Convert Image to JPG Online for Free

Photoshop is one of the best photo editing tools, allowing you to open many image file formats. You can also save opened images as a different file format. However, it can be overkill if you only need to convert images to JPG without any other editing. Smallpdf also allows you to convert many image files to JPG, and you can do it for free without installing any software.

If you do most of your work online, you can also save your JPG images directly to Dropbox or Google Drive. Don't worry if your original image is first converted to PDF. This is part of the process, and also the reason you select “Export As” rather than “Download” after the conversion. Selecting “Image (.jpg)” converts the PDF to JPG, ready for download.

Why Convert Images to JPG?

There are hundreds of image file formats, but many—such as PSD, EPS, AI, and ICO—are container formats linked to specific software. Even the most common image formats include more than a dozen different types.

However, common image file formats are not universally supported, nor are they all appropriate to use in any situation. You can insert PSD, BMP, and TIFF files into Microsoft Office documents. However, these uncompressed image formats can result in large file sizes.

Conversely, WebP—developed by Google—and High Efficiency Image Format (HEIC)—developed by Apple—are newer formats. Though popular, they may not be universally supported yet. So, even if the image displays perfectly for you, if you send it to someone else there is no guarantee that they will be able to view it.

The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG or JPEG) format is one of the oldest image file formats. It is universally supported and includes an image compression algorithm. This makes it the ideal format for reducing the file size of your images and ensuring they can still be viewed on any device and system.

“Pro” Tips for JPG Conversion

Converting an image to JPG is easy, and so is converting a second image. Unfortunately, if you need to convert more than two files as JPG images, or would prefer converting JPG images in bulk, you will need to sign up for a Pro plan. Using Smallpdf for free—registered or not—limits you to two documents a day with any of our 20+ tools. Registering an account allows you to use all our tools without any limitations for 7 days, without paying a cent. To continue using all Smallpdf tools without limits after those 7 days, you will need to sign up for a Pro, Team, or Business account.

With a paid plan, you also have access to online storage to save any digital documents you have processed through Smallpdf. You'll also be able to download our Windows app to use our image converter and other tools offline. Our iOS and Android apps are available even to free users, but with the same two documents per day limit.

Common Problems and Solutions in JPG Conversion

In addition to the two file limit for free accounts, there is another limit that applies with all plans. The maximum file size allowed is 5 GB per file. However, this is rarely an issue for image conversions. TIFF and BMP images can have large file sizes, but are seldom larger than 1 GB outside of specialized fields.

Lossy compression is used when converting an image file to JPG. Depending on the original image's quality and file type, this can cause the quality of the image to drop. This is more common when converting drawings and vector graphics such as logos and icons, but can also happen with photos. Using high-quality images can minimize the risk of this happening, and you should also avoid converting images that have already been converted or compressed.

Smallpdf supports converting GIFs to JPGs. However, the JPG file format does not support animation. Converting an animated GIF to JPG will result in a static image of the first frame of the GIF.

What About JPEG?

JPEG and JPG formats are the same and follow the Joint Photographic Experts Group guidelines. The only difference is due to older versions of Windows limiting file extensions to three letters, so JPEG became JPG. This means you won’t have any problems when sending or sharing files as JPGs when the recipient asks for JPEGs. If this is ever an issue and you need to send a file in JPG format, check out our tutorial on converting JPEG to JPG.

The full suite of Smallpdf tools allows you to effectively manage your digital files. You can convert multiple file types to PDF, compress and protect PDF files, and now even translate a summary of your PDF. Register for a 7-day free trial, or explore more of our handy guides.