The PNG (Portable Network Graphics) image format, first introduced in 1995, has received a new version. According to ProgramMax, this announcement comes from the World Wide Web Consortium.

Recommended by the W3C since 1996, this file format now has a third version, marking the first significant update in over two decades. PNG v3 has been officially approved as a W3C standard as of June 24, 2025.

The new version introduces several vital features, including support for HDR-quality images. Thanks to the compact cICP profile, HDR versions of PNG can be only 16 bytes larger than standard SDR versions. Additionally, PNG 3 supports EXIF data, such as camera model information or GPS coordinates, which were previously unavailable to PNG.

Another major change is the official inclusion of animated PNG (APNG) support in the standard. Although APNGs existed before, they are now officially recognized, which is expected to lead to broader support in software.

The development of PNG version 3 began in 2021 in collaboration with Adobe, Apple, and Google, and PNG 3 is already supported by Chromium-based browsers, Firefox, macOS, iOS, Adobe Photoshop, and DaVinci Resolve. In the future, the W3C plans to optimize lossless compression and improve HDR compatibility on SDR displays and vice versa.