Start from the problem
Most people arrive here because something refused their image. These are the usual cases and the tool that fixes each one:
- An upload form rejects an iPhone photo. It is almost certainly HEIC. HEIC to JPG makes a copy that opens everywhere; a 134 KB HEIC photo of a coffee cup became a 53 KB JPG. Use HEIC to PNG instead when you want to edit the picture without further quality loss.
- An image saved from a website will not open in your editor or print. Websites serve WebP and AVIF to save bandwidth. WebP to JPG and AVIF to JPG suit photos; WebP to PNG and AVIF to PNG keep a transparent background.
- The file is too big. Compress image re-saves it at a lower quality and can cap the longest side at 2560, 1920 or 1280 pixels, which often saves more than the quality slider.
- A form wants exact dimensions, such as 1200 pixels wide or 400 × 400. Resize image keeps the proportions unless you switch that off.
- A form asks for JPG and you have PNG, or the other way round: PNG to JPG, JPG to PNG.
- A logo exists only as SVG and a program wants pixels: SVG to PNG, at the size you choose, transparency kept.
Editing jobs
Remove background cuts out the main subject and gives you a transparent PNG, or puts it on white for a marketplace listing. It does best with one clear object and struggles with loose hair and busy scenes. Picture to sketch turns a photo into a pencil-style drawing. Favicon generator makes the full set of browser and home-screen icons for a website from one square logo.
Which format to keep
| Format | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| JPG | Photos to share, email or upload anywhere | No transparency; every save loses a little quality |
| PNG | Screenshots, logos, graphics with text | Photos come out large |
| WebP | Websites: smaller than JPG and PNG | Some older programs and forms do not accept it |
| AVIF | Websites: smaller still | Slower to create; older software support is limited |
| HEIC | iPhone camera (saves space on the phone) | Windows and many websites cannot open it |
| SVG | Logos and icons that must stay sharp at any size | Not for photos |
When in doubt, send JPG. It is the one format every phone, computer, printer and upload form accepts, and at the quality these tools use the loss is hard to see. Keep PNG for screenshots and anything with sharp text, where JPG leaves smudges around the letters.