WebP

WebP is a modern image format from Google that aims to replace both JPG and PNG by doing what each does well. It supports lossy compression for photos and lossless compression with transparency for graphics, and at comparable quality it usually produces noticeably smaller files than the older formats.

The appeal is mostly about the web: smaller images mean faster pages and less bandwidth, which is why WebP has become common on websites. A WebP photo can be significantly lighter than the equivalent JPG with no visible difference, and a WebP graphic can beat PNG while keeping transparency.

Where it gets fiddly is PDF and print workflows. Support for WebP is far less universal than JPG or PNG, so when you bring images into a PDF, converting WebP source files to a more widely supported format is often the safer path for compatibility.