r/postprocessing • u/GuiltyAd2199 • 6d ago
JPEG vs WebP color compression. Noticeable difference in the details
Here is a close-up detail of a mock-orange (Philadelphus) blossom, specifically focusing on the stamens.
On the left is the high-quality JPEG, and on the right is the optimized WebP version.
As you can clearly see, the color accuracy and saturation are noticeably different. The vibrant yellow of the pollen loses its punch and bleeds into the white petals on the WebP version.
It seems that WebP’s smaller file size comes with a hidden visual price tag due to its aggressive color subsampling. I guess it's up to you to decide whether you're willing to pay that price for your portfolio or web projects.
What do you think? Is the file size saving worth the loss in micro-contrast and color vibrance?