How to convert PNG files to the JPEG format

In some cases it may be useful to convert a PNG file to JPEG format*, for example if the PNG file is quite large and contains photographic elements. The target JPEG file will then be much smaller and more suitable for sharing via email or embedding on web pages. However, saving in JPEG format is always lossy. You must therefore expect visible quality losses, especially with low-detail image elements such as fonts or flat graphics. Before we get to the practical part, we would like to briefly introduce the PNG format.

* Since older Windows versions provided only three characters as extension, it is often shortened to .jpg until today. So there is no difference between JPEG and JPG.

What is a PNG file?

The PNG format is the most widely used lossless graphics format for pixel graphics on the Internet. There are other formats that can store images without loss (e.g. TIFF), but compression is particularly efficient with the PNG format. The format is particularly suitable for low-detail graphics. In such cases, there is a clear advantage over JPEG. PNG also scores points for its support of transparency. This makes it an ideal format for storing cropped graphics and logos.

But one thing is very important: never save photos in PNG format!

Why not? – On the one hand because of the unnecessarily high file size, on the other hand the possibilities to add metadata to the photo are limited, because the PNG format does not fully support the Exif or IPTC standards.

After this short theoretical introduction, in the next two sections we will show you how to convert a PNG file into a JPEG file without using any special software.

Converting PNG to JPEG / JPG on Windows

1. Open the desired PNG file with the program Paint.

2. Click Save As in the File menu and navigate to JPEG Image, as shown in the screenshot:

3. Enter the desired file name. Select a different location if necessary. Then click Save.

Converting PNG to JPEG under macOS

Open the desired PNG file with the program Preview.

Click File. Then select Export.

Select JPEG from the drop-down list. Choose the desired quality level and finally click Save.

Of course, the conversion also works in the other direction. However, this is only appropriate in a few exceptional cases, since the PNG target file will (in the vast majority of cases) be larger, but no information will ever be added – and thus no quality improvement.

Converting PNG to JPEG with image management programs

As you have seen, a conversion from PNG to JPEG is easily possible with on-board tools. However, if you want to convert many files at once and additionally set in which JPEG quality level the images are output, then you cannot avoid installing an appropriate image management program. This does not have to be paid software. Image viewers such as IrfanView or XnView, which are free for private use, can be used to efficiently convert image files into other formats, and Adobe also offers Bridge, a free manager for image files that can handle batch processing.

Of course, there are also websites that offer conversion of image files. However, you should be careful with browser-based services: If you upload image files to third-party servers, all metadata also falls into the hands of the operator.

Try the professional image management from teamnext

The teamnext | Media Hub is a cloud-based image management solution. It aims at customers who need to develop, maintain and use larger media pools. Media Hub supports numerous image formats and allows easy and fast conversions to any popular format. Batch processing is included, of course. In addition, teamnext places a particularly high value on data protection-compliant storage.

If we have made you curious and you just want to try out the various functions of our software, you can start immediately with a free 14-day trial period for the teamnext | Media Hub.

In addition, you can of course book an appointment for a free online product demo with one of our experts at any time. Simply use our contact form for this purpose.