossless and lossy compression, offering smaller file sizes than JPEG and PNG while maintaining comparable quality.

  • Use cases: Web images, e-commerce product images

  • Pros: Smaller file sizes, supports transparency, lossless and lossy options

  • Cons: Not supported by all older software

SVG

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is a vector format based on XML. Unlike raster formats, SVG images can be scaled to any size without loss of quality.

  • Use cases: Logos, icons, illustrations, infographics

  • Pros: Resolution-independent, scalable, small file size for simple graphics

  • Cons: Not suitable for photographs, complex SVGs can be large

RAW

RAW is not a single format but a category of unprocessed image data captured directly by a camera sensor. RAW files contain all image data and allow maximum post-processing flexibility.

  • Use cases: Professional photography, image editing

  • Pros: Maximum quality and editing flexibility

  • Cons: Very large file sizes, requires specialized software for editing

Relevance for OMN

OMN supports a variety of image formats in its DAM module. Understanding the characteristics of each format helps you choose the right format for upload, export, and delivery.

For information on supported formats in OMN, refer to Supported File Formats.

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