JPEG vs PNG
PNG preserves pixels without lossy compression and supports transparency. Choose it for screenshots, sharp graphics or transparent artwork; JPEG suits photographic sharing.
Image format
JPEG
A familiar format for photographs. JPEG keeps files compact by trading a little image detail for broad compatibility.
Explore the format
Convert JPEG to
Choose a target format for your JPEG images.
PNGPNGJPEG → PNGWebPWebPJPEG → WebPAVIFAVIFJPEG → AVIFHEICHEICJPEG → HEICHEIFHEIFJPEG → HEIFGIFGIFJPEG → GIFWith caveat
All 21 conversions
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
Convert to JPEG
Choose a source format to convert to JPEG.
PNGPNGPNG → JPEGWebPWebPWebP → JPEGAVIFAVIFAVIF → JPEGHEICHEICHEIC → JPEGHEIFHEIFHEIF → JPEGGIFGIFGIF → JPEGWith caveat
All 36 conversions
TIFFTIFFTIFF → JPEGBMPBMPBMP → JPEGSVGSVGSVG → JPEGICOICOICO → JPEGJPEG XLJPEG XLJPEG XL → JPEGJPEG 2000JPEG 2000JPEG 2000 → JPEGQOIQOIQOI → JPEGTGATGATGA → JPEGPCXPCXPCX → JPEGPPMPPMPPM → JPEGPGMPGMPGM → JPEGPBMPBMPBM → JPEGPAMPAMPAM → JPEGHDRHDRHDR → JPEGWith caveatEXREXREXR → JPEGWith caveatPSDPSDPSD → JPEGWith caveatPDFPDFPDF → JPEGWith caveatDNGDNGDNG → JPEGCanon CR2Canon CR2Canon CR2 → JPEGCanon CR3Canon CR3Canon CR3 → JPEGCanon CRWCanon CRWCanon CRW → JPEGNikon NEFNikon NEFNikon NEF → JPEGSony ARWSony ARWSony ARW → JPEGFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAF → JPEGOlympus ORFOlympus ORFOlympus ORF → JPEGPanasonic RW2Panasonic RW2Panasonic RW2 → JPEGPentax PEFPentax PEFPentax PEF → JPEGSigma X3FSigma X3FSigma X3F → JPEGKodak RAWKodak RAWKodak RAW → JPEGHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FR → JPEG
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
About JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group
JPEG takes its name from the Joint Photographic Experts Group. It was designed for continuous-tone images: photographs, gradients and scenes with many subtle colours.
Ordinary JPEG files use lossy compression. A higher quality setting retains more detail and usually produces a larger file; stronger compression can leave blocks or halos around edges. Keep an original for editing and export a JPEG for sharing.
JPEG is a poor fit for transparent artwork, crisp interface text or repeated editing. Converting a JPEG to a lossless format preserves the decoded image, but cannot recover detail already discarded.
Key capabilities
Typical JPEG files are lossy. The original standard also defines a separate lossless mode; it is not the usual web or camera JPEG.
History of JPEG
JPEG began as a way to make photographic images practical to store and exchange. The compression standard and the file conventions around it solved different parts of that problem.
JPEG compared
Different formats, different trade-offs. Choose for the image and the workflow.
JPEG vs WebP
WebP offers lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation. It can make web images smaller; JPEG is useful when the receiving workflow expects a conventional photo file.
JPEG vs AVIF
AVIF stores AV1-compressed images and supports features such as alpha and HDR. It offers an alternative for modern image delivery; check the software and quality settings for your workflow.
JPEG vs HEIC
HEIC is a common HEIF photo format on Apple devices. It can use less space than JPEG at comparable visual quality; exporting JPEG helps when a recipient’s software does not accept HEIC.
JPEG FAQ
Are JPG and JPEG the same format?
Yes. .jpg and .jpeg are filename extensions for the same format. Renaming one to the other does not convert or recompress the image.
Does JPEG support transparency?
Ordinary JPEG files do not have an alpha channel. Use PNG, WebP or AVIF when you need a transparent background. Exporting to JPEG requires an opaque background.
Is JPEG lossless?
The JPEG files normally used on the web and in cameras are lossy. The original standard also includes lossless coding, but that is a distinct mode and should not be assumed when saving a typical .jpg.
When should I use JPEG?
Use it for photographs that need to be easy to share and reasonably small. Keep the original for editing. For crisp text, transparent graphics or pixel-exact storage, consider a lossless format.
Can JPEG contain metadata?
Yes. JPEG files can hold Exif camera information and ICC colour profiles. Metadata may include location information, and editing or export tools may preserve or remove it.
Will converting JPEG to PNG improve its quality?
It will not restore detail lost during JPEG compression. PNG can preserve the decoded pixels without adding another generation of lossy compression, but the file may become larger.