Question 1

How do digital images represent color under the hood?

Accepted Answer

Most digital images use the RGB color model, where each pixel stores red, green, and blue intensity values. The standard of 8 bits per channel (256 levels per color, 16.7 million total colors) became established in the early 1990s as a practical match for human color perception. Different image formats package these pixel values in different ways — some with compression, some without, some with transparency — but the underlying RGB data is remarkably consistent across formats.

Question 2

Will converting my image reduce its quality?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the output format. Converting to PNG produces a lossless copy at the target format. Converting to JPG, WebP, or AVIF uses lossy compression, but at high default quality (92%) the difference is imperceptible for most images. Transparency is preserved when converting to PNG or WebP.

Question 3

What happens to transparent backgrounds?

Accepted Answer

PNG and WebP preserve transparency. If you convert a transparent image to JPG, the transparent areas become white — JPG doesn't support alpha channels.

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