Guides
Short, practical answers to the questions behind the converters: which format to use, how to open a file, and how to meet a size limit.
- How to open HEIC files on Windows, Mac, iPhone and AndroidWhy HEIC photos will not open on some devices and how to open or convert them on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, or stop your iPhone saving them.
- WebP vs PNG vs JPG: which image format should you use?A plain comparison of WebP, PNG and JPG: lossy and lossless compression, transparency, file size and compatibility, with a table to pick for each job.
- How to make a PDF from photos under 500 KB, 1 MB or 2 MBUpload forms reject big files. Learn why photo PDFs get large and how to build one under 500 KB, 1 MB or 2 MB on your own device while keeping text readable.
- How to extract text from an image, screenshot or scanned PDFWays to copy text out of a photo, screenshot or scanned PDF on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and in the browser, plus tips for getting accurate OCR results.
- What is an AVIF image and when should you use it?AVIF is a modern image format with small files and wide color support. Learn what it is, where it works, where it does not and how to convert it.
- TIFF vs JPG vs PNG for scans: which format to keep?Scanners often save TIFF, but JPG or PNG may suit you better. Compare file size, quality and compatibility for scans and photos, with simple size math.
- BMP files: why they are so large and what to use insteadBMP images are usually uncompressed, so even simple pictures take megabytes. See the size math and when to switch to PNG or JPG without losing anything.
- How to reduce image size for email, forms and uploadsPhone photos are often too big for email and upload forms. Learn the three levers that shrink an image, with size math, and how to hit 200 KB or 1 MB.
- PDF to image: which resolution should you choose?Choosing a resolution for PDF to JPG or PNG: how dpi relates to pixels, the sizes for a US Letter page and which setting fits screens, slides and print.
- How OCR works and why it makes mistakesA plain explanation of how OCR reads text from an image, why errors happen and how to prepare a picture so the result needs fewer corrections.