JPEG is the default because it opens everywhere. It is not the only useful output. PNG, WebP, and the photo details inside the file solve different problems.
JPEG, PNG, or WebP
Choose JPEG for email, printers, Windows, and forms. It is lossy. At 92% and full size it looks close to the HEIC and is often a larger file.
Choose PNG when you care more about clean edges than file size. Screenshots, diagrams, and pictures with text survive PNG better because it does not add JPEG blocks. A photo PNG is large. The same sample that becomes a small WebP can become several times larger as PNG. That is normal.
Choose WebP when you are publishing on the web and want a smaller file than JPEG at a similar look. Current browsers display WebP. Some older tools and printers do not.
The format buttons on the converter apply the next time you press Convert again. Photos already finished keep the format they were made with until you rebuild them.
Resize is separate from format
Quality changes how aggressively a JPEG or WebP is compressed. It does not change the number of pixels. A 48-megapixel phone photo stays 48 megapixels at 50% quality. It is just blurrier and smaller in bytes.
The longest-side control, and the Web and Small presets, actually shrink the picture. Web is 2048 pixels on the long side. Small is 1280. Original does not resize.
PNG ignores the quality slider because PNG is lossless. The size presets still apply.
Date, camera, and location
The decoder draws the pixels upright, so the JPEG does not rely on a hidden rotation flag.
For JPEG you can:
- Keep date and camera, which is on by default. That copies details such as the capture time, the phone model, and exposure when the HEIC contains them.
- Include location, which is off by default. Turn it on only when the JPEG should carry the GPS point.
Turn Keep date and camera off and the JPEG is just the picture. That is the right setting before you post a photo somewhere public.
PNG and WebP from this converter do not carry those details. If you need the date or the location, export JPEG.
A private workflow
- Convert on the device, with location off, if the pictures are for the web.
- Use Web or Small so you are not uploading a 48-megapixel JPEG by accident.
- Download the files. The originals on the phone are unchanged.
Nothing in that path requires an account. If a shared-photo install is available, Android can send HEIC files into the installed app. iPhone users pick the photos from the library, because iOS does not let a website appear as a share destination.
Frequently asked questions
Which format should I send to a printer?
JPEG, Original, with date and camera on if the shop uses the capture time. Skip location unless they asked for it.
Can WebP replace JPEG for every photo?
Not yet. Use WebP on your own site. Use JPEG when another person or a form has to open the file with no fuss.
Are the photo details removed from the HEIC too?
No. The HEIC you dropped in is only read. The download is a new file. Deleting a JPEG does not change the photo still on the phone.