Summary
Highlights
The video introduces PNG as a long-standing standard image format, with its initial specification released in the mid-1990s. While the core specification has remained stable, a new version has been released after 21 years.
The update formalizes existing extensions, avoiding breaking changes. Key additions include proper HDR support using 4 bytes plus overhead, and coding independent code points (CICP) for color space identification.
The update brings proper HDR support and future-proofs the format for wider color ranges. The CICP aspect allows labeling of the color space used for a given image, expecting implementations to handle industry-standard color spaces.
The updated spec officially recognizes APNGs, which were initially proposed by Mozilla and are now widely supported. It also officially supports Exif data, which stores additional information like copyright, camera lens, and GPS location.
Future updates aim to improve compression, a known issue with PNG, and introduce parallel encoding/decoding. The next update (4th edition) will improve HDR and standard dynamic range interoperability, with compression updates targeted for the 5th edition.
PNG is not going anywhere despite new formats. Improvements are a good thing, specially dealing with the compression problems. The video ends with a call to action, asking viewers if they use PNGs.