GIF versus JPEG: Choosing a Graphics Compression Format for Web Publications

Abstract

Currently, there are two formats for graphics that are used in Web publications: GIF (officially pronounced "jif") and JPEG (also known as JPG, and pronounced "jay-peg"). Each of these standards takes a computer image and compresses it up to 100 times. Today's browsers have built-in decompressors for each format, so many Web page creators do not know which one to use. The common myth is that JPEG creates smaller files, but this is not always true. The intention of this article is to help Web page creators make an informed decision when selecting a format for each graphic in a Web publication.