PNG Images Just Got a Major Upgrade After 20 Years: Here's What Changed
The popular image format now supports HDR photos and richer colors, making your images look better than ever.
The PNG Working Group published Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Third Edition) as a W3C Recommendation (see: I didn't know the PNG file format could receive updates, but it got one anyway), giving the beloved image format its first major update since 2003.
If you've ever saved a photo or seen images on websites, you've likely encountered PNG files - and now they're about to get much better.
What Makes This Update Special?
Think of PNG like a universal language for images on the internet. It's been the go-to choice for high-quality photos and graphics because it doesn't compress images in a way that makes them look worse (unlike JPEG).
But until now, PNG couldn't handle the super-rich colors and bright highlights that modern phones and TVs can display.
The new PNG spec includes HDR support, allowing images to represent a much wider range of colors and brightness levels, similar to what the human eye can actually (see PNG is back!). This is the same HDR technology you might know from your iPhone camera or 4K TV.
Why Should You Care About This Update?
Better Photos: If you take photos with a modern smartphone or camera that supports HDR, those images can now be saved as PNG files without losing their vibrant colors and dramatic lighting effects.
Improved Web Browsing: Websites can now display much more colorful and realistic images without making file sizes huge. The implementation requires only four bytes of data plus standard overhead (see: PNG is back!), so pages won't load slower.
Future-Proof Images: Your photos and graphics will look amazing on both today's screens and tomorrow's even better displays.
What's Already Working?
The best part? You don't have to wait for this upgrade. Major browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari already support the updated PNG specification (see: Adding support for HDR imagery to the PNG format · Issue #23 · w3c/png), along with popular apps like Photoshop and even your iPhone or Mac.
Many of the programs you use already support the new PNG spec: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, iOS/macOS, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve, Avid Media Composer (see: PNG Images Now Officially Support These Improvements).
Animated Images Get Better Too
Remember those old animated GIF images that looked pixelated and had limited colors?
PNG now officially supports high-quality animations called APNG (Animated PNG) that can show millions of colors with smooth transparency effects. These have been around for years, but now they're officially part of the standard.
What's Coming Next?
The next update (PNG fourth edition) will be "short" and will introduce "HDR & Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) interoperability" (see: PNG Returns with Major Spec Update After Two-Decade Hiatus | by Re: News | Jun, 2025 | Medium). In simple terms, this means your HDR photos will automatically look great on older screens that don't support HDR, without you having to do anything special.
The Bottom Line
This update might seem technical, but it's actually about making your everyday digital life better. Your photos will look more vibrant, websites will display richer images, and everything will work seamlessly across different devices and screens.
The PNG format has been quietly powering the internet for decades, and now it's ready for the next generation of displays and cameras. Whether you're sharing vacation photos, browsing social media, or just enjoying content online, you'll benefit from these improvements - often without even realizing it.
