JPG is still reliable for photos
JPG is a strong default for photographs because it handles complex colors and natural textures well. It usually creates smaller files than PNG for photos, but it does not support transparency and repeated saves can reduce quality.
Use JPG for product photos, hero images, blog photography, and other images where a transparent background is not required.
PNG is best when transparency matters
PNG is useful for logos, interface images, screenshots, and cutout graphics. It preserves hard edges and supports transparent pixels, which makes it important for product and design workflows.
The tradeoff is file size. A large PNG photograph can be much heavier than a JPG or WebP version, so avoid PNG for full photo galleries unless transparency is required.
WebP is often the best web delivery format
WebP supports strong compression and can handle both photographic images and transparency. It is a good choice when page speed matters and the image will be served on a modern website.
If your workflow starts with JPG or PNG files, convert a copy to WebP and compare the result. Keep source files separately so you can regenerate assets later.
Build a simple format rule
Use JPG for photos, PNG for transparency, and WebP for fast web delivery when your platform supports it. This simple rule prevents most format mistakes.