Most people only think about image formats when something goes wrong - a logo with a white box where the transparent background should be, or a photo that takes forever to load. The good news is the decision between JPG, PNG, and WebP is actually pretty simple once you know what each one is for.
JPG: photos
JPG uses "lossy" compression - it throws away some image detail to make the file smaller, in a way that's mostly invisible to the eye for photographs. That trade-off is exactly right for photos, which have complex, gradual color variation where a little compression doesn't stand out.
What JPG can't do: transparency. There's no such thing as a "transparent JPG" - if you need a see-through background, JPG is the wrong format no matter what.
Use it for: photos, social media images, anything where file size matters more than pixel-perfect detail.
PNG: graphics, screenshots, anything with transparency
PNG is "lossless" - it doesn't throw anything away, so a PNG will always look exactly as sharp as the original. That makes it the right choice for logos, screenshots, icons, and diagrams, where crisp edges and flat colors matter and any compression artifacts would be obvious.
The trade-off is file size: a PNG of a photo can easily be 5-10x larger than the same image as a JPG, for a difference most people won't even notice.
Use it for: logos, screenshots, graphics with text, anything needing a transparent background.
WebP: the modern middle ground
WebP is a newer format built to do both jobs better - it supports both lossy compression (like JPG, for photos) and lossless compression with transparency (like PNG, for graphics), usually at a meaningfully smaller file size than either. Browser support is now excellent, which is why a lot of websites default to it for faster page loads.
The main reason people still avoid it: some older software and a handful of specific use cases (like certain print workflows) still expect JPG or PNG specifically.
Use it for: anything going on a website, where load speed matters and you want one format that handles both photos and graphics well.
Quick reference
| You have... | Use... | |---|---| | A photo | JPG (or WebP if it's for the web) | | A logo or screenshot | PNG (or WebP if it's for the web) | | Something that needs transparency | PNG or WebP | | Anything for a website, prioritizing speed | WebP |
Converting between them
Whatever direction you need, it's the same three steps: upload, convert, download. A few starting points:
- JPG to PNG
- JPG to WebP
- Browse all image tools for every other combination (PNG to JPG, WebP to PNG, AVIF, GIF, BMP, and more)
If you're not sure which direction you need, the table above should point you the right way.