PNG vs JPEG
JPEG makes a compact photographic delivery file, but ordinary JPEG discards detail and has no alpha. Keep the richer source for editing and use JPEG when the receiving workflow expects an opaque photo.
Image format
PNG
Lossless raster images with precise edges and optional transparency. The PNG standard also defines APNG animation.
Explore the format
Convert PNG to
Choose a target format for your PNG images.
JPEGJPEGPNG → JPEGWebPWebPPNG → WebPAVIFAVIFPNG → AVIFHEICHEICPNG → HEICHEIFHEIFPNG → HEIFGIFGIFPNG → GIFWith caveat
All 21 conversions
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
Convert to PNG
Choose a source format to convert to PNG.
JPEGJPEGJPEG → PNGWebPWebPWebP → PNGAVIFAVIFAVIF → PNGHEICHEICHEIC → PNGHEIFHEIFHEIF → PNGGIFGIFGIF → PNGWith caveat
All 36 conversions
TIFFTIFFTIFF → PNGBMPBMPBMP → PNGSVGSVGSVG → PNGICOICOICO → PNGJPEG XLJPEG XLJPEG XL → PNGJPEG 2000JPEG 2000JPEG 2000 → PNGQOIQOIQOI → PNGTGATGATGA → PNGPCXPCXPCX → PNGPPMPPMPPM → PNGPGMPGMPGM → PNGPBMPBMPBM → PNGPAMPAMPAM → PNGHDRHDRHDR → PNGWith caveatEXREXREXR → PNGWith caveatPSDPSDPSD → PNGWith caveatPDFPDFPDF → PNGWith caveatDNGDNGDNG → PNGCanon CR2Canon CR2Canon CR2 → PNGCanon CR3Canon CR3Canon CR3 → PNGCanon CRWCanon CRWCanon CRW → PNGNikon NEFNikon NEFNikon NEF → PNGSony ARWSony ARWSony ARW → PNGFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAF → PNGOlympus ORFOlympus ORFOlympus ORF → PNGPanasonic RW2Panasonic RW2Panasonic RW2 → PNGPentax PEFPentax PEFPentax PEF → PNGSigma X3FSigma X3FSigma X3F → PNGKodak RAWKodak RAWKodak RAW → PNGHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FR → PNG
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
About PNG
Portable Network Graphics
PNG was created as a portable, patent-free alternative to GIF for raster image exchange. It represents grayscale, indexed-colour or truecolour pixels, with optional transparency. A PNG image has fixed pixel dimensions: enlarging it does not add detail as scaling vector paths would.
Filtering followed by DEFLATE compresses the stored samples without changing their values. Depending on colour type, samples use 1–16 bits; truecolour and alpha use 8 or 16 bits per sample. Colour, text and Exif chunks carry information beyond pixels, but an exporter may discard optional chunks.
Use PNG for screenshots, diagrams and transparent artwork where edge fidelity matters. Photographic images may take more space than a lossy photo export. The third edition includes APNG frames and HDR colour signalling; these optional features require corresponding reader and writer support and are not properties of every PNG.
Key capabilities
PNG compression is lossless. Palette conversion, resizing or reducing bit depth before encoding can still discard information. Animation is the APNG extension included in the third edition.
History of PNG
PNG evolved through published W3C editions, from a static GIF alternative to a specification that also incorporates animation and modern colour signalling.
PNG compared
Different formats, different trade-offs. Choose for the image and the workflow.
PNG vs WebP
WebP combines lossy or lossless 8-bit image coding with alpha and animation. It is a web delivery option when those features matter; high-precision samples and editable source structures need another working format.
PNG vs AVIF
AVIF uses AV1 coding and supports alpha, image sequences and higher bit depths for HDR workflows. It is worth evaluating for final delivery; codec settings and the receiving application determine whether its additional features survive.
PNG vs SVG
SVG keeps shapes and text as vector descriptions, which remain sharp when resized. It suits diagrams and symbols; converting a photo into an SVG wrapper does not reconstruct editable vector shapes.
PNG FAQ
What does this format store?
PNG was created as a portable, patent-free alternative to GIF for raster image exchange. It represents grayscale, indexed-colour or truecolour pixels, with optional transparency. A PNG image has fixed pixel dimensions: enlarging it does not add detail as scaling vector paths would.
How does compression affect quality?
PNG compression is lossless. Palette conversion, resizing or reducing bit depth before encoding can still discard information. Animation is the APNG extension included in the third edition.
Can PNG be animated or transparent?
Yes. Alpha represents partial transparency; APNG adds timed frames. A static PNG reader can display the default image without playing the animation.
What should I check before opening the file?
Check APNG playback, 16-bit sample handling and colour metadata when these matter. Decoding a still PNG does not establish support for every third-edition feature.
What changes when I export to another format?
JPEG export needs an opaque background and lossy encoding. GIF may reduce colours and partial alpha. A still-image export of APNG loses timing and additional frames unless the workflow handles them explicitly.
When is this format useful?
Use PNG for screenshots, diagrams and transparent artwork where edge fidelity matters. Photographic images may take more space than a lossy photo export. The third edition includes APNG frames and HDR colour signalling; these optional features require corresponding reader and writer support and are not properties of every PNG.