Why is my PNG so much larger than the AVIF source?

AVIF uses advanced compression (AV1 intra-frame prediction, arithmetic coding) that can represent an image very compactly. PNG uses DEFLATE, a general-purpose algorithm from the 1990s that is far less efficient for photographic images. The PNG must store every pixel's full data, resulting in a 5–10x size increase.

Will the PNG preserve transparency from the AVIF?

Yes. The full alpha channel is decoded from the AVIF and stored in the PNG as a proper RGBA pixel array. Partial transparency, feathered edges, and drop shadow translucency are all preserved accurately.

What happens to HDR content during conversion?

HDR luminance values above standard dynamic range are tone-mapped down using a Reinhard operator that preserves relative brightness relationships. The image will look natural and properly exposed on standard SDR displays. The extended dynamic range of the original HDR is necessarily lost because PNG cannot represent HDR.

Should I convert AVIF to PNG or JPG?

PNG when you need lossless quality for editing, printing, or archival; when the image has transparency; or when it contains text or graphics that JPG would artifact. JPG when you need a smaller file for sharing, web use, or embedding in documents where file size matters more than perfect fidelity.

Can I convert from Safari if it does not support AVIF?

No. AVIF decoding must happen in the browser, and Safari lacks an AVIF decoder. Use Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for AVIF to PNG conversions. The converted PNG will then work perfectly in Safari and all other applications.

Image Tools2026-05-10

How to Convert AVIF to PNG — Preserve Every Pixel from the Best Format

AVIF is technically brilliant—20–30% more efficient than WebP, 50% more than JPG. But when you need a pixel-perfect, universally compatible, lossless version of an AVIF image for editing, printing, or archival storage, PNG is the destination that makes sense. Converting AVIF to PNG decodes the AV1-compressed image back to its full raster form and stores it in PNG's lossless container. If the source AVIF was lossless (yes, AVIF supports lossless mode), the PNG output is mathematically identical to the original uncompressed image. If the source AVIF was lossy, the PNG freezes the quality at the decoded level, preventing the "generation loss" that would occur if you edited and re-saved the image in a lossy format. Our converter handles both lossy and lossless AVIF inputs, tone-maps HDR content to SDR for compatibility, and preserves transparency through the full alpha channel. Everything happens in your browser—the AVIF decode, the pixel processing, and the PNG encode run locally with zero data transfer.

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AVIF to PNG Converter

Free · No registration

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Step-by-Step Guide

Upload Your AVIF File

Drag your .avif image onto the converter. Processing requires a browser with native AVIF support—Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, or Edge 121+ all include the dav1d software decoder. If your browser does not support AVIF, the tool will alert you and recommend switching to a supported browser for this conversion.

Choose PNG Output Settings

Select PNG-24 for full color depth and alpha channel preservation. If the AVIF contains transparency, it will be preserved in the alpha channel of the PNG. For images with limited color palettes, PNG-8 offers a smaller file with minimal quality loss. The preview updates in real time so you can compare before committing.

Download the PNG

Click "Convert" and your PNG is ready in 1–3 seconds. Inspect the output at 100% zoom against the source preview to verify quality. The file size delta is shown clearly—even a lossy AVIF may produce a PNG 5–10x larger because PNG stores every pixel literally with no lossy compression.

Tips & Best Practices

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A 90 KB AVIF will typically become a 450–900 KB PNG-24. This 5–10x size increase is normal and reflects the fundamental difference between AVIF's efficient lossy compression and PNG's lossless DEFLATE-based storage.

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If the source AVIF was encoded in lossless mode, the resulting PNG is pixel-for-pixel identical to the original image data. AVIF lossless uses AV1's transform-based coding. This is different from any loss of quality.

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AVIF supports 10-bit and 12-bit color depth with HDR transfer functions (PQ and HLG). PNG is limited to 8-bit per channel standard dynamic range. The tone mapping from HDR to SDR is automatic and produces natural-looking results on standard displays.

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When converting transparent AVIF to PNG, the alpha channel is fully preserved. However, AVIF supports separate lossy compression of the alpha channel, so heavily compressed AVIFs may have slightly degraded alpha edges that become visible in the PNG output.

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For images destined for further editing in Photoshop or GIMP, converting AVIF to PNG is the correct intermediate step. Editing a PNG and saving as PSD/XCF preserves quality. Editing an AVIF directly (if your software even supports it) and saving to another lossy format applies double compression.

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AVIF supports film grain synthesis—metadata that instructs the decoder to add realistic film grain rather than encoding it as pixel data. When converting to PNG, this grain is synthesized and baked into the pixel data, so the grain appearance is preserved in the output.

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The AVIF format includes an option for lossless alpha but lossy color. In this case, the PNG output will have a perfect alpha channel but lossy color data. This hybrid mode is relatively rare but used in some web deployment pipelines.

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For archival storage, PNG is a safer choice than AVIF because PNG has been stable since 1996 with universal tooling. AVIF is newer and still evolving—the PNG you create today will be readable by any image software for decades to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

It preserves the image quality at the decoded level, which is the best that can be extracted from the AVIF. If the AVIF was lossy, the compression loss from the original AVIF encode remains, but no additional loss occurs during PNG encoding because PNG is fully lossless.

AVIF to PNG conversion gives you a universally compatible, lossless version of cutting-edge image content. The file size increase is significant but justified when editing, printing, or archiving is the goal. Convert your AVIF files now and get pixel-perfect PNGs that will work with every tool in your workflow.

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