Why PNG photos are so large
PNG was designed for graphics: it stores every pixel exactly. That's ideal for logos and screenshots, but photos have millions of subtly different colours, so a photo saved as PNG can be 5–10 times the size of the same photo as JPG.
Converting a photo to JPG removes detail your eye can't see and usually cuts the file size dramatically while it still looks the same.
We tested it: a photo and two screenshots
PNG to JPG helps a lot for some images and not at all for others. We tried three:
| PNG | Original | JPG | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone photo saved as PNG (3024×4032) | 20.94 MB | 3.46 MB | −83% |
| Colourful web page screenshot (2880×1800) | 488 KB | 194 KB | −60% |
| Text-heavy screenshot (2880×1800) | 332 KB | 368 KB | +11% |
Photos and colourful images shrink dramatically. Screenshots of text don't: PNG handles sharp, flat text better than JPG, and the JPG came out bigger. Keep text screenshots as PNG and use Compress PNG instead.
Transparent areas become white in the JPG.
When to keep PNG instead
- The image has a transparent background — JPG fills it with white.
- It's a screenshot or diagram full of small, sharp text.
- It's a logo or icon with flat colours and crisp edges.
Need a specific size too?
If a form wants the photo under a limit like 100KB, use the Compress Image to 100KB tool instead — it converts to JPG and hits the size in one step.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to transparent areas?
They're filled with white, since JPG doesn't support transparency.
How much smaller will my file be?
For photos, often 70–90% smaller. Screenshots and graphics shrink less and may look softer, so keep those as PNG.
Can I convert multiple PNGs?
Yes — drop a batch and download them all as a ZIP.