Convert JPG to PNG on Mac

Your editor asks for PNG. The client sent JPEG exports from their CMS. You need a lossless container for masking, overlay work, or a tool that rejects JPEG. Converting wraps the same pixels in PNG; it does not undo compression blocks from an over-compressed source. Still, the format swap is a normal step in design handoffs, print prep, and asset pipelines where downstream tools are picky about extensions. You will see blocky artifacts if the JPEG was saved too aggressively; ask for a better source when quality matters, but convert anyway when the pipeline requires PNG entry.

What this conversion does

JPEG is lossy. PNG is lossless but usually larger. Converting JPEG to PNG copies the decoded pixels into a new container without adding detail.

	JPEG	PNG
Compression	Lossy	Lossless
Transparency	No	Yes (but not created from flat JPEG)
Typical size	Smaller	Larger
Best source	Camera, web export	Screenshots, UI, masks

Goal	Right move
Email or CMS upload	Stay on JPEG, compress instead
Photoshop retouch with masks	PNG or original RAW
Client sent low-quality JPEG	Ask for better source; conversion will not fix blocks

Only convert when your workflow requires PNG. If you need smaller files for upload, see how to compress images on Mac . To send JPEG back after editing, see PNG to JPG on Mac .

After conversion	Watch for
File size jump	Normal; PNG is larger than JPEG
Need transparency	PNG will not invent alpha from flat JPEG
Print workflow	Confirm DPI and color space in your editor

Designers often convert JPEG to PNG only for the retouch window, then export JPEG again for client delivery. Plan both presets up front so you do not email 30 MB PNG proofs by mistake.

Convert in Preview

Preview handles one file or a small set through the sidebar.

1. Open the JPEG in Preview.
2. File → Export…
3. Format: PNG, save.

For several files, open them together in Preview’s thumbnail sidebar and export each page. This gets tedious past ten assets.

Export to a dedicated png-out/ folder so you do not overwrite client JPEG originals. Name outputs by usage (hero-retouch.png) when the same JPEG becomes multiple downstream sizes later.

Convert in Terminal

sips is built into macOS:

sips -s format png photo.jpg --out photo.png

Batch:

mkdir png-out
for f in *.jpg *.jpeg *.JPG; do
  [ -f "$f" ] || continue
  sips -s format png "$f" --out "png-out/${f%.*}.png"
done

FFmpeg alternative when you batch mixed formats:

mkdir png-out
for f in *.jpg *.jpeg; do
  [ -f "$f" ] || continue
  ffmpeg -i "$f" "png-out/${f%.*}.png"
done

Optional resize while converting (web delivery, not print):

sips -Z 2048 -s format png photo.jpg --out photo-2048.png

Tool	Best for
sips	Fast Mac-native batch
FFmpeg	Mixed folders with video too

Lossless PNG optimization after batch (optional, install oxipng via Homebrew):

oxipng -o 4 --strip safe png-out/*.png

oxipng shaves bytes without visual loss but does not fix blocky JPEG source artifacts. Run it after batch convert when sync tools cap total folder size, not when quality was already poor at import.

Using GetCompress

GetCompress fits convert JPG to PNG on Mac when Preview export per file slows a handoff or when you need optional max width during conversion.

Drop client JPEG files or a folder into the app. Set output to PNG, optional max width, and export in one pass.

Workflow features that help:

• Batch queue: convert an entire client folder without repeated Export dialogs.
• Presets: save “PNG for retouch 4096px” vs “PNG for web 2048px”.
• Resize plus convert: cap dimensions when PNG size would break email limits.
• Local processing: keep unreleased product shots off online converters.
• Second preset for delivery: after retouch in PNG, switch preset to JPEG for client proofs in the same app.
• Compression presets: rare for PNG, but useful when email rejects huge phone JPEG conversions.

Use this when an editor or print workflow needs PNG and you want consistent output settings across dozens of JPEG sources. If files are still huge after conversion, resize before sending rather than expecting PNG compression to match JPEG sizes. Save width presets separately for retouch (4096 px) vs web proof (2048 px) so one client folder does not produce mixed dimensions.

Agency handoffs sometimes include mixed JPEG from client CMS exports and PNG from internal tools. Convert only the JPEG batch to PNG, leave native PNG untouched, then compress both sets with different GetCompress presets so Drive sync stays under quota.

Print shops requesting PNG at 300 DPI still start from the same decoded pixels as JPEG. Confirm whether they need true resolution or just a lossless container before you convert a whole wedding gallery to multi-gigabyte PNG folders.