Convert Image Formats Online: PNG vs JPEG Explained

By Pixora Team · Published October 7, 2026 · Last updated: October 2026

The Pixora Team builds and tests the free Pixora browser editor — every tutorial on this blog is verified hands-on in the editor before publishing.

To convert image formats online, open your image in Pixora and export it as PNG or JPEG — that is the entire conversion. Use PNG for transparency, text and master copies; JPEG for photos at 80–90% quality. This guide explains how each format works, when to use which, and how to avoid the mistakes that ruin conversions.

How JPEG works (and when to use it)

JPEG is a lossy format: it discards image data humans barely notice to achieve tiny file sizes — often 10x smaller than PNG for photographs. That makes it the default for photos shared online: social posts, blog images, email attachments, marketplace listings. The trade-off is generation loss: every re-save at low quality degrades the image slightly, so always keep your best-quality original and export JPEGs as copies.

Pixora’s JPEG quality slider is the control that matters. 80–90% is the sweet spot — visually near-identical to 100% at a fraction of the size. Below ~70%, blocky artifacts creep into skies and gradients. When in doubt, export at 85% and compare side by side with the original at screen size.

How PNG works (and when to use it)

PNG is lossless: every pixel is preserved exactly, and it supports transparency — the killer feature. Use PNG for anything with transparent areas (cutouts, logos, overlays), graphics with sharp text and lines (screenshots, thumbnails — JPEG blurs crisp edges), and master copies you plan to edit again later.

The cost is file size: a photographic PNG can be enormous compared to its JPEG twin. Never use PNG for plain photos headed to the web — you are paying a huge size premium for quality nobody can see. Our compression guide shows how the JPEG slider plus resizing beats PNG for photos every time.

The conversion workflow in Pixora

Converting is just exporting: open your image in the editor (PNG, JPEG or other standard formats all open fine), make any edits, then choose your export format. JPEG → PNG: safe anytime — you gain transparency support and editing headroom, though you cannot recover quality the JPEG already lost. PNG → JPEG: check for transparency first — transparent areas become solid (usually white or black), so flatten cutouts onto a background layer with the paint bucket (G) before exporting if needed.

Transparent cutout to share? That is PNG, always — JPEG physically cannot store transparency, and your careful background removal work would be ruined by a white box.

Avoiding common conversion mistakes

Three mistakes ruin conversions. 1. Repeated JPEG re-saves: editing and re-exporting a JPEG five times at 70% quality produces mush — keep a PNG master and export fresh JPEG copies from it. 2. PNG screenshots of photos: a 5 MB PNG screenshot where an 800 KB JPEG would do slows every page it touches. 3. Forgetting transparency: exporting a logo with a transparent background as JPEG bakes in an ugly solid box — the most visible conversion error there is.

Build the habit: PNG = transparency, text, masters. JPEG = photos for sharing. Two rules cover 95% of real-world conversions.

Frequently Asked Questions