JPG for photographs
JPG is often a good choice for photos with many colors and gradients. Compression reduces file size at the cost of some detail. It does not support transparency: keep a PNG or WebP version for a logo without a background.
PNG for transparency and graphics
PNG supports fully transparent areas and partially transparent edges. It is useful for logos, illustrations and screenshots containing text. A photo saved as PNG may be larger than a JPG. PlayersHD preserves existing transparency; it does not remove a white background already painted into the file.
WebP for smaller files
WebP can combine compression with transparency. Before choosing it, confirm that the destination site supports it. For an older forum, JPG or PNG may be more compatible.
File size and dimensions are different limits
A file with a small size in MB can still contain too many pixels. If an image is rejected, reduce its dimensions while keeping the same proportions. Simply renaming .jpg to .png does not convert the format.
Keep your original
PlayersHD re-encodes files to store valid images and removes metadata during this process. The result may have a different file size or quality. Keep the original if you need all its details or metadata.
Practical examples
- For a landscape shared in a chat, try JPG at 1920 px to reduce dimensions while keeping a large image.
- For a logo with transparent edges, choose PNG and keep the original. Check its edges on both light and dark backgrounds.
- For a screenshot containing small text, check readability before choosing 1280 px: shrinking too far can make it hard to read.
Resizing does not guarantee a particular file size. Links retain the uploaded format extension, but images are re-encoded for storage.