PNG or JPEG for a photo booth strip?

A finished photograph

JPEG is a common delivery format for photographic images. Save a high-quality master and avoid repeatedly opening, editing and resaving the only copy. Apple’s Mac Photo Booth exports still images as JPEG, but the output from another app may differ.

Evidence: Official software guide

A transparent overlay

PNG can preserve transparent areas, which may be needed when a booth programme places the design above a live or captured image. Check the software’s required canvas dimensions and photo-window positions. A white rectangle that merely looks empty is not a transparent opening.

A flattened PNG can also hold a finished strip, but it is not automatically an editable layout with independent text and photo slots.

An editable layout

SVG can describe shapes and text and may be opened in compatible design software. Our blank templates use that format. The editor decides how images are placed and how the final file is exported. Keep the working template separately from the flattened file sent to a lab or guest.

Fonts may render differently on another computer. If exact typography matters, use a suitable export workflow and inspect the result on the receiving device rather than assuming the editable file will appear identical.

Pixels matter more than the extension alone

Check the actual width and height. A tiny PNG is still tiny; renaming a file from .jpg to .png does not convert it or add detail. Decide the intended print size, calculate a useful pixel target and inspect a physical proof. For transparency, test against a dark background to reveal unwanted white fills. For sharing, open the downloaded file outside the app and confirm all frames remain visible.