Image guides
PNG vs AVIF: Transparency, Quality, and File Size
PNG favors lossless editing and predictable transparency. AVIF favors smaller modern delivery when encoders and decoders cooperate.
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Transparency
PNG is the safe editing format for alpha. AVIF can keep alpha when browsers encode and decode it, but support is not as universal as PNG.
Quality and size
AVIF with a quality slider is lossy and often smaller for web assets. PNG stores decoded pixels losslessly and can be larger for photos.
When to convert
Use /tools/png-to-avif for delivery-ready assets on AVIF-capable sites. Use /tools/avif-to-png when you need an editable PNG again.
PNG vs AVIF FAQ
- Should UI icons leave PNG?
- Only if your pipeline reliably serves AVIF with alpha.
- Where do I convert PNG to AVIF?
- Use /tools/png-to-avif.
- Where do I convert back?
- Use /tools/avif-to-png.
- Are conversions local?
- Yes on Looty Tools dedicated converters.
- Do dimensions change?
- No within shared limits.
Related guides
- Convert PNG to AVIFConvert a PNG image to AVIF locally with adjustable quality. Canvas AVIF encoding is verified, and alpha is kept when the encoder supports it.
- PNG to AVIF Without UploadingLearn how Looty Tools converts PNG to AVIF privately in your browser, verifies the output MIME type, and avoids conversion uploads.
- PNG vs WebPCompare PNG and WebP for transparency, file size, and when converting between them makes sense.