HEIC to JPG, PNG to WebP: Understanding Image Formats
"File type not supported."
There are few error messages more annoying than that. You try to upload a photo from your iPhone to a government form, and it rejects your .HEIC file. You try to use a logo on your website, but the .JPG doesn't have a transparent background.
Understanding image formats is the key to digital literacy. Let's break down the alphabet soup of file extensions.
The Big Four: JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC
1. JPG / JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
- Best for: Photographs, realistic scenes, complex colors.
- Pros: Small file size, universal compatibility (opens on everything).
- Cons: "Lossy" compression (loses quality every time you save it), no transparency.
2. PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
- Best for: Logos, text, screenshots, graphics with sharp edges.
- Pros: Transparency (invisible background), lossless quality.
- Cons: File sizes can be huge if used for photos.
3. WebP (Google's Web Format)
- Best for: Websites and apps.
- Pros: The modern champion. Superior compression (smaller than JPG) with transparency support (like PNG).
- Cons: Older software (like ancient versions of Photoshop) might not open it natively.
4. HEIC / HEIF (High Efficiency Image File)
- Best for: Storing photos on iPhones.
- Pros: Incredible quality at half the size of JPG.
- Cons: Compatibility. Windows, Android, and many web forms struggle to open HEIC files.
When to Convert?
- iPhone to PC/Web: Convert HEIC to JPG. This is the #1 conversion need.
- Website Optimization: Convert PNG/JPG to WebP. This makes your website load much faster.
- Screenshots: Convert massive PNG screenshots to JPG if you want to email them quickly.
How to Convert Images Online
Our Image Format Converter is designed to solve the compatibility headache.
The Workflow:
- Drop your files: We accept almost any standard input format.
- Select Output: Choose what you want it to become (usually JPG or PNG).
- Convert: The magic happens in seconds.
- Download: Get a universally compatible file ready for upload.
Expert Tip: Batch Conversion
Do you have 50 vacation photos in HEIC format? Don't convert them one by one. Look for tools (like ours) that support batch processing—select all, convert all, download as ZIP. It saves hours of work.