Formats & playback 4 min read
PNG to JPG Turns the Background Black
Transparent pixels turn black or white after PNG → JPG because JPG has no alpha channel at all — the transparency has to land somewhere.
Which formats carry alpha
Alpha-capable: PNG, WebP, AVIF (GIF: single-bit). Not capable: JPG. Direction rule: alpha → non-alpha always flattens onto a fill color; the reverse loses nothing.
If you need transparency and smaller files, WebP/AVIF beat PNG — mind legacy compatibility for WebP.
Convert the right way
Flatten onto white (or your design color) before converting to JPG. Keep the PNG original for logos and design assets; export a JPG copy per channel that requires it.
Quality tier for batch conversion
85–90 is the sweet spot for photos; text and line art reveal JPG artifacts first, so check edges after conversion. Converting to WebP/AVIF keeps alpha and cuts size by 25–35% or more.