Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression. PNG was created as an improved, non-patented replacement for GIF.
PNG supports three main types of raster images: grayscale image, a truecolor image, and an index color image. PNG also supports alpha transparency, which is useful for creating graphics with transparent backgrounds.
When you open a PNG file in Photoshop, you’ll see the following options in the “Format” drop-down menu:
- Interlaced: This option loads the image in interlaced mode, which displays a low-resolution version of the image first, followed by progressively higher-resolution versions. This can be useful when loading large images over slow internet connections.
- Non-interlaced: This option loads the image in non-interlaced mode, which displays the entire image at once. This is the default setting.
- Adam7 Interlacing: This option is only available if the “Interlaced” option is selected. It uses a different interlacing algorithm than the standard interlacing algorithm used by GIF files.
PNG Options
- Interlaced: This option loads the image in interlaced mode, which displays a low-resolution version of the image first, followed by progressively higher-resolution versions.
- Adam7 Interlacing: This option is only available if the “Interlaced” option is selected.
What Is PNG Options in Photoshop?
Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression.
PNG supports three main types of raster images: grayscale image, a truecolor image, and an index color image.
Figure 1 – The Format dropdown menu with four different choices for opening your PNG file
PNG Options In Photoshop
INTERLACED or NONINTERLACED?
With INTERLACED selected from the Format dropdown menu shown earlier
(Figure 1), Photoshop will load your PNG file using what’s called an “interlace effect” With NONINTERLACED selected from that same dropdown menu
(Figure 2), Photoshop will load your entire PNG file all at once. So what’s this all about and why would you care?. Well let’s say you’re working on a project that requires downloading large graphic files from across a slow internet connection. If you have INTERLACED selected from Photoshop’s Format dropdown menu when opening these files (Figure 1), then you’ll see a low resolution version of each file appear on screen almost immediately while still downloading. But with NONINTERLACED selected instead (Figure 2), you won’t see any part of each file until it has finished downloading completely.”
So essentially what this means is that if time is more important to you than seeing a preview of each downloaded graphic as it comes in (which would be most cases), then leave NONINTERLACED selected from Photoshop’s Format dropdown menu.
If instead seeing each graphic appear on screen immediately as it downloads is more important to you than time saved waiting for it to finish downloading completely first (which would be rare), then go ahead and select INTERLACED from that same dropdown menu instead.
But again, most of us will just want to leave NONINTERLACED selected to save time waiting for our larger graphic files to download before we can begin working on them. Either way though, make sure whatever setting you choose here matches whatever setting was used by whoever created and saved these files originally so everything lines up correctly when viewed side by side later on.” – John Shaver
(Figure 2 – The Format dropdown menu with four different choices for opening your JPEG file)
