PNG24 vs. PNG8: Living the Glowless Life

As the battle between pngs continues, I give you a visual example of the limitations the png8 format has. Larger PNG8 images (201x201px up) begin to lose resolution. That is because PNG8 does not support gradients, and larger images expose higher detail. Also, PNG8 is bad to glows (as seen in the black backpack), while PNG24 (blue jacket) treats them with grace.

For these 201×201 product images, I kept optimizing them using 64 Colors, and the Selective / Diffusion / Transparent settings in the Save For Web menu.

Remember PNG8 is best used on relatively small images, like thumbs. It can give you 70% savings in file size, and give you the transparency you need. Use with caution ; )

-Alex