Image Format Converter (PNG, JPG, WebP)

PNG, JPG, WebP — three formats, three trade-offs

Most image conversion needs reduce to a simple decision tree. If your image has text, sharp edges, a UI screenshot, or a transparent background, it belongs in PNG. PNG is lossless: every pixel is stored exactly as-is, which is why screenshots of code or product interfaces look crisp. The cost is file size — PNG does not discard any data.

If your image is a photograph, use JPG (JPEG). JPG is lossy: it discards subtle detail that the human eye does not notice in natural imagery, producing files dramatically smaller than an equivalent PNG. What it cannot do is store transparency. Any transparent area in a PNG converted to JPG is filled with a solid color (this tool uses white, which is the industry standard).

WebPis Google's modern format, supported in every major browser since 2020. It offers both lossless and lossy modes, full transparency support, and files roughly 25–35% smaller than PNG or JPG at the same visible quality. For images you control on a website, WebP is almost always the right choice. The only reason to skip it is compatibility with software outside the browser — older email clients, some legacy content management systems, and certain print workflows still do not accept WebP.

When to convert PNG to JPG

The PNG to JPG conversion is the most common request on the web, and for good reason. A photograph saved as PNG is typically 5–10 times larger than its JPG equivalent with no visible quality difference. If you have received a PNG of a photo — perhaps from a design handoff or a screen recording — converting it to JPG before uploading or sending it will dramatically reduce the file size.

Two caveats matter here. First, JPG does not support transparency. A PNG with a transparent background converted to JPG will have its transparency replaced with white. If the transparency is important, consider converting to WebP instead, which preserves it. Second, JPG is lossy: every encode discards some data. Do not convert a PNG to JPG, then back to PNG, then to JPG again — the compression artifacts compound with each round-trip. If you intend to edit an image further, keep it as PNG (or WebP lossless) and only convert to JPG as the final export step.

When to convert JPG to PNG

The JPG to PNG direction is less obvious. Converting a JPG to PNG makes the file larger and does not recover any of the detail lost during the original JPG encode — the artifacts are already baked in. So why do it at all?

• You need to embed the image in a document or slide deck that only accepts PNG, and file size is not a concern.
• You are about to do further editing in a tool that applies additional lossy compression on save (some CMSs, certain export pipelines). Using a PNG as the intermediate format prevents additional quality loss from stacking on top of the original JPG encode.
• You want a lossless copy to archive before doing destructive editing.

Be honest about expectations: JPG to PNG does not add quality. It creates a lossless container around an already-compressed image. Only convert in this direction if you specifically need PNG's lossless property for downstream work.

When to convert to WebP

For web use, converting images to WebP is the single highest-impact optimization you can make. PNG to WebP typically saves 25–50% in file size; JPG to WebP saves 25–35% — all at the same visible quality. Smaller files mean faster page loads, better Core Web Vitals scores (specifically LCP), and reduced bandwidth costs.

WebP supports transparency (unlike JPG) and lossy compression (unlike PNG), so it genuinely replaces both formats for images served in a browser. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all support WebP natively. The caveat: many desktop applications, email clients, and non-web tools still do not accept WebP. If you are uploading to a platform that processes images server-side (certain CMS image pipelines, stock photo sites), check whether they accept WebP before you convert. If you are sharing a photo with someone who will open it in an older version of Photoshop or a print service, stay with JPG or PNG.

PNG vs JPG vs WebP vs AVIF — a real comparison table

The four formats that actually matter on the web in 2026, compared on the dimensions that affect real decisions:

The quick decision rule: If you're serving to a browser and don't know which to pick, start with WebP. It handles transparency, supports both lossy and lossless modes, is 25-50% smaller than PNG/JPG at the same quality, and works in every current browser. PNG is the right choice only for images that absolutely must be lossless (logos, diagrams, pixel art). JPG is the right choice only for photos being sent to non-web destinations (email, print, legacy desktop tools). AVIF is the right choice when you can afford a build-time encoder and want the last 20% of file-size savings.

What this tool does — and does not — do

This image format converter handles the common browser-native conversion paths. Here is a precise accounting of its scope:

• Converts between PNG, JPG, and WebP — the three formats with universal encode support in modern browser Canvas APIs.
• Adjustable quality slider for JPG and WebP (10–100%, default 90%). PNG ignores quality because PNG is lossless by definition.
• Preserves the source image's pixel dimensions exactly — this tool does not resize.
• Shows the output file size and the percentage change from the source, so you can see what the conversion actually bought you.
• Fills transparent areas with white when converting to JPG (white is the standard fill color in every major image tool).

It does not preserve EXIF metadata. The browser's Canvas API discards all embedded EXIF data (camera settings, GPS coordinates, capture timestamps) when re-encoding. For most web use this is a privacy win — you are not accidentally publishing GPS coordinates embedded in a phone photo. But if you need to preserve EXIF for photography or print workflows, use a dedicated desktop tool instead.

It does not handle multi-page or animated formats (multi-page TIFF, animated GIF) — only the first frame is processed. Very large images (above roughly 50 megapixels) may exhaust memory in Safari on iOS; on desktop browsers this limit is rarely encountered.

How to use this image converter

1. Drag an image file onto the drop zone, or click the zone to open a file picker and select a file. PNG, JPG, WebP, and (on supported browsers) HEIC are accepted as input.
2. Select the target format from the format dropdown: PNG, JPG, or WebP.
3. If you selected JPG or WebP, use the quality slider to set the compression level. 90 is a good starting point for most images; lower values produce smaller files with more visible artifacts.
4. Click Convert. The output preview appears alongside the new file size and the percentage change relative to the original.
5. Compare the original and converted previews. If the quality looks wrong, adjust the slider and convert again — the operation is non-destructive, your original file is unchanged.
6. Click Download to save the converted image. The filename uses the original name with the new extension appended.

Privacy and security

Your image never leaves your browser. The conversion happens entirely on your device using the browser's built-in Canvas API — canvas.toBlob('image/jpeg', quality), canvas.toBlob('image/png'), and canvas.toBlob('image/webp', quality). There is no upload, no server-side processing, and no copy of your file stored anywhere.

This matters more than it might seem. Most upload-based "convert image online" tools send your file to a server, run the same canvas operation on a Node.js backend, return the result, and leave a copy on their server's disk during processing. That copy may be logged, retained, or inspected. If you are converting screenshots containing sensitive internal data, customer photos, product mockups under NDA, or anything you would not want to paste into a public web form, the browser-local approach is categorically safer.

No analytics event records the file content or filename. The quality slider, format selection, and download all use only browser-native APIs. No signup is required.

Frequently asked questions

Will my transparent PNG become black when I convert to JPG?

No. This tool explicitly fills the canvas with white before drawing the image, so transparent areas become white in the output JPG. Black backgrounds on transparent-to-JPG conversions are a bug common in naive implementations that forget the fill step. White is the correct and expected result — it matches what Photoshop, GIMP, macOS Preview, and every other mainstream image tool produces when saving a transparent PNG as JPG.

What does the quality slider actually do?

For JPG and WebP, the quality slider controls lossy compression aggressiveness. At 100 the encoder retains maximum detail; the file is largest. At 10 the encoder aggressively discards data; artifacts become visible, especially around edges. The value maps directly to the second argument of the browser's canvas.toBlob(type, quality) API, scaled from 0–1. For photographs, 85–92 is the practical sweet spot where file size is well reduced but artifacts are invisible at normal viewing distances. For JPG, PNG ignores the slider entirely because the PNG format is lossless — every pixel is stored exactly.

Why is my converted file bigger than the original?

You are converting in the wrong direction for your content type. JPG to PNG always produces a larger file because PNG is lossless and JPG is already compressed — you are expanding compressed data into a larger lossless container without recovering any quality. PNG to JPG of a screenshot or image with large flat-color areas (charts, UI mockups, logos) can also produce a larger file because JPG's discrete cosine transform performs poorly on sharp edges and synthetic colors. Use JPG only for photographic content; use PNG or WebP for everything else.

Can I convert HEIC files from my iPhone?

It depends on your browser. Safari on macOS and iOS can decode HEIC natively, so this tool can convert HEIC to PNG, JPG, or WebP in Safari. Chrome on macOS cannot decode HEIC (as of 2025), so you will get a "could not decode" error. Chrome on iOS can, because iOS provides the HEIC decoder to all apps including browsers. If your browser cannot display a HEIC file, the fastest workaround is to use your iPhone's built-in share sheet to "Convert Image" to JPG before transferring it to your computer.

What about animated GIFs?

This tool only processes the first frame of an animated GIF. The output will be a still image. Animated GIF conversion requires a dedicated animation tool that can decode each frame, apply the format conversion to every frame, and re-encode the animation — this is significantly more complex than single-frame canvas operations and is outside the scope of this converter.

Does it strip EXIF metadata?

Yes, unconditionally. The browser Canvas API discards all EXIF data when re-encoding — there is no way to preserve it via the standard toBlob path. This means camera model, exposure settings, GPS coordinates, and capture timestamps are all removed from the output file. For sharing photos online this is a privacy benefit. For photography or print workflows where EXIF must travel with the file, use a desktop tool such as ImageMagick or ExifTool that explicitly copies the EXIF block from source to output.

Why are AVIF and other formats not in the dropdown?

AVIF (the successor to WebP, based on the AV1 codec) offers even better compression than WebP but lacks universal encode support in browser Canvas APIs. Most browsers can decode and display AVIF images, but cannot yet encode them via canvas.toBlob('image/avif'). Once browser AVIF encoding support is broad enough to rely on, it will be added to this tool. PNG, JPG, and WebP are the three formats with reliable encode support across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge today.

File size reference

To calibrate expectations, here are approximate file sizes for a typical 1920×1080 photograph converted at different settings:

Source (PNG, lossless photo):  ~4.2 MB
→ JPG quality 95:              ~1.1 MB   (−74%)
→ JPG quality 90:              ~650 KB   (−85%)
→ JPG quality 80:              ~420 KB   (−90%)
→ WebP quality 90:             ~480 KB   (−89%)
→ WebP quality 80:             ~310 KB   (−93%)
→ PNG (lossless re-encode):    ~4.2 MB   (  0%)

Results vary by image content. Photographs with fine detail and many colors compress less efficiently than images with large uniform areas. The in-tool file-size comparison shows the exact delta for your specific image and settings.