When PNG is the right choice
PNG saves every pixel exactly, so a picture does not change when it is edited and saved again and again. Some programs, templates and print services also ask for PNG.
| JPG | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Saving again | Loses a little detail each time | Nothing changes |
| File size | Small | Several times larger for photos |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
PNG does not make a photo better
Converting keeps the photo as it is now: detail lost in the JPG does not come back, and the background does not become transparent. The file only gets larger.
Camera data stays behind
The new files are written from the picture alone, so they carry no camera data: no camera model, no date and no location. That is safer when you post a photo online. If you need that data, keep the original as well.
When the photo itself is the problem
Converting changes the file, not the photo: it cannot fix a blurry, dark or badly framed picture. If the photo is for a CV, a profile or an application and you have no good one, a professional headshot made from a few selfies gives you one.