PNG vs Y4M
A detailed comparison of PNG Image and YUV4MPEG2 — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
PNG Image
Raster & Vector ImagesPNG is a lossless image format that supports transparency. It is ideal for graphics, logos, screenshots, and any image where preserving exact pixel data is important.
About PNG filesYUV4MPEG2
Video FilesYUV4MPEG2 (Y4M) is a simple uncompressed video format that stores raw YUV pixel data with a minimal header. It is widely used as an intermediate format for video processing and quality benchmarking where no compression artifacts are acceptable.
About Y4M filesStrengths Comparison
PNG Strengths
- Lossless compression — every save preserves the original pixels perfectly.
- Full 8-bit alpha channel for smooth transparency.
- Excellent for text, UI screenshots, logos, and line art.
- Royalty-free and an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 15948).
- Supports 16-bit color depth for high-fidelity work.
Y4M Strengths
- Uncompressed raw YUV — codec benchmark truth.
- Dead-simple header.
- Universal codec development support.
Limitations
PNG Limitations
- Much larger than JPEG for photographs (no perceptual compression).
- No native animation in most software (APNG support is inconsistent).
- No CMYK support — web and screen only, not print.
- Metadata capabilities are less rich than JPEG's EXIF.
Y4M Limitations
- Enormous file sizes.
- Development-only — not for consumption.
- No metadata beyond basic stream params.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | PNG | Y4M |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/png | video/x-yuv4mpeg2 |
| Compression | Lossless — DEFLATE (zlib) | — |
| Color depth | 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel | — |
| Max dimensions | 2^31 − 1 pixels per side (2.1 billion) | — |
| Transparency | Full 8-bit alpha channel | — |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 15948:2004 | — |
| Extension | — | .y4m |
| Pixel format | — | YUV 4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4 |
| Header | — | ASCII single line |
Typical File Sizes
PNG
- Icon or small logo 2–20 KB
- UI screenshot (1920×1080) 200–800 KB
- High-res photo (12 MP) 10–30 MB
- Print-ready illustration 5–50 MB
Y4M
- 10 sec 1080p Y4M ~600 MB
- 1 min 4K Y4M ~14 GB
Ready to convert?
Convert between PNG and Y4M online, free, and without installing anything. Encrypted upload, automatic deletion after 2 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless raster image format created in 1996 as a patent-free alternative to GIF. It supports transparency, making it ideal for logos, icons, and web graphics.
Y4M (YUV4MPEG2) is a video container format that bundles one or more video streams, audio tracks, and optional subtitles into a single file. The container format determines how metadata is organised and which codecs can live inside; the visual quality itself depends on the codec (H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1) rather than the Y4M wrapper. It is part of the video files family.
PNG files open natively in all modern operating systems, web browsers, and image editors including Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET, and Canva.
VLC, MPV and PotPlayer play nearly every Y4M file on desktop. Browser support varies: modern Chromium, Firefox and Safari play common containers via the HTML5 <video> tag, but niche Y4M variants may fail. If a device refuses your Y4M, convert to MP4 with our Y4M to MP4 converter for universal playback.
WebP offers 26% smaller file sizes than PNG with equivalent quality. Use WebP for web delivery when browser support is sufficient. Use PNG when maximum compatibility or professional editing workflows are needed.
Upload your Y4M to KaijuConverter and pick MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, or any other target. Our pipeline uses FFmpeg under the hood and stream-copies when codecs are compatible (no quality loss) or transcodes at high-quality defaults otherwise. Conversion runs server-side; both files delete within two hours.