Image File Types Explained: JPG, PNG, SVG, PDF, AI, and WebP
- Lionel Lowery
- March 20, 2026
Last Updated: July 27, 2026
TL;DR
- JPG: photographs and social images. Never your logo.
- PNG: web graphics and logos with clear backgrounds. Not for large photos.
- HEIC: iPhone photos on Apple devices. Convert before you send it anywhere.
- RAW: unprocessed camera data for professional editing. Always export before delivery.
- SVG: logos and icons that stay sharp at any size.
- PDF: print files and shareable documents. Final, not editable.
- AI: a master working file your whole brand is built from.
- WebP: the format your website should be using.
Someone asks for your logo in SVG. Your web developer needs a PNG with a transparent background. Your print shop wants a high-resolution file and you're not sure what that means.
You're not alone. File formats confuse a lot of people. But once you understand the basic characteristics of each one, the confusion clears up quickly.
First, There Are Only Two Kinds of Image Files
Raster images are made of pixels. A fixed grid of colored dots arranged to form a picture. Zoom in far enough and you'll see the individual squares. Enlarge a raster image past its original size and it goes soft and blocky, because there aren't any extra pixels to fill the new space. JPG, PNG, HEIC, RAW, and WebP are all raster.
Vector images are made of math. Instead of storing dots, the file stores coordinates, curves, and instructions. The image gets redrawn at whatever size you ask for, so it's just as sharp on a billboard as it is on a business card. SVG and AI are vector. PDF can hold both. Everything below is a variation on that idea.
REMEMBER:
If you remember one thing, remember this. Photos are raster. Logos should be vector. Almost every file format problem you'll ever run into traces back to someone using one where the other belonged.
JPEG: The Standard Format for Digital Photos
JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It's been the most widely used photographic file format since 1992, largely because it compresses photos effectively while keeping file sizes manageable. It's the default format on most mobile phones.
JPEG is a lossy format. Each time you save a JPEG, it throws away a small amount of image data to keep the file small. You might not notice after the first save, but repeatedly saving and re-saving will eventually show visible degradation.
Worth clearing up, since this trips people up constantly: opening or viewing a JPEG doesn't hurt it. You can look at the same photo a thousand times and nothing changes. The damage only happens when you re-save or re-compress the file. So a JPEG that's been emailed around for three years is fine. A JPEG that's been opened, edited, and saved twenty times isn't.
JPEG works well for sharing photos online, through websites, social media, or email, and for any image where a smaller file size matters more than pixel-perfect precision.
One thing to avoid: saving your logo as a JPEG. The compression creates distortion and artifacts on sharp edges, and JPEG can't hold a transparent background, so you'll get a white box around your mark. Unless there's no other option, keep your logo out of JPEG format.
PNG: Lossless and Transparent
PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics. It's a lossless format, meaning image quality doesn't degrade when you save or open it again. What you see stays exactly as it is.
Most people request PNGs because of the transparent background. When you save a logo as a PNG, you can place it over photos, colors, or other design elements without a white box appearing around it.
PNGs work well for logos on websites, graphics with text or clean lines, and any image intended for digital display.
The one area where PNG struggles is large photographs. Because PNG uses lossless compression, photo files can get very large and slow down your site.
When exporting, you may be able to choose between two versions:
- PNG-8 is limited to 256 colors. The file is small, which makes it a good fit for simple logos, flat icons, and basic graphics.
- PNG-24 supports millions of colors and multiple levels of transparency, including soft edges and drop shadows. Better for complex graphics and anything with a gradient.
If someone asks for your logo for a website or digital project, PNG is usually the right call.
HEIC: Apple's Space-Saving Format
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. Since iOS 11, iPhones have shot photos in HEIC by default. Apple adopted it because HEIC reduces file sizes by roughly 50% compared to a visually similar JPEG. For anyone with a large photo library, that's significant.
HEIC works well for storing photos on Apple devices and sharing within the Apple ecosystem. Quality stays high and file sizes stay small.
The problem comes when you step outside that ecosystem. Windows 10 and 11 can display HEIC, but only after you install Microsoft's free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. And because iPhone HEIC files use HEVC compression internally, most people also need the separate HEVC Video Extensions, which costs about a dollar in most regions. So "just install the extension" is really two installs, one of which isn't free.
Most web platforms and email clients don't support HEIC either. They'll reject the file or auto-convert it on upload, which can cost you quality without telling you.
HEIC is fine for your own device. It isn't suitable for sharing with clients, uploading to websites, or using in design work. When in doubt, switch your iPhone camera to Most Compatible in settings, or convert images before sharing.
FILE TIP:
Sending a HEIC file means asking the receiver to solve a problem before they can see your photo. Convert first. It takes seconds and it's the difference between "here you go" and "sorry, try this instead."
RAW: The Starting Point for Professional Editing
RAW isn't an acronym. It describes exactly what it is: unprocessed data captured directly from the camera sensor before any editing has taken place. No compression, no color adjustment, no sharpening. Just the raw information the camera recorded.
RAW files are ideal for professional and commercial photo shoots where post-processing quality matters. They hold far more detail in shadows and highlights than a JPEG does, which is what makes serious color and exposure work possible.
One archiving note if you're keeping your own libraries. RAW isn't a single format. Every camera manufacturer uses its own proprietary version, like Canon's .CR3 or Nikon's .NEF, and support for older ones can quietly fade as software moves on. Converting your keepers to DNG, Adobe's open RAW format, protects you from that. It's the same image data in a format that isn't tied to one company's roadmap.
I don't deliver RAW files, and here's why: they're not a finished product. They require specialized software just to open. Handing over a RAW file is like a tailor giving you cut fabric instead of a finished garment. The material is there, but the work that makes it useful hasn't happened yet. What you receive from me is the result of that process.
RAW files are a starting point. Don't share them directly or post them online.
SVG: Infinitely Scalable
SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. This is the vector side of the split from the top of this post, so instead of a grid of pixels, the file stores coordinates and shapes.
What that means in practice: an SVG never loses quality no matter how much you scale it. Blown up to billboard size or shrunk to a browser favicon, it stays sharp. It's also usually a very small file, which is part of why developers ask for it.
SVG is ideal for logos, website icons, and any graphic that needs to scale without losing quality.
Where SVG has limits: photography. You'd never convert a photo to SVG. It's designed for graphics and illustrations, not complex color gradients.
If your designer gives you your logo as an SVG, store it carefully. That's the most versatile version of your logo.
PDF: The Document You Share and Print
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It was designed to ensure a document looks the same regardless of the device, software, or application used to open it. A PDF can contain both vector and raster content in a single file, so you don't have to choose between high-quality photos and clear, legible text.
When a printer asks for a high-resolution PDF, they want a finalized file that doesn't need further modification before going to press. Some will ask for a specific standard, usually PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4. Those are press-ready presets that lock in color handling, fonts, and transparency so nothing shifts on their end. If your printer names one, your designer can export to it directly. If they don't name one, ask. It's a ten-second question that prevents a reprint.
PDF's main limitation is editability. It's designed to create a final version of a document, not to allow revisions. Fonts are typically converted to outlines during export, which makes the file printer-safe but removes the ability to edit the text. Minor edits are sometimes possible using a tool like Adobe Acrobat Pro, but they'll never be as efficient as working from the original source file.
When you're sending something to a printer or sharing a document for review, PDF is the right choice.
AI: A Master Source File
Unlike output formats like JPEG or PNG, an Adobe Illustrator (AI) file is a working file, the one professional designs are actually built in. It's proprietary, so you need Illustrator to open it, and it's vector-based, so a logo can scale from a business card to a billboard without any loss in quality.
Here's the relationship that matters: your AI file is the original, and every other format is an export from it. The PNG for your website, the SVG for your developer, the PDF for your printer, all of them come out of that one file. Lose the AI file and you haven't lost a copy of your logo, you've lost the ability to make new ones cleanly.
AI files preserve all layers, fonts, and editable paths. They're the most valuable asset in your brand library. Store your original AI files carefully. A professional designer will need them any time your brand requires an update or a new high-quality export.
WebP: The Best Format for Web Performance
WebP is a modern image format developed by Google for better compression and performance on the web. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, plus transparency and animation, while keeping file sizes roughly 25% to 35% smaller than a comparable JPEG or PNG. Most of the images saved on this site are WebP.
Smaller files mean faster page loads, which helps both your search rankings and the experience of anyone using your site. With support across every modern browser, WebP has become the practical default for web imagery.
There's a newer format behind it worth knowing about. AVIF compresses even more efficiently than WebP and now runs in every major browser, covering roughly 94% to 95% of users as of early 2026. That last few percent is why most sites still serve a WebP or JPEG fallback alongside it. You don't need to act on AVIF today, but if your developer brings it up, they're not chasing something experimental.
TOOL TIP:
Many plug-ins can convert images and serve the right format automatically. If yours doesn't do that, I built a free tool for exactly this problem. Tiny Canvas lets you drop in an image, convert it to WebP or another format, compress it.
What You Should Actually Have on File
If you have a logo, you should have at least four versions stored:
- An AI or EPS master file, the original your designer built it in.
- An SVG for web development and anything that needs to scale.
- A PNG with a transparent background for everyday digital use.
- A PDF for print vendors.
If you only have one version and it's a low-resolution JPEG pulled off your own website, that's worth fixing before your next print job, not during it. It's the kind of thing nobody notices until there's a deadline attached.
I put together a one-page reference sheet with all of this on it, the formats, what each one's for, and what to send when someone asks. It's free, and it's built to live in your brand folder so you're not searching for this post six months from now.
Lionel Lowery
I'm Lionel, a marketing and brand strategist who helps clients find clarity and build systems that hold up.
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