Do You Upload Png Or Jpeg And Is This A Boring Question

Jpg.

Unless you have a transparent image, then its a png.

Jpg is a compressed file, if you use too much compression it destroys all the content. Png doesn't compress but allows you to save layers, so it can be cut out. Tiff is archival, can save 16bits of info and layers. Its as close to a PSD as you can get and is universally accepted in most programs. But tiff is huge, and many sites don't use it. Jpg is the way to go just save it at the highest level unless its over 25mb.

Tif, tiff same thing. Jpg, jpeg, same thing.

GIF is pronounced Jiff - not as in GIFT, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.


----Mike Savad

Mike, if you don't mind mind me asking, what is a transparent image?

Why do you want to use a Jpg if it's a compressed image?

Thank you for the explanation on Tif, tiff and Jpg and jpeg.

Me thinks that png is still better than jpeg. Please explain why I am wrong. Thank you!

Side note: I'm logged in as a buyer right now so that is the reason for no picture of me.

JPG

I don't mess with PNGs at all.

Some think you have to have PNGs to sell T-Shirts and other clothing items.

You may sell more of them with PNGs, but they are low-profit items, and I sell plenty of them with PPG.

IMHO, it is not worth converting them to pick up a few more low-profit sales.

I use PNGs when I create an image from scratch by cutting out objects/animals/people out of their backgrounds. Then I will add elements/layers to another background and actually "create" a scene from these PNGs. But in the end, after I have created my digital scene, I save the finished file as a JPEG always.

PNG images have the transparent background but obviously you cannot have transparency as a preview image so when you load it you must save that PNG for the top image (prints) to a JPG. On products it will be transparent.

Or you can edit a normal image and can then scroll down the page and customise the other products with your transparent image

To create a PNG you remove the background in your photo editor. You then EXPORT the image retaining transparency. You cannot do this on a mobile device.

JPG store the data, (like IPTC) PNGs tend not to

JPG is used because my images would be 100's of megs large. A jpeg has to be compressed so its small enough to send.

Transparent is when you cut out an object and make it into a floating image.

For example:



chicken pot pi here is cut out so if you see it as a sticker or whatever, there is no background. As long as you don't flatten it, you can save it as a png. Originally gif was used for transparencies but those have limited colors.

If I saved my art as a PNG file, it would be about 200mb, as a jpg its about 85mb or less, and saved at a level 10 or 11, its around 27mb which I can upload usually.

If you uploaded it as a png file, the system as a print will flatten it anyway. And I think (if I recall), you still have to upload the pngs. When I remember to do it, when making digital art, I try to also keep the subject as a cut out and send that out as well. So I can have cute stickers.


----Mike Savad

Good question Lisa, i upload mostly .jpeg, but sometimes i use .PNG or TIFF to create.

An answer to your question: https://dw-images.com/jpeg-versus-png-files/

Abbie i can create PNGs using an iPad, i use Procreate and Graphic for iPad (300 dpi), the background can be removed on both. I could upload a transparent (background) PNG using my iPhone 14 Pro Max, but the most MP i can get is 8MP which is not good enough, mobile devices are getting better and it’s only a matter of time.

I can also save my digital art in PNG, Tiff, but the final step before upload is to do a simple edit that then saves the digital artwork in .jpeg. Saving .jpeg quality above 92% means that most of the PNG, Tiff image quality is retained.

Okay, so I was today years old when I found out that you could upload a different image for each of the items here so you could have some be transparent and some not, within the same listing. Thank you Abbie! I have some listings to fix this weekend! Lol I always just created a whole new listing for my transparent versions of things!

Lisa (thank you for explaining about why there was no photo of you! ) :-)

I refer to transparent images as "no background" images. They are great for products and tshirts as they allow the customer to select the background color. Here is the cover photo for my No Background Collection. I wanted to show customers just what it meant to be transparent, or have no background.

What a good idea! When I can I will try to have transparent images, thank you everyone!

Yes, I must say I learned a thing or fifty just now. Who knew? Lol

I have uploaded both. And the question is not boring.

You also have to know how to cut them out. I've seen people save it as a png thinking the background will just magically cut itself out. And cutting it where you don't have hard edges, jagged curves, white borders is harder than it looks. Though I think there are AI lasso's, if you have a fancy photoshop. I would avoid fades, they may look weird. And the background must be totally free of pixels. Otherwise as a sticker you'll have a big flat blob around the tiny little speck. And the files are much larger, you really will want to have to want it.

I haven't found that cut outs sell better than anything else. But as shown they do allow better backgrounds to show up.


----Mike Savad

I had been uploading JPEG files however, since such an informative answer was given about PNG files, I believe that I will be switching to PNG to preserve the quality of my work

@ryan - Actually you won't.

Png is HUGE, the same image at 10mb jpg, will now be like 50mb png.

If you want to save an archival size, use tiff, but you will never be under the 25mb limit on the site if you send it as a png file. And you don't lose a lot with a jpg if you compress it at the best level.

While on the topic, you have to repair the images, you have many that are in the wrong orientation and they all need clean cropping, some are too small, some have edges, some have your name clipped off, they won't print it like that. Some are soft up close. .. A scanner is your best bet for flat work.


----Mike Savad

PNG

On this website, I mostly upload good quality JPEGS. Those seem to be the only ones that will fit under 25 MB.

Mike and others, thank you for explaining so many things.

That knowledge that all of you share is very helpful.

I thought that saving them as png would cut them out...

I only use PNGs when I need transparency, but here's and interesting 2 minute guide from Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/file-types/image/comparison/jpeg-vs-png.html

Thank you for the info, Richard.

@lucia - Simply saving it as a png wouldn't cut it out, it doesn't know where to cut it out.

You can always recognize a png in an image that's been cut out in the search because it has the checkers behind it... Btw. Checkers are the normal sign that its a transparent for some reason.


----Mike Savad

Thank you Mike, I'm convinced that jpg is the best way to go. I definitely wouldn't know how to cut those checkers out, but I think I've cut out things before in Adobe, but I can't remember.

I think painting is enough work, the constant work on Adobe annoys me. If I have to spend more than 15 minutes, I'm already exhausted.

I wonder how long many of you spend on a computer in production mode.

Its the only way to go. You can try it as a png for fun, I bet its well over a 100 megs. The checkers are simply there to show its transparent there. But it would be cut out the same ways. But there are dozens of ways.

I spend the day. From 8am to 10pm or so. On and off.


----Mike Savad

Well that is a reasonable amount of time Mike, thanks for all the value you bring to the forum. I think I will close this discussion soon, but will leave it open for a short while.

I hope everyone got a chance to say what they wanted to say. Have a great weekend.

If your medium is computer, then that's what you use. If its metal then you will be in a workshop. And if its painting its behind the canvas.. Or I guess in front of it.


----Mike Savad