How to Convert JPG to PNG with Transparency Support

You need a PNG. Maybe you want to add a transparent background to a product photo. Maybe a platform requires PNG uploads. Maybe you need pixel-perfect quality for editing without further compression.

JPG to PNG is one of the most common image conversions. It's quick. But there are a few things you should know before you convert.

Why Convert JPG to PNG?

JPG and PNG serve different purposes. Each has strengths the other lacks.

Transparency. This is the number one reason people convert. JPG can't do transparent backgrounds. PNG can. If you're removing a photo's background and need the cutout to float on any colored surface, you need PNG.

Lossless editing. Every time you edit and re-save a JPG, quality drops a little. The compression runs again and removes more data. PNG doesn't have this problem. Save it a hundred times and the quality stays identical.

Sharp text and graphics. If you're adding text overlays, logos, or graphic elements to a photo, PNG preserves those sharp edges. JPG blurs them and creates ugly halos.

Platform requirements. Some upload forms, design tools, and publishing systems specifically require PNG. Game assets, app icons, and UI mockups are typically PNG.

Archival safety. PNG freezes the current quality of your JPG. No further degradation is possible. It's like pressing pause on quality loss.

Does Converting JPG to PNG Improve Quality?

No. This is the most common misconception about this conversion.

JPG is a lossy format. The moment your image was saved as JPG, some data was thrown away. That data is gone permanently. Converting to PNG preserves everything that's left, but it can't recover what JPG already removed.

What PNG does is prevent further loss. From the moment of conversion onward, your image quality is locked in. You can open, edit, and re-save the PNG thousands of times without any degradation.

Think of it this way: if your JPG has compression artifacts (blocky areas, color banding, fuzzy edges), those artifacts will be in the PNG too. But they won't get worse.

For the best results, always convert from the highest quality JPG you have. A JPG saved at 95% quality produces a much cleaner PNG than one saved at 60%.

How Do You Convert JPG to PNG?

ConvertIMG converts JPG to PNG in your browser. Drop your files in, select PNG, and download. The conversion happens on your device. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

Since PNG is lossless, there's no quality slider. The output captures the exact pixel data from the JPG. What you see in the JPG is exactly what you get in the PNG.

Batch conversion is supported. Convert 50 product photos at once if you need to.

File size warning: PNG files are significantly larger than JPG files for photos. A 200 KB JPG photo might become 1.5-3 MB as PNG. That's 7-15 times bigger. This is normal for lossless formats. Make sure you have the storage space.

What About Adding Transparency After Converting?

Converting JPG to PNG doesn't automatically add transparency. The PNG will have the same solid background as the JPG. It just stores that image in a format that supports transparency.

To actually make the background transparent, you need a separate step: background removal. Tools like Photoshop, GIMP, Canva, or online background removers can do this. First convert to PNG, then remove the background.

The workflow is:

Convert JPG to PNG (so you have a format that supports transparency)
Open the PNG in an image editor
Select and delete the background
Save. The deleted areas become transparent.

Some advanced tools combine these steps. But the core concept is the same: PNG gives you the ability to have transparency. You still need to create it.

How Do JPG and PNG Compare for File Size?

PNG files are always larger than JPG for photographic content. That's the price of lossless compression.

Image type	JPG size (85%)	PNG size	PNG is larger by
Photo (12 MP)	1.5 MB	10-15 MB	7-10x
Photo (2 MP)	300 KB	2-4 MB	7-13x
Screenshot	150 KB	200-400 KB	1.5-3x
Simple graphic	30 KB	15-25 KB	PNG is smaller!

For photos, PNG is impractical for web delivery. Nobody wants to load a 10 MB image. Keep PNG for editing and archiving. Use JPG, WebP, or AVIF for web display.

For screenshots and simple graphics, PNG is often the same size or even smaller than JPG. This is because PNG's compression algorithm excels at flat colors and repeating patterns.

When Should You Use WebP or AVIF Instead?

If you're converting for web use, consider skipping PNG entirely.

WebP gives you transparency support like PNG but at 25-35% smaller file sizes. It's supported in all modern browsers. For web delivery with transparency, WebP is better than PNG.

AVIF is even smaller. 50% smaller than JPG with transparency support. Browser support is at 93% and growing. For the absolute best web performance, AVIF is the top choice.

PNG makes sense when you need lossless quality, when you're editing the file further, or when your platform specifically requires it.

For a full breakdown of when to use each format, see our image format guide.

Ready to Convert JPG to PNG?

Need PNG files from your JPGs? ConvertIMG converts them in seconds. Free, private, batch support included. Drop your files in and download.