PNG or JPG — which should you pick?
Both open everywhere. The difference is how they store detail. JPG is lossy: every time you edit and re-save, a little quality is thrown away. PNG is lossless: what you save is exactly what you get back, no matter how many times you edit it.
That makes PNG the better choice when the photo is a starting point — for editing, design work, cut-outs or adding text — and JPG the better choice when you just want to share or upload it.
We tested it: two real iPhone photos
The same two iPhone HEIC photos we used for HEIC to JPG, converted to PNG:
| Photo | HEIC | PNG | JPG (for comparison) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo 1 | 704 KB | 8.66 MB | 1.14 MB | 2.9 s |
| Photo 2 | 1.43 MB | 14.14 MB | 2.38 MB | 4.3 s |
PNG keeps every pixel exactly, so the files grew 10–13×. That's the right choice when you'll edit the photo further and want no extra loss, but for sharing, JPG is about a seventh of the size.
Expect bigger files
Lossless comes at a price. A 2MB HEIC photo can easily become a 10–15MB PNG, because PNG keeps every pixel exactly. If the file is only for sharing, convert to JPG instead — it'll be a fraction of the size.
Good uses for HEIC to PNG
- Editing in Photoshop, GIMP, Canva or Figma without stacking up JPG artefacts.
- Screenshots and screen photos with sharp text you want to keep crisp.
- Preparing an image you'll later remove the background from.
Frequently asked questions
Will the PNG have a transparent background?
No — iPhone photos don't contain transparency, so the PNG looks exactly like the photo. PNG simply gives you a lossless file to work from.
Why is my PNG so much larger than the HEIC?
HEIC uses very efficient lossy compression; PNG stores every pixel exactly. For sharing, JPG is a better fit.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. It's converted inside your browser and never leaves your device.