Image Format Converter — HEIC, PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP, SVG & ICO

Which image format should you use?

Choosing the right image format depends on three factors: what the image contains (photograph vs graphic), where it will be displayed (web, email, print), and what features you need (transparency, animation, lossless quality). There is no single best format — each has trade-offs between file size, quality, feature support, and compatibility.

For photographs on the web, WebP is the best default — 25-35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality, with transparency support. JPEG remains the universal fallback when WebP isn't supported. For graphics, logos, and screenshots, PNG provides lossless quality with full transparency. SVG is ideal for icons and illustrations that need to scale to any size without quality loss.

HEIC is Apple's default photo format since iOS 11, offering 50% smaller files than JPEG at equivalent quality. The trade-off is compatibility: Windows, most websites, and older apps can't open HEIC files natively. If you need to share iPhone photos with non-Apple users, convert to JPEG or WebP.

Understanding lossy vs lossless compression

Lossy formats (JPEG, lossy WebP) discard image data to achieve smaller files. Each time you save a lossy file, quality degrades slightly. This is fine for final output, but avoid editing and re-saving lossy files repeatedly. Lossless formats (PNG, lossless WebP, BMP, TIFF) preserve every pixel exactly — files are larger but can be edited without degradation.

Converting from lossy to lossless (e.g., JPEG to PNG) does not restore lost quality — it simply preserves the current state without further degradation. Converting from lossless to lossy (e.g., PNG to JPEG) introduces compression artefacts, but the quality loss is usually minimal at 85-95% quality settings.