Why it matters: For decades, JPEG, PNG, and GIF have remained among the most popular image formats, even as newer options like WebP and AVIF have emerged. Now, PNG is getting its first meaningful update in over 20 years with the release of its third edition, making the format more versatile than ever.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which manages web standards and guidelines, recently published new specifications for the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) image format. The updated format now supports animations, a wider range of colors, Exif metadata, and HDR. To enable HDR, the spec uses CICP – a compact labeling method that defines an image's color space with just four bytes of data, allowing high dynamic range without significantly increasing file size.
Furthermore, users won't have to wait for HDR PNGs to gain broad support. Chromium-based browsers (including Chrome and Edge), along with Firefox and Safari, already render higher color ranges correctly. In the comparison below, the top image includes CICP data and should appear brighter, while the bottom one looks more washed out.
Developers first added animation support to PNGs in 2001, and browsers like Firefox have supported it for years. However, the feature didn't appear in the official specification until the latest release. Animated PNGs offer more colors than GIFs but also come with larger file sizes.
Support for Exif data allows photographers to embed information like copyright, lens type, and GPS location directly into image files. ProgramMax notes that modern browsers, iOS, macOS, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid Media Composer, already support the new PNG specification.
Also Read: Why Do Image Files Need Different Formats?
The PNG format first appeared in early 1995 as a royalty-free alternative to GIF. Developers created it after Unisys, which held the patent for GIF, announced in December 1994 that it would start collecting royalties from software using the format. The creators aimed to deliver superior compression without fees. Today, PNG remains popular for its lossless compression, high image quality, and support for transparency.
The W3C collaborated with experts from Google, the BBC, Apple, Adobe, NBCUniversal, and MovieLabs to develop PNG's third edition. A fourth edition may follow soon to enhance compatibility between HDR and SDR images, while the fifth edition should improve compression.