What is PNG? The Portable Network Graphics Format Explained

What is PNG? The Portable Network Graphics Format Explained PNG is the format you reach for when quality cannot be compromised — when you need a logo without a white box behind it, a screenshot where every pixel stays crisp, or an icon that scales cleanly on any background. Understanding what a PNG file actually is, and when it beats the alternatives, saves you from using the wrong format and wondering why your images look blurry or bloated. What is PNG? PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics . It is a raster image format that uses lossless compression, meaning every pixel in the original image is preserved exactly when you save and re-open the file. A Brief History PNG was created in 1996 specifically to solve a legal problem. The GIF format (then the dominant web image format) relied on the LZW compression algorithm, which was patented by Unisys. Web developers faced the prospect of paying royalties just to display GIFs. A group of developers created PNG as a free, open alternative