AVIF to PNG or AVIF to JPG?
Both make an AVIF usable. Ask two questions: does the image need a transparent background, and will you edit it again later? If either answer is yes, pick PNG.
| Choose | When |
|---|---|
| PNG | The image has transparency, contains text or sharp graphics, or you plan to edit it |
| JPG | It is a photo you want to share, email or upload with a small file size |
For photos without transparency, AVIF to JPG gives a much smaller file.
Why AVIF files are hard to open
AVIF is built on the AV1 video codec and spread across websites only in the last few years. Browsers adopted it quickly because it saves bandwidth. Desktop software has been slower.
You may see a blank thumbnail, an error, or a prompt to install an extension. A PNG avoids all of that and opens the same way in an old image editor as in a new one.
Designers hit this often. You save a client logo from their live website, drop it into a pitch deck, and the slide shows an empty box. Convert the file to PNG and the logo appears, with its transparent edges intact.
What to expect from the PNG
- Larger files: AVIF is extremely compact, so the PNG is often many times bigger. That is normal.
- Same look: the PNG shows exactly what the AVIF decodes to, without adding or removing detail.
- Clean sharing: metadata such as GPS location is not copied into the PNG.
- Same pixel size: width and height stay as they were in the AVIF.
For a lighter PNG on a web page, try Compress PNG. To trim or reframe the image, use Crop Image.