Good reasons to turn a JPG into a PNG
You have a photo or picture as a JPG or JPEG file, but a form, a design program or a print service asks for PNG. Converting JPG to PNG gives you that file without adding new compression loss.
- Upload an image to a site or app that accepts only PNG.
- Edit a photo over several sessions without losing more detail each time the file is saved.
- Place a photo in a design or graphics project that works with PNG files.
What JPG to PNG cannot do
Converting JPG to PNG does not make the background transparent. The JPG format has no transparency, so a white background stays white in the PNG. Pixcon has no tool for removing backgrounds.
The conversion does not restore image quality either. Detail that JPG compression removed is gone, and a lossless PNG copy cannot recover it.
How the PNG copy differs from the JPG
| JPG | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless, also with "Optimize images" on |
| Transparent background | Not supported | Supported, but not added by the conversion |
| File size of a photo | Smaller | Usually larger than the JPG |
| Saving the file again | Each new save can lose more detail | No new compression loss |
Resize or crop the photo in the same step
"Optimize images" does not reduce a PNG made from a JPG, because Pixcon always saves it losslessly with maximum compression. To get a smaller PNG, reduce the width and height of the photo instead.
- Choose "Resize" and enter a "Width:" or "Height:" of up to 4096 px. With "Maintain Aspect Ratio" on, Pixcon scales the photo proportionally.
- Choose "Crop" and enter both values, for example 1080 × 1080. Pixcon scales the photo down to cover that size and trims the edges around the center. The result has exactly that size when the photo is at least that large.
For the opposite conversion, use PNG to JPG, which usually makes a large photo smaller for sharing.
JPG to PNG: transparency, quality and size
Does converting JPG to PNG make the background transparent?
No. A JPG has no transparent areas, and Pixcon does not remove backgrounds. The PNG shows the same background as the JPG.
Does JPG to PNG improve image quality?
No. The PNG keeps the JPG image as it is, including any blur or blocky areas from JPG compression. The benefit is that the PNG loses no further detail when you save it again.
Why is the PNG file bigger than the JPG?
The PNG uses lossless compression and keeps every pixel of the photo, while the JPG uses lossy compression. Pixcon keeps the PNG lossless even with "Optimize images" on, so the PNG is usually larger than the JPG.
When is PNG a better choice than JPG?
PNG is the better choice when a site or program requires it, or when you will edit and save the image several times. For sharing finished photos, the JPG is usually the smaller file.