PNG Format Update: What You Need to Know

The PNG (Portable Network Graphics) image format, first introduced in 1995, has received a new version. This was reported by ProgramMax, referencing the World Wide Web Consortium.

This file format has been recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for internet use since 1996. Its second version was released in 2003. Now, this format has been updated to version three — the first significant update in over two decades. PNG v3 has been officially approved as a W3C standard effective June 24, 2025.

The new standard introduces several important features, including support for HDR-quality images. By utilizing a compact cICP profile, HDR versions of PNG can be only 16 bytes larger than standard SDR versions. Additionally, PNG 3 supports EXIF data, such as camera model information or GPS coordinates, which was common in JPEG but previously unavailable for PNG.

Another innovation is the official inclusion of animated PNG (APNG) support into the standard. Although APNGs existed before, they are now formally recognized, paving the way for broader support in software.

The development of PNG version three has been ongoing since 2021 in collaboration with Adobe, Apple, and Google, so as of now, PNG 3 is supported by browsers based on Chromium, Firefox, macOS, iOS, Adobe Photoshop, and DaVinci Resolve. In the future, the W3C plans to optimize lossless compression and improve HDR compatibility on SDR displays and vice versa.