An iPhone photo as a PNG for editing
You want to retouch an iPhone or iPad photo, or place it into a design or presentation tool that accepts PNG but not HEIC. Converting HEIC to PNG gives you a working copy that Pixcon saves with lossless compression.
- Retouching a photo in an image editor that does not open HEIC files.
- Placing a photo into a design, slide or document tool that accepts PNG.
- Keeping a lossless intermediate copy before you export the final image.
How Pixcon keeps the PNG lossless
- Compression
- Lossless, saved at the maximum PNG compression level.
- "Optimize images"
- Does not reduce the colors of a PNG made from a photo, so the PNG stays lossless with the option on or off.
- Orientation
- The image is turned upright with the rotation saved in the HEIC file.
- Transparency
- Kept where the HEIC file has transparent areas.
- HEIF files
- Converted to PNG in the same way as HEIC files.
PNG or JPG for an iPhone photo
| PNG | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| With "Optimize images" on | Still lossless for photos | Stronger compression and a smaller file |
| Transparent areas | Kept | Filled with white |
| Typical use | Editing, design and presentation files | Sharing, email and upload forms |
Keeping PNG copies of photos manageable
- Choose "Resize" and enter the width or height that your project needs, up to 4096 px. With "Maintain Aspect Ratio" on, Pixcon keeps the proportions of the photo.
- Choose "Crop" and enter both a width and a height, for example 1200 × 1200 px, when a layout needs an exact size. Pixcon keeps the center of the photo, trims the edges and never enlarges it.
- Choose these settings before you select files. Every photo in that upload gets the same "Resize" or "Crop" values.
Choosing PNG for iPhone photos
Should I convert HEIC to PNG or to JPG?
Choose PNG for a copy that you will edit or place into a design, because Pixcon saves PNG files losslessly. Choose JPG for sharing and uploads, because "Optimize images" can make JPG files smaller.
Why is the PNG so much bigger than the HEIC photo?
Pixcon stores the photo in the PNG with lossless compression only and keeps all of its colors, even with "Optimize images" on. For a smaller file, use "Resize" so the PNG has only the pixels you need, or convert HEIC to JPG.
Does converting HEIC to PNG lose quality?
No. Pixcon saves the PNG with lossless compression, and "Optimize images" does not reduce the colors of photos.
Will the PNG have a transparent background?
No, unless the HEIC file already has transparent areas. PNG output keeps existing transparency, but an opaque photo background stays opaque in the PNG.