Image Tools Complete Guide: Convert, Compress, Resize, and Edit in Your Browser
A practical guide to every image task you face as a developer or designer — format conversion, compression, resizing, cropping, background removal, and more, all without installing software.
Images are everywhere — on websites, in apps, in marketing materials, in documentation. And with images come a constant stream of format mismatches, oversized files, wrong dimensions, and conversion headaches. This guide maps every common image task to the right browser tool so you can solve it in seconds, without uploading files to unknown servers.
Format conversion
HEIC to JPG
iPhone cameras default to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) format. It's great for storage but incompatible with most web platforms, email clients, and non-Apple software.
When you need it:
- Uploading iPhone photos to web forms that only accept JPG/PNG
- Sharing photos with Windows users
- Using iPhone photos in design tools
Use our HEIC to JPG Converter — drag in your HEIC photos, get JPGs back instantly, entirely in your browser.
PNG to WebP
WebP delivers ~30% smaller files than PNG at equivalent quality, with full transparency support. It's supported by 97%+ of browsers in 2026.
When you need it:
- Optimizing website images for faster load times
- Converting design assets for web delivery
- Reducing image payload for Core Web Vitals scores
Use our PNG to WebP Converter.
SVG to PNG
SVG is perfect for the web but not accepted by all platforms. Social media sites, email clients, and many apps require raster formats.
When you need it:
- Exporting logos for use in non-web contexts
- Creating preview images from SVG illustrations
- Converting icons to raster format for apps
Use our SVG to PNG Converter — specify the output dimensions for crisp exports at any size.
Universal format converter
Need to convert between JPG, PNG, and WebP in any combination? Our Image Format Converter handles all three formats bidirectionally — batch convert multiple files at once.
Compression
Why compress?
Images account for ~50% of average webpage weight. A single unoptimized hero photo can add 3–5 MB to your page, tanking your Core Web Vitals and mobile load times.
Compression types:
| Type | What it removes | Quality impact |
|---|---|---|
| Lossy | Data humans barely notice | Slight at high quality settings |
| Lossless | Redundant metadata, color patterns | None |
For photos (JPEG, WebP): lossy at 75–85% quality typically saves 60–80% of file size with no visible difference on screen.
For screenshots and diagrams (PNG): lossless removes metadata and optimizes color tables without any quality loss.
Use our Image Compressor — it runs entirely in your browser and lets you compare before/after quality side by side.
Resizing
Match output to display size
The most common mistake: compressing a 4000×3000 photo that displays at 800×600. Always resize to the display dimensions first, then compress.
Common target dimensions:
| Use case | Recommended size |
|---|---|
| Website hero (full-width) | 1920×1080 px |
| Blog post image | 1200×675 px |
| Thumbnail | 400×300 px |
| Avatar / profile photo | 400×400 px |
| Retina display | 2× the CSS display size |
Use our Image Resizer — enter custom dimensions or pick a preset, with option to maintain aspect ratio.
Social media exact sizes
Each platform has specific required dimensions:
| Platform | Image type | Recommended size |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080×1080 | |
| Story/Reel | 1080×1920 | |
| Twitter/X | Header | 1500×500 |
| Cover photo | 851×315 | |
| Banner | 1584×396 | |
| YouTube | Thumbnail | 1280×720 |
| TikTok | Profile | 200×200 |
Our Social Media Image Resizer has all these presets built in — pick the platform, upload your image, and download the perfectly sized result.
Cropping
Sometimes you don't need to resize — you need to remove the edges and focus on the important part of an image.
Use cases:
- Remove whitespace from product photos
- Crop a profile photo to a square
- Extract a specific region from a screenshot
- Remove unwanted elements from the edges of a photo
Use our Image Cropper — drag handles to define the crop area, with optional aspect ratio lock.
Background removal
Modern AI makes background removal surprisingly accurate for product photos, portraits, and objects with clear edges.
Use cases:
- Product photos for e-commerce (white/transparent background)
- Profile photos for professional use
- Creating stickers and cutouts
- Compositing images for marketing materials
Use our Background Remover — powered by AI, runs entirely in your browser, outputs a transparent PNG ready for use anywhere.
Flipping and rotating
Quick orientation fixes for images shot in the wrong direction:
- Flip horizontally (mirror) — useful for product shots, text-overlay corrections
- Flip vertically — correct upside-down scans
- Rotate 90°/180°/270° — fix sideways photos
Use our Image Flip & Rotate tool for instant orientation correction without any re-encoding quality loss.
Choosing the right format
| Format | Best for | Transparency | Animation | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Photographs | No | No | Photos, hero images |
| PNG | Screenshots, logos | Yes | No | UI elements, diagrams |
| WebP | Everything | Yes | Yes | Web images (modern) |
| GIF | Simple animations | Partial | Yes | Short loops (but large) |
| SVG | Icons, logos | Yes | Yes | Vector graphics, icons |
| AVIF | Maximum compression | Yes | Yes | Next-gen (growing support) |
Decision tree:
- Is it a photograph? → JPEG or WebP
- Does it have text or sharp lines? → PNG or WebP
- Is it a logo or icon? → SVG (scale to any size, style with CSS)
- Is it for web delivery today? → WebP with JPEG fallback
- Does it need animation? → WebP > GIF (5–10× smaller)
Batch workflow example
A typical product photo workflow for e-commerce:
1. Shoot product → Large HEIC files from iPhone
2. HEIC to JPG → Convert for universal compatibility
3. Image Cropper → Remove background clutter, center product
4. Background Remover → Transparent PNG for white-background catalog
5. Image Resizer → 800×800 for thumbnails, 1600×1600 for zoom view
6. Image Compressor → Lossy 80% quality, save 70% file size
7. PNG to WebP → Final delivery format for website
All seven steps run in the browser. No Photoshop license. No uploads. No waiting.
Quick reference: which tool for which task
| Task | Tool |
|---|---|
| Convert iPhone photos | HEIC to JPG |
| Optimize for web | Image Compressor |
| Change dimensions | Image Resizer |
| Convert format | Image Format Converter |
| Fit social media | Social Media Image Resizer |
| Remove background | Background Remover |
| Crop / trim | Image Cropper |
| Flip / rotate | Image Flip & Rotate |
| SVG → raster | SVG to PNG Converter |
| PNG → WebP | PNG to WebP Converter |
Every tool on this list runs entirely in your browser — no file uploads, no account required, no file size limits imposed by server costs.