2w ago

PNG is back!

www.programmax.net

PNG is back!

cross-posted from: https://kbin.earth/m/programming@programming.dev/t/1528736

After 20 years, PNG is back with renewed vigor! A new PNG spec was just released.

12 comments

I didn't know PNG ever went away. I'm using em all the time.
- The title is hyperbole. PNG is lagging behind modern lossless formats in terms of new features.
  This doesn't mean it's a bad format or that it shouldn't be used. In fact, it should still be the default unless you need something it doesn't support or really need to reduce file size.
  
  In fact, it should still be the default unless you need something it doesn’t support or really need to reduce file size.
  I disagree. It is wasteful (we're talking ~30% savings with lossless WebP or JPEG-XL) and widely misused, which matters at the massive scale of the Internet with technically inexperienced people making up plenty of those images.
  
  This doesn’t mean it’s a bad format or that it shouldn’t be used. In fact, it should still be the default unless you need something it doesn’t support or really need to reduce file size.
  I rather disagree. I’ve switched to lossless WebP for all my needs. There are practically no drawbacks and I get a smaller file.
- Yeah, me too. Unless I'm saving a photo or a vector drawing, then I always choose PNG
HDR and EXIF are great changes.. APNG, if already being used for some apps/services, seems a logic choice. Maybe it'll finally mean the end of gifs once and for all?
What I'm more excited for though, is the improvements in compression that the article hints that are being worked on. Specially if it can beat other more modern formats that have added lossless compression like jpegxl. I feel it's best to have separate formats for lossless and lossy, to prevent the off-chance of lossyness getting through.
Not that I've seen anything wrong with what we currently have, but this is big!

12 comments