Is PNG suitable to use now?

use PNG in web.

[tecsun]

I wonder is PNG image file suitable to use for web design nowadays? Do all the web browsers support it? I saw something that the W3C is recommended using PNG.... Don't know whether it is true or not... please giv some advice/opinion about this... :D

[Blackie]

Using .png since 2001 on a b2b website. No single compain since that time, something that indicates that this file format is broadly supported.

[limbo]

Logo top left ;)

I use them for many things. Those users with modern browsers (15%) get a nicer experience on my sites too; the alpha transparancy support allows me tastier visuals.

[aphido]

IE 7 should fully support alpha transparency in PNG, thus eliminating any previous concerns about their use.

[benihana]

thus eliminating any previous concerns about their use....

...in about 8 years time when people have upgraded. [sigh]

[sifredi]

No problems in using it for normal images. Backgrounds are more difficult, especially repeating backgrounds using .png looks awful in IE/win.

[tecsun]

so.. that mean PNG still not suitable now... is it? but, seems PNG have lots of advantages, why don't they standardize the use of it? is there any problem (except browser problem) waiting to be solve before it become popular?

[aphido]

Depends what you what to use it for. As sifredi says, normal images are fine. The only current issue is with IE and alpha transparency. Eventually it will be a standard.... (famous last words)

[jetboy]

Safari has issues with PNG gamma, but you'll only notice if you're trying to use PNGs next to GIFs.

24 bit PNGs with transparency (i.e. 32 bit PNGs) will work on everything recent other than IE 5.0+ on the PC and Opera 5. Including IE 5 Mac with a little coaxing.

In a lot of instances you can use IE conditional comments and the AlphaImageLoader filter to fake support in IE 5.5 and 6.

[tecsun]

emmm... seems still 'dangerous' to use PNG... hope all the old browsers are wiped out, then we can start using it... it's transparency really better than gif.... :D

but i found that png image file is very large in size... haiz...

[Farix]

I'm not sure where you are getting that it is "dangerous" to use PNG. PNGs are very safe so long as you keep in mind IE 5.5+'s implementation of alpha-transparency. Given the general attitude you've displayed towards PNG, you probably consider CSS "dangerous" because IE still does not fully support it either. Also I very rarely find a PNG image larger then its GIF equivalent, which is why I use PNG instead of GIF for images.