What is PNG file?
The Portable Network Graphics file extension is for a raster graphic format that can be used by web browsers and other applications. PNG files are also called JPGs, because they are based on the Joint Photographic Experts Group format that is commonly used in JPEG files. The main difference between PNG and JPEG is that JPEG uses lossy compression, which means it compresses the image by throwing away some of its data. The resulting images tend to look blurry and have less quality.
PNG Format details
| Full Name | Portable Network Graphic |
|---|---|
| Developer | N/A |
| Category | Raster Image Files |
Tools that will help you view PNG files
Sometimes you need to quickly preview the contents of a file with the PNG extension. In such a situation, many people decide to find a tool that, according to its creators, can display the contents of the PNG file and many other types of files (All in One Viewer).
Of course, there are such tools. However, it should be remembered that they may display the data contained in the PNG file differently than the application dedicated to handling the PNG file extension. When you cannot afford to have the data of the PNG file displayed different from the original, you should use the applications developed to work with the PNG file.
Below you will find a list of software programs that will help you with this. These software programs will help you view the content of the PNG file, minimizing possible errors that may arise with other tools.
PNG File Viewers
- IrfanView
- Windows Live Photo Gallery
- Preview
- darktable
- SWFTools
- Illustrator Extreme