Media Formats & Codecs

Audio Formats

FLAC (.flac)

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is a digital audio file format that compresses audio data without losing any quality. It is a lossless format, meaning that the original audio data is preserved, unlike lossy formats like MP3.

FLAC is a popular lossless audio format that offers superior sound quality and wider compatibility compared to lossy formats like MP3. Its open-source nature and community-driven development ensure its continued improvement and widespread adoption. If you’re looking for a format that prioritizes audio fidelity, FLAC is an excellent choice.

FLAC is for audio what zip is for files.

Key Features:

• Lossless compression: FLAC reduces file size without sacrificing audio quality.
• Bit-perfect copies: FLAC files are identical to the original uncompressed audio files.
• Wide compatibility: FLAC is supported by many devices, including smartphones, portable music players, and hi-fi components.
• Open-source: FLAC is an open-source format, ensuring its development and maintenance are community-driven.

Advantages:

• Better sound quality: FLAC preserves the original audio data, resulting in a more accurate and detailed sound.
• Larger file sizes: FLAC files are typically larger than MP3 files, but this is a trade-off for the improved sound quality.
• Wider range of supported sampling rates and bit depths: FLAC supports up to 24-bit/192kHz, making it suitable for high-resolution audio.

Use Cases:

• Audiophiles: FLAC is ideal for music enthusiasts who prioritize sound quality and want to enjoy their music in its purest form.
• Music collectors: FLAC files are a great choice for music collectors who want to preserve their music library in a lossless format.
• Hi-fi enthusiasts: FLAC is suitable for those who use high-end audio equipment and want to take full advantage of its capabilities.

OPUS (.opus)

Opus is a modern, open-source, royalty-free audio codec developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation and standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It is designed to efficiently code speech and general audio in a single format, while maintaining low latency and low complexity.

Opus replaces Vorbis and Speex, and is ranked higher-quality than any other standard audio format, including MP3, AAC, and HE-AAC.

Key Features:

• Hybrid design: Opus combines the speech-oriented LPC-based SILK algorithm and the lower-latency MDCT-based CELT algorithm, allowing it to adapt to different audio types and conditions.
• Low latency: Opus has a low algorithmic delay of 26.5 ms (using 20 ms frames and default application settings), making it suitable for real-time applications like telephony, Voice over IP, and videoconferencing.
• High-quality audio: Opus has been shown to provide higher quality than other standard audio formats (MP3, AAC, HE-AAC) at similar bitrates.
• Flexible bitrate and bandwidth: Opus allows for continuous adjustment of bitrate, audio bandwidth, complexity, and algorithm in each frame, enabling smooth transitions between different conditions.
• Container format: Opus data is typically encapsulated in Ogg containers (audio/ogg; codecs=opus), although it can also be used in other container formats like Matroska and WebM.
• Open-source and royalty-free: Opus is freely available for use and modification, with no licensing fees or royalties.

Use Cases:

• Real-time communication: Opus is well-suited for applications like voice and video conferencing, online gaming, and instant messaging.
• Streaming: Opus is used in various streaming services, including music and podcast streaming.
• Audio encoding: Opus can be used to encode audio files for storage and playback.
• Multimedia applications: Opus is incorporated into various multimedia frameworks and libraries, such as WebRTC and FFmpeg.

Image Formats

APNG (.apng)

APNG is a raster image format that extends the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format to support animation. It was designed to provide a patent-free and open alternative to the proprietary GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) format for animated images.

APNG is a versatile and patent-free image format that extends the capabilities of PNG to support animation. While it has limitations, APNG is a suitable choice for simple animations and web graphics that require lossless compression and transparency.

Key Features:

• Animation: APNG supports frame-based animation, allowing for the creation of simple animations.
• Lossless compression: Like PNG, APNG uses lossless compression to store images, ensuring that the original image data is preserved.
• Transparency: APNG supports transparency, allowing for animated images with transparent backgrounds.
• Patent-free: APNG is not patented, making it a freely usable format.

Structure:

An APNG file consists of a PNG file with additional metadata and animation data. The structure includes:

• PNG header: The standard PNG file header.
• APNG header: A custom header that indicates the file is an APNG.
• Frame data: A sequence of PNG frames, each representing a single animation frame.
• Delay time: A list of delay times between frames, specifying the duration of each frame.
• Looping: Information about the animation loop, including the number of iterations and whether the animation should loop indefinitely.

Advantages:

• Patent-free: APNG is not subject to patent restrictions, making it a freely usable format.
• Lossless compression: APNG maintains the original image quality, unlike lossy formats like GIF.
• Wide compatibility: APNG is supported by many image viewers and browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.

Disadvantages:

• Limited animation capabilities: APNG is designed for simple animations and may not be suitable for complex or high-fidelity animations.
• Large file sizes: APNG files can be larger than GIF files due to the additional metadata and frame data.

Use Cases and suitable for:

• Simple animations: Logos, icons, or short animations that require a lossless and patent-free format.
• Web graphics: APNG can be used for animated web graphics, such as buttons, banners, or other interactive elements.
• Embedded systems: APNG can be used in embedded systems, such as set-top boxes or gaming consoles, where a patent-free and lossless format is required.

AVIF (.avif)

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern, open-source image compression format developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia). It is based on the AV1 video codec and provides efficient and high-quality compression for still images and image sequences.

AVIF is an efficient, and high-quality image compression format that offers a promising alternative to traditional formats like JPEG and PNG. Its open-source nature, royalty-free licensing, and widespread support make it an attractive choice for web developers, image editors, and anyone seeking to optimize image storage and delivery.

Key Features:

• Lossless and Lossy Compression: AVIF supports both lossless and lossy compression, allowing for flexible trade-offs between file size and image quality.
• High-Quality Compression: AVIF compresses images more efficiently than traditional formats like JPEG, WebP, and PNG, resulting in smaller file sizes and faster load times.
• Open-Source and Royalty-Free: AVIF is an open-source format, free from royalties and patent fees, making it a cost-effective solution for image compression.
• HEIF Container: AVIF uses the High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) container, which is widely supported by image viewers and browsers.
• HDR and Color Gamut Support: AVIF supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) and wide color gamuts, enabling the storage and display of images with greater color accuracy and contrast.

Adoption and Support:

• Major Browsers: AVIF is supported by most major web browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox.
• Image Viewers: Many image viewers, such as IrfanView, ImageMagick, and Paint.NET, support AVIF.
• Libraries and Frameworks: Libraries like libavif and SAIL provide format-agnostic support for AVIF.
• Operating Systems: AVIF is supported on Windows, macOS, and iOS.

Comparison with Other Formats:

• JPEG: AVIF generally outperforms JPEG in terms of compression efficiency and quality.
• WebP: AVIF offers better compression than WebP, especially for lossless images.
• PNG: AVIF provides better compression than PNG, especially for images with complex textures and patterns.

DNG (Digital Negative) (.dng)

DNG (Digital Negative) is an open, publicly documented raw image format created by Adobe in 2004 to provide a universal, future‑proof standard for raw sensor data. Unlike proprietary camera‑specific raw files, DNG bundles the sensor’s unprocessed pixel data together with a standardized set of metadata, enabling consistent interpretation across software platforms and ensuring long‑term accessibility of photographic originals.

• Key Features: DNG embeds the raw Bayer (or other sensor) data along with a comprehensive TIFF‑based header that records camera settings, lens information, color matrices, and optional preview JPEGs. It supports lossless (uncompressed) and lossless‑compressed (ZIP) storage, 8‑, 12‑, 14‑ and 16‑bit per channel depths, and can include multiple images (e.g., burst shots) in a single file. Because it follows the TIFF specification, DNG benefits from extensibility, embedded thumbnails, and the ability to embed custom metadata (XMP) without breaking compatibility.
• Typical Applications: Photographers and archivists use DNG as a master format for preserving raw captures, ensuring that future software can read the data even if a camera manufacturer discontinues support for its own proprietary raw format. It is also employed in scientific imaging, cultural‑heritage digitization, and any workflow that requires a stable, vendor‑neutral raw container. Many camera manufacturers (e.g., Leica, Hasselblad, Pentax) already ship DNG files natively, and numerous editing suites accept DNG as a primary import format.
• Performance Characteristics: Uncompressed DNG files retain the full sensor bit depth and occupy roughly the same space as the original proprietary raw files. Lossless ZIP compression can reduce file size by 20‑40 % without sacrificing any image information, and decompression is fast because it leverages standard TIFF algorithms. Because DNG is a single‑file container, read/write operations are straightforward, and the format’s metadata structure enables rapid indexing and batch processing in digital asset management systems.
• Compatibility: DNG is supported natively by Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Bridge, and is also recognized by many third‑party editors (Capture One, DxO PhotoLab, ON1 Photo RAW) and open‑source tools (darktable, RawTherapee, GIMP). Operating‑system level support includes preview rendering in macOS Finder and Windows Explorer when the appropriate codec is installed. Its basis on the TIFF spec ensures that any library capable of reading TIFF can, with minimal effort, parse DNG files, making it highly portable across platforms.
• Quick Take‑away: Choose DNG when you need a durable, vendor‑agnostic raw format that safeguards your original sensor data against future software obsolescence and offers flexible lossless compression. It is ideal for archival photography, scientific imaging, and any workflow demanding long‑term accessibility. If you are locked into a proprietary raw pipeline with no immediate need for cross‑application compatibility, sticking with the native format may be simpler, but converting to DNG provides a future‑proof safety net with minimal impact on image quality.

JPEG XL (.jxl)

JPEG XL is a next-generation image format designed to replace the aging JPEG format. It offers superior compression, faster encoding and decoding, and improved image quality.

JPEG XL is a promising image format that offers significant improvements over legacy formats like JPEG. Its superior compression, faster encoding and decoding, and improved image quality make it an attractive choice for web developers and photographers. As browser support continues to evolve, JPEG XL is likely to become a widely adopted format for image delivery on the web.

Key Features:

• Better Compression: JPEG XL achieves better compression ratios than WebP, JPEG, PNG, and GIF, resulting in smaller file sizes.
• Faster Encoding and Decoding: JPEG XL’s encoding and decoding processes are faster and more efficient, making it suitable for real-time applications.
• Progressive Decoding: JPEG XL supports progressive decoding, allowing images to render partially, improving browser performance and user experience.
• Wide Color Gamut and High Dynamic Range: JPEG XL supports wide color gamut and high dynamic range (HDR) images, making it suitable for professional photography and graphic design.
• Animation and Alpha Channels: JPEG XL includes features for animation and alpha channels, enabling advanced image manipulation and compositing.
• Layers and Thumbnails: JPEG XL supports layers and thumbnails, facilitating efficient image management and editing.
• Lossless and Lossy Compression: JPEG XL offers both lossless and lossy compression options, depending on the application’s requirements.

Benefits:

• Improved Image Quality: JPEG XL maintains image quality while reducing file sizes, making it ideal for web applications and online publishing.
• Faster Page Loads: JPEG XL’s faster encoding and decoding enable faster page loads, improving user experience and search engine optimization (SEO).
• Reduced Storage Costs: JPEG XL’s smaller file sizes reduce storage costs for servers and cloud services.
• Seamless Transition: Existing JPEG files can be losslessly transcoded to JPEG XL, ensuring backward compatibility with legacy applications.

PNG (.png)

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a raster image file format that uses lossless compression. It was created as a replacement for GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) and has no copyright limitations.

Key Features:

• Lossless compression: Maintaining image quality without any loss or degradation.
• Truecolor images: Up to 16 million colors (48-bit).
• Grayscale images: Up to 16 bits per pixel.
• Index-color images: Up to 256 colors.
• Alpha channel transparency: Each pixel can have a level of transparency between 0 (fully transparent) and 255 (fully opaque).

Advantages:

• High-quality images: PNG files preserve image details and colors accurately.
• Transparency support: Ideal for images with transparent or semi-transparent backgrounds.
• No patent restrictions: Unlike GIF, PNG has no copyright limitations, making it freely usable.

Use Cases:

• Web design: PNG files are commonly used for website graphics, logos, and icons due to their transparency support and high-quality rendering.
• Graphic design: PNG files are suitable for print materials, such as brochures and flyers, where high-quality images are required.
• Simple artwork: PNG files are a good choice for simple artwork that requires transparency, like company logos with drop shadows.

QOI (.qoi)

The Quite OK Image Format (QOI) is a lossless image compression format designed for 24-bit (8 bits per color RGB) or 32-bit (8 bits per color with 8-bit alpha channel RGBA) color raster images, invented by Dominic Szablewski and first announced on November 24, 2021. It aims to provide faster encoding and decoding speeds compared to PNG, with similar file sizes.

QOI's simplicity and performance make it a preferred choice for applications requiring fast image processing and compression, such as game development and real-time graphics rendering.

Advantages:

Key advantages of QOI include its simplicity and ease of implementation. It is faster in both encoding and decoding, with figures claiming 20-50 times faster encoding and 3-4 times faster decoding speed compared to PNG. QOI is supported by several software tools including FFmpeg, GIMP, GraphicConverter, ImageMagick, and IrfanView.

Structure:

The structure of a QOI file consists of a 14-byte header, followed by any number of data "chunks," and an 8-byte end marker. The header includes magic bytes, width, height, channels, and colorspace information.

Key Features:

• Lossless Compression: Ensures no loss of image quality during compression and decompression.
• Simplicity: The format is straightforward, making it easier to understand and implement.
• Speed: Faster encoding and decoding speeds compared to PNG.
• File Size: Similar to PNG in terms of file size, but can be further compressed with generic data compression programs like LZ4, XZ, and zstd.

Use Cases:

• Game Development: GameMaker uses a combination of bzip2 and QOI as the default storage format for texture groups since version 2022.1.0.609.
• Image Processing Software: Supported by tools like FFmpeg, GIMP, and GraphicConverter for image processing tasks.
• Web and Graphics: Suitable for web and graphics applications where fast loading times are crucial.

SVG (.svg, .svgz)

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML-based vector image format for defining two-dimensional graphics. It’s a web-friendly format that allows for scalable, high-quality images without losing detail.

SVG is a versatile and efficient image format that offers scalability, interactivity, and editability, making it a popular choice for web designers and developers.

Key Features:

• Vector-based: SVG images are defined using mathematical formulas, consisting of points, lines, and curves, rather than pixels.
• XML-based: SVG files are stored as text files in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format.
• Scalable: SVG images can be resized without losing quality, making them ideal for logos, icons, and graphics that need to be displayed at different sizes.
• Interactivity: SVG images can contain animations, transitions, and interactive elements, such as hover effects and clickable areas.
• Support for raster images: SVG files can include raster images (e.g., JPEG, PNG) as embedded objects.

Benefits:

• Small file size: SVG files are often smaller than raster image files, making them faster to download and reducing page load times.
• High-quality rendering: SVG images can be scaled up or down without losing detail, ensuring high-quality rendering even at large sizes.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): SVG images can be indexed by search engines, improving website visibility and search rankings.
• Editability: SVG files can be easily edited using text editors or vector graphics editors, making them a popular choice for designers and developers.

Common Use Cases:

• Logos and icons
• Infographics and illustrations
• Charts and diagrams
• Animated graphics and interactive elements
• Web design and UI components

WEBP (.webp)

WebP (Web Picture) is an image file format that Google has developed as a replacement for JPEG, PNG, and GIF file formats. WebP yields files that are smaller for the same quality, or of higher quality for the same size. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, as well as animation and alpha transparency.

Key Features:

• Supports both lossy and lossless compression
• Offers smaller file sizes compared to JPEG and PNG
• Supports transparency and animation
• Ideal for web design elements, logos, and images with a lot of pixels

Advantages:

• Increases website performance by reducing image file sizes
• Saves bandwidth and improves page speed
• Increases search engine optimization (SEO) by improving page speed
• Offers high-quality images without sacrificing image quality

Comparison to Other Formats:

• WebP offers better compression than JPEG and PNG, with a median compression of 30% compared to JPEG
• WebP supports transparency and animation, making it ideal for web design elements and logos
• WebP is a good choice for photographs, offering better compression than JPEG, but JPEG is still a safe choice for compatibility

Video Formats

APV

Advanced Professional Video (APV) is a next-generation intra-frame video codec developed by Samsung Electronics, designed for professional and mobile workflows, offering perceptually lossless quality and real-time encoding/decoding capabilities up to 8K resolution. It is optimized for high-quality video recording and post-production, particularly for intermediate editing workflows, and is available as a royalty-free, open-source standard under the OpenAPV initiative.

• Key Features: PV uses intra-frame-only coding, eliminating pixel domain prediction to reduce computational complexity and enable parallel processing on multi-core CPUs and GPUs. Each frame is divided into macroblocks that are encoded independently, allowing for high throughput and fast decoding. The codec supports high bit depths (10 to 16 bits), high-quality chroma subsampling (4:2 and 4:4), and bitrates up to several Gbps for 2K, 4K, and 8K content. It employs a lightweight entropy coding scheme and uses a deblocking filter to reduce artifacts. Samsung claims APV achieves a 20% improvement in compression efficiency compared to an undisclosed professional codec at the same visual quality.
• Applications: APV is designed as an intermediate codec for video editing, not for content distribution, making it ideal for professional post-production workflows where random frame access and real-time editing are essential. It is particularly suited for prosumers and content creators using smartphones to capture cinematic-quality video. The codec supports flexible metadata, enabling versatile applications in live streaming, real-time enhancements, and various content genres.
• Performance: APV enables real-time encoding and decoding at resolutions up to 8K, with low complexity ensuring optimal performance on mobile hardware. It outperforms the I-frame-only mode of H.265 on smartphones by allowing higher bitrates and better quality due to reduced computational strain. Subjective comparisons show APV at 1.2 Gbps matches the quality of a professional codec at 1.5 Gbps and significantly surpasses HEVC.
• Hardware Compatibility: APV is integrated into Samsung Galaxy flagship devices starting with the Galaxy S26. It is supported by Android 16 and is available in FFmpeg. The codec is designed for hardware readiness, ensuring smooth performance on multi-core CPUs and GPUs.

AV1

The AV1 video format is an open, royalty-free video coding format designed for internet video transmission. It was developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) as a successor to Vp9, aiming to substantially reduce a video’s bitrate while preserving quality.

• Key Features: AV1 offers improved compression efficiency with better video quality for a low increase in computational complexity. It provides a bitrate reduction of up to 50%, delivering exceptional quality videos while consuming a comparatively lesser data rate.
• Applications: AV1 is widely used in delivering on-demand streaming services, such as Netflix, which has adopted AV1 as the more efficient video codec for streaming high-resolution, 4K titles. It also supports viable container formats like MP4, 3GP, and MKV.
• Performance: AV1 offers 30% better performance than HEVC and provides 30% bandwidth savings compared to its predecessors, like VP9 and HEVC. However, it is one of the slowest in terms of encoding/decoding efficiencies and performance speed due to its complex encoding processes.
• Hardware Compatibility: Hardware compatibility is an issue for supporting AV1 codec because of its complex encoding processes. Nevertheless, a growing number of programs and devices natively support AV1, including Windows Movies & TV Player, Chrome, and VLC Media Player.

FFV1

FFV1 (FFmpeg Video Codec #1) is a loss‑less intra‑frame video codec that was introduced as part of the FFmpeg project. It’s designed primarily for archival, preservation, and professional workflows where preserving the exact original pixel data is essential. Because it stores each frame independently (no inter‑frame prediction), decoding can start at any point in the stream without needing reference frames.

• Key Features: The codec delivers true lossless compression, supports multiple entropy‑coding methods for speed versus size trade‑offs, and handles high bit depths (8‑ to 16‑bit) and various chroma subsampling schemes (4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4). It embeds metadata such as timecodes and color‑space information, uses a versioned bitstream for forward compatibility, is royalty‑free under LGPL/GPL, and can be muxed into containers like Matroska (MKV), AVI, and MOV.
• Typical Applications: FFV1 is widely used for digital preservation in museums, libraries, and broadcasting archives, as a lossless intermediate format in post‑production pipelines, for scientific and medical imaging where pixel‑perfect fidelity is critical, in forensic video capture for law‑enforcement evidence, and for distributing reference material in open‑source projects.
• Performance Characteristics: Compression typically reduces raw footage to 30‑60 % of its original size for 8‑bit 4:2:0 video, with better ratios for low‑entropy content. Encoding is CPU‑intensive but multithreaded FFmpeg can achieve real‑time speeds on modern hardware, while decoding is very fast due to the intra‑frame nature. Memory usage is modest (roughly one frame plus buffers), and the codec scales linearly from SD up to 4K+ resolutions.
• Compatibility: FFV1 is fully supported by FFmpeg on all major operating systems (Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android via Termux). It can be decoded by popular players such as VLC, MPV, and MPlayer, though most professional NLEs require import via FFmpeg or conversion to another intermediate format. The codec is container‑agnostic but is most commonly stored in Matroska (MKV); no dedicated hardware acceleration exists, so processing relies on the CPU.
• Quick Take‑away: Choose FFV1 when you need exact, verifiable video copies with robust random access and an open, royalty‑free solution—making it ideal for archival, scientific, and forensic use cases. Opt for a high‑quality lossy codec (e.g., H.264, HEVC, AV1) if you prioritize real‑time streaming, low‑latency playback on constrained devices, or seamless integration with consumer‑grade editing software that lacks native FFV1 support.

VP9

The VP9 video format is an open-source, royalty-free video codec developed by Google. It is designed to deliver high-quality video at lower bit rates than other codecs, making it particularly efficient for streaming video over the internet.

• Key Features: VP9 supports resolutions up to 65536×65536, various color spaces, and transfer functions, including HDR video with hybrid log–gamma (HLG) or perceptual quantizer (PQ).
• Comparison to Other Codecs: VP9 is compared to other codecs like H.264 and HEVC, with studies showing that VP9 requires about two times the bitrate to reach video quality comparable to HEVC.
• Support and Adoption: VP9 is widely supported by modern web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and others, as well as various hardware platforms, including many smartphones and streaming devices.
• Applications: VP9 is used by streaming services like YouTube and Netflix for high-quality video streaming, and is also used in other applications like video encoding and decoding.
• Advantages: VP9 offers high compression efficiency, reducing file sizes and bandwidth requirements while maintaining similar video quality, making it a popular choice for streaming and file compression.

WEBM (.webm)

WebM (Web Media) is an open, royalty-free, audiovisual media file format designed specifically for the web. It defines the file container structure, video, and audio formats. WebM files consist of video streams compressed with the VP8, VP9 or AV1 video codecs and audio streams compressed with the Vorbis or Opus audio codecs.

WebM is a versatile and efficient audiovisual media file format designed specifically for the web. Its open-source and royalty-free nature, combined with its optimized video and audio codecs, make it an attractive choice for web-based video streaming and HTML5 video applications. While MP4 offers better compatibility across platforms, WebM’s unique strengths make it a valuable alternative for web developers and content creators.

Key Characteristics:

• Open-source and royalty-free: WebM is distributed under a BSD-style license, making it free for anyone to use, modify, and distribute.
• Based on Matroska container: WebM’s file structure is based on the Matroska container, which allows it to support high-quality video.
• Video codecs: WebM supports VP8 and VP9 video codecs, which provide efficient compression and high-quality video.
• Audio codecs: WebM supports Vorbis and Opus audio codecs, which offer high-quality audio compression.
• Designed for web use: WebM is optimized for web-based video streaming and is supported by most major web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

Comparison with MP4:

While both WebM and MP4 are popular digital video formats, they have different strengths and weaknesses:

• Compatibility: MP4 is more widely supported across various platforms and devices, making it a better choice for cross-platform compatibility.
• Optimization: WebM is optimized for web-based video streaming and offers better compression and quality for online video playback.
• Licensing: MP4 is a patented format, whereas WebM is open-source and royalty-free.

Use Cases:

• Web-based video streaming: WebM is ideal for online video streaming, as it’s optimized for web use and provides efficient compression and high-quality video.
• HTML5 video: WebM is a supported format for HTML5 video elements, making it a popular choice for web developers.
• Alternative to patented formats: WebM offers a royalty-free alternative to patented formats like H.264 and MPEG-4, making it suitable for commercial and non-commercial applications.

What are the best LOSSLESS formats for audio, image, video in 2025 and why?

Audio – FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)

• Compression efficiency: FLAC typically reduces PCM‑WAV size by 40‑55 % without any loss of fidelity, which is comparable to or better than other lossless codecs (ALAC, WAVPACK, Monkey’s Audio).
• Universal support: Native playback in Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, most car‑infotainment systems, and virtually every desktop music player.
• Open, royalty‑free: The specification and reference encoder/decoder are under a permissive BSD‑style license, so there are no patent or licensing hurdles.
• Metadata friendliness: Full ID3/Vorbis comments, cue sheets, album art, and gapless‑playback flags are baked in, making library management painless.

When you might pick something else: If you’re locked into the Apple ecosystem and need seamless iTunes/Apple Music integration, ALAC (Apple Lossless) is the only practical alternative, but it offers essentially the same compression as FLAC with a narrower device reach.

Image – JPEG XL (lossless mode)

• Best compression among mainstream lossless image formats: Benchmarks (2022‑2024) show JPEG XL lossless files are ~15‑25 % smaller than PNG and ~5‑10 % smaller than AVIF lossless, while preserving every pixel.
• Wide feature set: Supports up to 16‑bit/channel, alpha, animation, progressive rendering, and rich metadata (EXIF, XMP).
• Open, royalty‑free: Specification under a BSD‑like license; reference encoder/decoder are free and actively maintained.
• Growing ecosystem: Supported in major browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) via built‑in decoders, and in image‑editing tools (GIMP, Krita, ImageMagick, libjxl bindings).

When you might pick something else: If you need absolute legacy compatibility (e.g., older web browsers, very old software), PNG remains the safest fallback. For ultra‑high‑resolution scientific imagery where lossless TIFF with LZW/ZIP is entrenched, TIFF may still be preferred, but JPEG XL now offers superior compression with modern tooling.

Video – FFV1 (FFmpeg Video Codec #1)

• True losslessness: Every decoded frame is bit‑identical to the source, making it ideal for archival masters where any generation loss is unacceptable.
• Intra‑frame only: Random‑access, instant seeking, and robust error recovery (no dependence on reference frames).
• High compression for lossless video: Typical 30‑60 % of raw size for 8‑bit 4:2:0 footage; even better with higher‑bit‑depth or smoother content.
• Open, royalty‑free: Implemented in FFmpeg under LGPL/GPL, with no patents, so you can use it freely in any workflow.
• Future‑proof bitstream: Versioned format (v1‑v3) lets new features be added without breaking existing decoders.

When you might pick something else: For real‑time streaming or low‑latency production where file size and CPU load matter more than absolute fidelity, a high‑quality lossless mode of H.264/H.265 or Apple ProRes 4444 XQ can be preferable, but they are not truly lossless and are often proprietary.

What are the best LOSSY formats for audio, image, video in 2025 and why?

Audio – Opus

• Quality‑per‑bitrate: At 96 kbps stereo Opus sounds as good as or better than AAC‑LC at 128 kbps and MP3 at 192 kbps. It scales gracefully from very low bitrates (6 kbps for speech) up to high‑resolution music (≈256 kbps).
• Low latency & robustness: Built for real‑time communication, it handles packet loss and variable network conditions better than most competitors.
• Open & royalty‑free: Defined by the IETF (RFC 6716) and implemented in virtually every modern platform (Chrome, Firefox, Android, iOS, Linux, Windows). No licensing fees.
• Broad support: Native playback in browsers, most media players, and streaming services (e.g., Spotify, Discord, YouTube’s “audio‑only” streams).

When you might choose something else: If you need strict compatibility with legacy hardware (e.g., old car stereos or cheap MP3 players), AAC‑LC or MP3 remain the safest fallback, but they deliver lower quality at the same bitrate.

Image – AVIF (AV1 Image File Format)

• Excellent compression‑quality trade‑off: Benchmarks (2023‑2024) consistently show AVIF achieving the same perceptual quality as JPEG XL or WebP‑lossy at 30‑40 % smaller file sizes, especially for photographic content.
• HDR & wide‑color support: Handles 8‑, 10‑, and 12‑bit depth, BT.2020 color, and HDR10/HLG metadata, making it suitable for modern displays.
• Open & royalty‑free: Based on the same AV1 intra‑frame tools, it inherits the royalty‑free status of AV1.
• Growing ecosystem: Native support in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Android (since Android 13), and many image‑processing libraries (libavif, ImageMagick, GIMP).

When you might choose something else: If you need universal compatibility with older browsers or legacy software, JPEG XL (lossy) or WebP are safer bets, but they generally require larger files for equivalent visual quality.

Video – AV1 (AOMedia Video 1)

• Superior compression efficiency: Independent studies (2022‑2024) show AV1 achieves ~30 % lower bitrate than H.265/HEVC and ~50 % lower than H.264 for the same visual quality (measured with PSNR/SSIM/VMAF).
• Open, royalty‑free: Developed by the Alliance for Open Media, avoiding the patent pools that surround HEVC.
• Increasing hardware support: Modern GPUs (Intel Xe‑LP, AMD RDNA 2+, NVIDIA RTX 30‑series+), smartphones (Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+, MediaTek Dimensity 1200+), and browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) now include AV1 decode acceleration, making playback smooth on most devices.
• Scalable features: Supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, 10‑ and 12‑bit color, and can be tuned for low‑latency streaming (AV1‑LL).

When you might pick something else: If you need guaranteed hardware decode on older devices (pre‑2020 TVs, legacy set‑top boxes) or on platforms that still lack AV1 support, H.265/HEVC remains the pragmatic choice, albeit with licensing costs.

Lossless or lossy?

🛈 Lossless compression: data compression approach allowing perfect reconstruction of the original data.

Lossless is superior when preserving original quality is the priority, ideal for archiving, professional editing, and high-fidelity playback. It retains all data, ensuring bit-perfect reproduction, as seen in formats like FLAC, WAV, DNG, and FFV1.

Lossy is better when saving space and enabling fast streaming matters more than perfect quality. It reduces file size by removing less perceptible data, making it suitable for everyday use in formats like MP3, AAC, and JPEG.

In 2025, with increased storage and bandwidth, lossless adoption is growing in music (Apple Music, Tidal), video, and photography, but lossy remains dominant for convenience and compatibility.

Choose lossless for master files and critical work; choose lossy for distribution and mobile use.

What to pick – lossless vs. lossy

How to decide

1. Purpose of the file: Is it a master that will be reused, edited, or legally required? Go lossless. Is it a distribution copy meant for consumption? Go lossy.
2. Storage & bandwidth constraints: If you have ample local storage and the audience has high‑speed connections, lossless is feasible. Tight constraints push you toward lossy.
3. Future‑proofing: Lossless gives you the freedom to re‑encode into newer codecs later without quality loss. If you anticipate needing that flexibility, start with lossless.
4. Acceptable quality threshold: Conduct a quick A/B test (e.g., FLAC vs. Opus at 128 kbps, AV1 at 2 Mbps vs. 4 Mbps, AVIF at 0.8 Mbps vs. 1.5 Mbps). If the listener/viewer can’t reliably spot the difference, lossy wins for efficiency.

Bottom line

• Archive / master → losslessArchive / master → lossless (FLAC, FFV1, JPEG XL lossless, etc.).
• Everyday consumption / distribution → lossy (Opus, AV1, AVIF, etc.).

Pick the format that matches the intended lifecycle of the media: preserve first, then transcode to a lossy delivery format when you need to share it.