PNGformaattia

PNGformaattia, also known as the Portable Network Graphics format, is a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression. This means that when an image is compressed using PNG, no quality is lost, unlike with formats like JPEG which use lossy compression. PNG was developed in the mid-1990s as a more efficient and patent-free replacement for the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF).

A key feature of PNG is its support for transparency. This allows for images to have varying degrees of opacity, making them ideal for web design where images may need to be placed over different colored backgrounds or other graphical elements without a solid border. There are two main types of transparency supported: alpha channel transparency and indexed transparency. Alpha channel transparency offers full control over pixel opacity, while indexed transparency limits transparency to specific colors within a palette.

PNG is widely used on the internet for graphics that require sharp lines, text, or defined color areas, such as logos, icons, and diagrams. It is not generally recommended for photographic images where subtle color gradations and detail are important, as the lossless compression can result in larger file sizes compared to lossy formats like JPEG. The format supports a wide color depth, including truecolor (24-bit) and grayscale (8-bit) images.