[deleted]
Comment on Portable Network Graphics (PNG) New Specification
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 1 month ago
Not seeing how this would affect uptake. Lossless is great for production images, but standard JPEG will do (at low compression) for most Web use cases. Until OS developers coalesce around PNG as a standard (Windows has for screenshots), this is that old standards xkcd.
Alpha channels are nice and all, but how many end users A) have a need for that and B) understand the underlying concept, let alone implementation?
skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl 1 month ago
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 5 weeks ago
I’ll agree for those use cases, but not everyone is making icons, stickers and emoji.
fwygon@beehaw.org 1 month ago
Alpha channels are critical. The ability to have images have transparency in them is much more useful than you believe it is. Many end users have a need for it, more than they know they do; so this argument really isn’t doing much for your stance supporting PNG. Similarly PNG has supported alpha channels for quite a while.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 1 month ago
For production, yes. What percentage of images produced are for production, though? I know damn well how important alpha channels are, but for posting something on social media, which is orders of magnitude more output than image creation within the context of a larger presentation, no one cares.
The vast majority of people aren’t graphic artists. That you and I know what alpha channels are has no bearing on daily use by the masses.
skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl 1 month ago
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 5 weeks ago
If you know why you need alpha channels, of course you’re going to save in an appropriate format. But most casual users aren’t going to care. They took a picture of their breakfast or dog and just want to upload now. I’m not arguing PNGs serve no purpose; I’m arguing that most people aren’t Web or app designers. They don’t care whether it’s lossy or lossless, let alone about transparency.
B0rax@feddit.org 5 weeks ago
You are talking about photos. PNG is not the right format for photos.