Should you save as JPG, PNG or WebP?

Start with accepted formats and transparency

Renaming a file extension does not convert its contents. Select an output format, process the image and download the new file. PhotoLight supports still JPG, PNG and WebP images. Animated PNG and WebP files are not supported.

JPG: adjust photo quality and choose a background

JPG lets you compare file size against visible quality for ordinary photo attachments. Lower settings can affect edges and small lettering. Quality 82 is an encoder setting, not a promise that exactly 82% of the original detail is preserved.

JPG cannot keep a transparent background. When converting a transparent PNG or WebP, choose a white or black background in the dimension and background settings. Selecting transparency for JPG still fills transparent areas with white. If a white logo disappears or an unwanted edge appears, check the original transparency and the chosen background together.

PNG: dimensions and transparency matter more than the quality number

PNG stores pixels with lossless compression. That does not undo resizing or cropping: those operations have already changed which pixels are being saved. PhotoLight does not apply the JPG and WebP quality value to PNG output. Lowering that slider is not a way to reduce PNG quality.

Re-encoding an already efficient PNG, or converting a photograph to PNG, can produce a larger file. Converting JPG to PNG cannot restore detail already lost in the JPG. If transparency is needed, keep it and consider reducing dimensions. For a photo without transparency, compare JPG and WebP results instead.

WebP: check the destination as well as the byte count

PhotoLight saves WebP with an adjustable quality setting and supports transparent output. Text and textured areas can look different from JPG at similar sizes. Compare the actual results rather than assuming either format will always be smaller or sharper.

Use JPG or PNG when the receiving app or upload form does not accept WebP. If your browser cannot encode the selected format, PhotoLight reports an error. It does not silently return a different file format under the requested extension.

Original type means a new file in the same format

“Original type” keeps JPG as JPG, PNG as PNG and WebP as WebP. It does not return an untouched copy of the source file. A new encoding can change the byte count and color appearance even when the dimensions and format stay the same.

Original EXIF is not copied into the new file. Keep your original separately if you need its camera or location information. Names and addresses visible within the picture are different: changing the format does not remove them.

Choose settings on one photo before using them for a batch

1. Choose a photo in Compress photos.
2. Select a format accepted by the destination, and decide whether transparency must be preserved.
3. Compare small text, lines, shadows and transparent edges. Download the result to inspect it more closely if the screen preview is too small.
4. Save a suitable result. To try another format, change the setting and process again.

Changing settings clears previous results. Save the first output before trying another format if you want to compare downloaded files side by side. Settings apply to all selected photos, so processing transparent logos separately from ordinary photographs can make the results easier to check.