Which extension is a graphics format with lossless compression and supports transparency?

Which extension is a graphics format with lossless compression and supports transparency?

• A. .png
• B. .gif
• C. .bmp
• D. .jpeg

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is choosing a graphics format that preserves image data exactly while also supporting transparency. PNG fits this description: it uses lossless compression, so decompressing returns the original pixels, and it includes an alpha channel that allows varying levels of transparency for each pixel. This makes PNG ideal for images with crisp edges and transparent areas. GIF also uses lossless compression, but it’s limited to 256 colors and only supports binary transparency (fully transparent or opaque, not partial transparency). BMP typically has little to no compression and doesn’t inherently provide an alpha channel for transparency. JPEG uses lossy compression, which sacrifices some image data to reduce file size, and it does not support transparency.

The key idea here is choosing a graphics format that preserves image data exactly while also supporting transparency. PNG fits this description: it uses lossless compression, so decompressing returns the original pixels, and it includes an alpha channel that allows varying levels of transparency for each pixel. This makes PNG ideal for images with crisp edges and transparent areas.

GIF also uses lossless compression, but it’s limited to 256 colors and only supports binary transparency (fully transparent or opaque, not partial transparency). BMP typically has little to no compression and doesn’t inherently provide an alpha channel for transparency. JPEG uses lossy compression, which sacrifices some image data to reduce file size, and it does not support transparency.